I will be performing in the Henry Mancini Institute Jazz, accompanying Patti WIlliams in a tribute to Patrick Williams.

Overview

MW I – January 22 & 23
Borrowed and Blue
By David Amado

The opening concert of our 36th season explores music shaped by African and African American musical traditions—both borrowed and blue. Whether filtered through the salons of Paris or the soundstages of New York, the blues and jazz idioms that grew out of the Black experience have deeply influenced 20th-century concert music and continue to shape how composers around the world imagine musical voice and identity.

We begin with Kurt Weill’s Little Threepenny Music, drawn from his 1928 Threepenny Opera—a sly, satirical, genre-bending collaboration with playwright Bertolt Brecht. The show was a sensation in Weimar-era Berlin, and its music—equal parts cabaret, jazz, and parody—brought the grit of street life into the theater with startling freshness. This orchestral suite, arranged in 1929 for wind ensemble and rhythm section, distills the show’s most iconic moments—among them the ever-sinister Mack the Knife—into a set that swings and snarls.

Weill’s bold fusion of classical and popular idioms finds a kindred spirit in George Gershwin. His Porgy and Bess, premiered in 1935, was a radical synthesis of jazz, opera, and folk traditions—an ambitious attempt to tell an African American story on the grandest of musical stages. While its reception has been complex and not without criticism, its score remains a cornerstone of American music. Robert Russell Bennett’s Symphonic Picture gathers its most memorable tunes—from Summertime to It Ain’t Necessarily So—into a single, thrilling sweep.

Between these two trailblazers comes Camille Saint-Saëns’s Fifth Piano Concerto, nicknamed the “Egyptian.” Written in 1896 during the composer’s travels along the Nile, the piece reflects Saint-Saëns’s lifelong fascination with exotic sounds and faraway landscapes. Though filtered through a distinctly French sensibility, the concerto incorporates elements drawn from Middle Eastern and North African melodies, creating a vibrant musical postcard from a time when the “Orient” was as much imagined as it was understood. Pianist Tao Lin joins us to perform this dazzling, colorful work.

Each piece on the program navigates the intersections of cultural influence and personal voice—raising musical questions about what it means to “borrow,” and what’s born of the blues.

Overview

MW I – January 22 & 23
Borrowed and Blue
By David Amado

The opening concert of our 36th season explores music shaped by African and African American musical traditions—both borrowed and blue. Whether filtered through the salons of Paris or the soundstages of New York, the blues and jazz idioms that grew out of the Black experience have deeply influenced 20th-century concert music and continue to shape how composers around the world imagine musical voice and identity.

We begin with Kurt Weill’s Little Threepenny Music, drawn from his 1928 Threepenny Opera—a sly, satirical, genre-bending collaboration with playwright Bertolt Brecht. The show was a sensation in Weimar-era Berlin, and its music—equal parts cabaret, jazz, and parody—brought the grit of street life into the theater with startling freshness. This orchestral suite, arranged in 1929 for wind ensemble and rhythm section, distills the show’s most iconic moments—among them the ever-sinister Mack the Knife—into a set that swings and snarls.

Weill’s bold fusion of classical and popular idioms finds a kindred spirit in George Gershwin. His Porgy and Bess, premiered in 1935, was a radical synthesis of jazz, opera, and folk traditions—an ambitious attempt to tell an African American story on the grandest of musical stages. While its reception has been complex and not without criticism, its score remains a cornerstone of American music. Robert Russell Bennett’s Symphonic Picture gathers its most memorable tunes—from Summertime to It Ain’t Necessarily So—into a single, thrilling sweep.

Between these two trailblazers comes Camille Saint-Saëns’s Fifth Piano Concerto, nicknamed the “Egyptian.” Written in 1896 during the composer’s travels along the Nile, the piece reflects Saint-Saëns’s lifelong fascination with exotic sounds and faraway landscapes. Though filtered through a distinctly French sensibility, the concerto incorporates elements drawn from Middle Eastern and North African melodies, creating a vibrant musical postcard from a time when the “Orient” was as much imagined as it was understood. Pianist Tao Lin joins us to perform this dazzling, colorful work.

Each piece on the program navigates the intersections of cultural influence and personal voice—raising musical questions about what it means to “borrow,” and what’s born of the blues.

Overview

MW I – January 22 & 23
Borrowed and Blue
By David Amado

The opening concert of our 36th season explores music shaped by African and African American musical traditions—both borrowed and blue. Whether filtered through the salons of Paris or the soundstages of New York, the blues and jazz idioms that grew out of the Black experience have deeply influenced 20th-century concert music and continue to shape how composers around the world imagine musical voice and identity.

We begin with Kurt Weill’s Little Threepenny Music, drawn from his 1928 Threepenny Opera—a sly, satirical, genre-bending collaboration with playwright Bertolt Brecht. The show was a sensation in Weimar-era Berlin, and its music—equal parts cabaret, jazz, and parody—brought the grit of street life into the theater with startling freshness. This orchestral suite, arranged in 1929 for wind ensemble and rhythm section, distills the show’s most iconic moments—among them the ever-sinister Mack the Knife—into a set that swings and snarls.

Weill’s bold fusion of classical and popular idioms finds a kindred spirit in George Gershwin. His Porgy and Bess, premiered in 1935, was a radical synthesis of jazz, opera, and folk traditions—an ambitious attempt to tell an African American story on the grandest of musical stages. While its reception has been complex and not without criticism, its score remains a cornerstone of American music. Robert Russell Bennett’s Symphonic Picture gathers its most memorable tunes—from Summertime to It Ain’t Necessarily So—into a single, thrilling sweep.

Between these two trailblazers comes Camille Saint-Saëns’s Fifth Piano Concerto, nicknamed the “Egyptian.” Written in 1896 during the composer’s travels along the Nile, the piece reflects Saint-Saëns’s lifelong fascination with exotic sounds and faraway landscapes. Though filtered through a distinctly French sensibility, the concerto incorporates elements drawn from Middle Eastern and North African melodies, creating a vibrant musical postcard from a time when the “Orient” was as much imagined as it was understood. Pianist Tao Lin joins us to perform this dazzling, colorful work.

Each piece on the program navigates the intersections of cultural influence and personal voice—raising musical questions about what it means to “borrow,” and what’s born of the blues.

Come see me perform Escapades by John Williams at the 2026 FMEA conference in Tampa with the FAU Wind Ensemble!

Come see me perform a lost work with Liz Ames!
After restoring and performing the work from manuscript, I’ve decided to present it this year at the Navy Symposium in its piano reduction form.

International Saxophone Symposium hosted by the US Navy Band

George Mason University,

Instrumental Room 4pm January 10th

Get ready for the most wonderful time of the year! Armen and Friends Holiday Extravaganza is almost here, and it's going to be an unforgettable evening packed with surprises, holiday cheer, and love! Secure your tickets now and join us on December 11 at 7 PM in Clarke Hall at the University of Miami. Can't wait to celebrate with you all!

The Symphonic Band always brings the most uniquely exciting holiday fare. Our remarkable flute and trumpet sections will be featured, and Leroy Anderson’s beloved seasonal favorites will compel you to sing, clap and dance as you wish!

Plus, Kyle Mechmet as a featured soloist

The Symphonic Band always brings the most uniquely exciting holiday fare. Our remarkable flute and trumpet sections will be featured, and Leroy Anderson’s beloved seasonal favorites will compel you to sing, clap and dance as you wish!

Plus, Kyle Mechmet as a featured soloist

An evening of chamber music by Frost chamber musicians, including the Frost Saxophone Quartet performing the first movement of Debussy’s String Quartet, arranged for saxophone quartet by Vincent David.

All middle and high school band students are invited to our Master Class & Winds Expo on Saturday, November 15, at Music Man on Jog Road.
We are hosting FREE clinics all day by renowned musicians from Yamaha, Eastman, Conn Selmer, and Buffet!

This is an opportunity to playtest our wide selection of step-up instruments and reserve yours for Black Friday!

AND, Beethoven & Company, the sheet music store in Tallahassee, will be here with their huge inventory of Solo & Ensemble music for students to try and purchase!

Don't miss this unforgettable event! 

Dale Underwood, director

An ensemble featuring saxophones from sopranino to contrabass. Performing repertoire that includes classical works by Sousa, original compositions written for saxophone ensemble, and transcriptions of classical favorites.

Newman Recital Hall

FREE

Come see me perform Rhapsody in Blue and American in Paris with the Palm Beach Symphony!