WIND SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA TO PLAY ENCORE

Menzo Case admits he likes to dream big and think outside the box when it comes to finding ways to make his community better. That’s why the CEO of Generations Bank is excited about his newest project – to bring the American Wind Symphony Orchestra to Seneca Falls during Convention Days, July 19-21, this year.“It’s an exciting opportunity to expose the public, and especially young people, to the arts,” Case told a group of about 20 people he had drafted to be the steering committee for the event.Case and Sharon Hoatland, marketing manager for The Gould, will head the steering committee. Scores of volunteers will be needed to work on hospitality, publicity, grounds and housing of the musicians. The American Wind Symphony will be playing an encore in Seneca Falls; the group appeared here in the late 1970s. Under the leadership of Robert Boudreau, who founded the group in 1957, the wind ensemble travels the waterways of the US, Canada, the Caribbean and Europe in a 195-foot by 38-foot barge–shaped vessel called the Point Counterpoint II. When it reaches its Seneca Falls destination on the Cayuga-Seneca Canal along People’s Park, the vessel will open like a clamshell to reveal a 40-foot high stage on which approximately 45 musicians and artists will perform. Boudreau, his staff, the crew and the musicians all live aboard the vessel when it is at sea. Once docked, the troupe will stay with local families.The troupe will divide into smaller ensembles that will perform at churches, hospitals and other venues on Saturday, July 19. They will come together for a major concert on Sunday, July 20. Troup members also will be available to conduct master classes with experienced musicians at schools and organizations throughout the Finger Lakes area.Case said the visit will be an opportunity to unite people from throughout the area in a celebration of the arts. In addition to wind instrument musicians, performers aboard the Point Counterpoint II are expected to include dancers, actors and fine artists. A festival to celebrate the arts will be set up along Cowing Street, welcoming area fine arts vendors and artists to display and sell their arts. “This will be a special event for our community, one that will be remembered for years to come,” Case said. “People are still talking about the AWSO’s first appearance here. We are looking forward to bringing people together from all walks of life and from all over the world in peace and understanding.”For more information, or to volunteer to help with the project, contact Case at [email protected], tel. 315-568-1103 or Hoatland, [email protected], tel. 315-712-4000.