EDMOND—The Armstrong International Cultural Foundation finished its 2010 concert season on April 25. The Herbert W. Armstrong College choral union’s full-length performance of Felix Mendelssohn’s Elijah concluded the final season to be held in the John Amos Field House.
The performance featured a full professional orchestra and soloists, and was conducted by music director Ryan Malone.
The field house’s final season began on February 14, when a semi truck laden with equipment arrived on campus to prepare for the performance of the Band of the Irish Guards and the Royal Regiment of Scotland. Crates of uniforms and instruments lined one side of the hallway of the field house, adjacent to enough food and refreshments to feed the 80-strong contingent of dancers, pipers, drummers and other musicians.
Patrons flocked to experience the taste of British culture. Tickets for the event sold out several days prior to the performance. Some purchased standing-room-only tickets in order to see the concert, with a total of 824 in attendance. The program included a special piece, “Return of the Stone,” in honor of foundation chairman Gerald Flurry.
The season opener helped draw attention to future performances. A resident of Edmond commented, “I love your concert series so much I bought season tickets this year and plan to continue to purchase them each year in the future!”
Two days later, the King’s Singers arrived. The performers remarked how reminiscent Armstrong Auditorium is of Ambassador Auditorium.
The popularity of the series continued when the Canadian Brass took the stage on February 28. After the first three concerts, over 2,000 seats had been filled.
On April 8, mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade, on her farewell tour, and legendary bass Samuel Ramey performed works by Copland, Berlioz, Gershwin, Offenbach, Rodgers and Hammerstein, and more. Both artists, who perform regularly at The Metropolitan Opera, have been singing for 40 years. The duo have been singing together for five years.
They were accompanied on piano by Martin Katz, considered by some as the dean of collaborative pianists. Katz was the first to perform on the foundation’s brand-new Hamburg Steinway concert grand, which he acknowledged was a very good piano.
All three artists had previously performed at Ambassador Auditorium and commented on how special the venue was. They were excited about the opening of the new Armstrong Auditorium on the college campus.
Another group that has performed in Ambassador Auditorium, the Romeros Guitar Quartet, performed at the field house on April 15 for a crowd of 508. The “royal family of the guitar” was joined by its founding member, guitar virtuoso Angel Romero.
When the Romeros Guitar Quartet returned to Herbert W. Armstrong College, their destination was the John Amos Field House. But the family wanted to visit somewhere else first.
On the afternoon before their April 15 performance, Celin, Pepe, Celino and Lito Romero visited Armstrong Auditorium with music director Ryan Malone. Mr. Malone led them through the lobby, which he said visibly impressed them. The men then entered the theater.
The Romeros were originally booked to perform in the auditorium and to test its acoustic reaction. Although they would be performing in the field house instead, once they were on stage, Pepe and then Celin went to retrieve their guitars. Sitting amid tools and heavy equipment, one foot propped on a tar bucket, the men began to play.
“It was such a rare thing,” Mr. Malone remarked. “It’s hard to describe; it was an electric moment.”
The first performers to play in the auditorium strummed their classical guitars for several minutes. Afterward, the family, which has performed in Ambassador Auditorium, said they were impressed with the building’s acoustics, despite its clutter of equipment and unfinished state. Celin spoke for the family’s feelings about Armstrong Auditorium: “You have done a magnificent thing.”
The quality of the series is drawing attention to itself in conjunction with increasing the anticipation for the opening of the new auditorium for the 2010-2011 season. A resident of Cordell, Okla., commented, “I discovered your wonderful series with so many excellent musicians. Thanks for making these opportunities available.”
The 2010-2011 season will begin on September 5 upon completion of Armstrong Auditorium.
