New Bedford Guide Your Guide to New Bedford and South Coast, MA
The concert takes place at the school’s main campus, 190 Ashley Boulevard in New Bedford. It will include performances, raffles and refreshments. The event will feature the Larry Brown Swinglane Jazz Orchestra with special appearances by the GLCPS Band and Jazz Band.
“The auditorium will be set up like a jazz club with tables and chairs for the guests,” said Ian Gollub, GLCPS Band leader and music teacher. “It’s a wonderful way for music lovers to relax,
have some fun and hear some great music.”
The popular swinglane orchestra was formed over 12 years ago by former Navy Band Leader and Master Chief Musician Larry Brown. Swinglane consists of a group of professional musicians playing jazz, swing and big band music.
“We’re very fortunate that the Larry Brown Swinglane Jazz Orchestra has agreed to play for our scholarship fundraising event,” said Gollub. “It’s a great group of musicians who make music
enjoyable for all ages.” A grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council allowed GLCPS to hire Loren Palmer as an artist-in-residence to work with the band members throughout the year. Mr. Palmer is a former band director and a 35-year veteran of music education in public schools. He is also a member of the Larry Brown Swinglane Jazz Orchestra.
Also performing at the event is the GLCPS school band and the student jazz combo. The student bands will be the opening acts for the evening. Despite the fact that both bands were only
formed during the current school year and that most of the students had little to no previous experience playing an instrument, the 40 members are looking forward to playing in front of an
audience.
“Under the direction of Mr. Gollub, these students have grown tremendously as musicians and performers,” said Dr. Stephen Furtado, executive director of GLCPS and a former professional
musician himself. “They have already performed several times at school events and at a Providence Bruins game earlier this year. The Student Jazz Combo was also a highlight of our Global Gala in March.”
Following the performances, raffle winners will be announced. Organizers of the event are still accepting items for the raffle. Also, tickets are on sale at $10 apiece. Interested businesses or individuals who would like to donate a raffle item or purchase a ticket can contact Mr. Gollub at the school at 508-991-4105.
All proceeds from the event will go into a scholarship fund for music lessons and workshops for music students at GLCPS.
“We have many promising musicians who would benefit greatly from more instruction if there were some way to pay for it,” said Gollub. “This fund will be used for that.”
The band members are also preparing for two other events this year. On June 7th, they will visit the Boston Conservatory where they will take a tour, participate in a workshop and speak with
faculty and students of the esteemed music school.
“This is a very special event,” said Gollub. “The Conservatory has gone out of its way to plan this day especially for our students.”
The students have a culminating performance planned for the year. On June 13th, the Band and Jazz Combo will play at Custom House Square as part of the Lunchtime Jazz Series launched
by the office of Mayor Jon Mitchell last fall and resuming now that the weather is getting warmer. The GLCPS students will play for about an hour beginning at 12PM.
“The kids are really excited about this, especially because it is a way for us to give back to the New Bedford community,” said Gollub.
GLCPS offers a small, personalized, college preparatory learning environment in which students are encouraged to realize their full potential, both academically and personally. The
school, open to New Bedford residents, is a tuition-free public charter school that serves students in grades 5-12.
For more information, please visit www.glcps.org, or the school’s Facebook page.
