Honoring our Heroes’ is Jazz from the War Years

Space Coast Symphony JAZZ Orchestra presents Big Band Concert in Cocoa Beach 

(Cocoa Beach, FL) October 31, 2016 – The Space Coast Symphony JAZZ Orchestra will be Honoring our Heroes with a Veterans Day concert of swinging Big Band music at 7:00 PM on Friday, November 11 atRiverside Presbyterian Church in Cocoa Beach, 3400 N. Atlantic Avenue (A1A).  Under the direction of  guest conductor Frank Wosar, the JAZZ Orchestra concert will honor the men and women who have served in the United States Armed Forces, with an emphasis on music first performed from 1939-1945.  Central Florida’s finest jazz musicians will play war time favorites including music from Goodman, Miller, Dorsey, Ellington, Basie, and more.  $20 advance tickets for adults are available through the orchestra website at www.SpaceCoastSymphony.org or at several convenient ticket outlets, including Ace Hardware stores in Indialantic and Cocoa Beach, Blue Sky Insurance in Cocoa Village, Tropical Realty of Suntree, La Moda Boutique in Suntree, Art Expressions in downtown Eau Gallie, Atlantic Strings in Melbourne, A Floral Affair in Merritt Island, Brass & Reed Music Store in Merritt Island, and Brevard Florist in Palm Bay.  Tickets at the door are $25.  The performance is free for those aged 18 and under or with a college student ID.  For more information, call toll free to 855-252-7276.

Conductor of the Space Coast Symphony Orchestra, Aaron T. Collins tapped experienced jazz performer Frank Wosar to lead the group Honoring our Heroes.

“Frank is a terrific jazz musician who has performed with the modern day Tommy Dorsey Orchestra and Glenn Miller Orchestra,” said Collins.  “This swinging concert will be honoring the heroes who have worn the uniform of the U.S. armed forces –and a tribute to those performers from the 1940’s who kept spirits high for our servicemen and loved ones at home.”

For more information about the Space Coast Symphony 2016-17 season or the Symphony for Everyone discount ticket program, please visit www.SpaceCoastSymphony.org or call toll-free (855) 252-7276.

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The Forties and the Music of World War II — The 1940s were the apotheosis of American popular music. Swing, blues and country were all popular styles but, above all, it was the heyday of the seventeen-piece big band. Names like Benny Goodman, Glen Miller, Tommy Dorsey, and Duke Ellington were as lionized as today’s rock groups and to this day, their theme songs—“Sing, Sing, Sing,” “In the Mood,” “I’m Getting Sentimental Over You,” and “Take the ‘A’ Train”—virtually define the entire musical period. Vocalists like Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Doris Day, and Ella Fitzgerald had their own cult following, but everything started with the song itself, and the names of the songwriters alone tell the story: Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, Richard Rogers, Johnny Mercer, and Frank Loesser. The 1940s were the golden age of the American songbook.

ABOUT FRANK WOSAR — Trombonist Frank Wosar holds a Masters degree in Music Education from the University of Central Florida and a Bachelors degree in Jazz Performance from the University of Miami. He played solo chair in the Grammy Award winning jazz band the CJB at UM all four years that he attended. He has been awarded the Down Beat Award for outstanding jazz solo four times and two times by the IAJE. Currently he is the adjunct Jazz Trombone Professor at Valencia College and freelances as a trombone player at many venues in town. He is also frequent sub for Disney’s Grand Floridian Society Orchestra and BB Kings Blues Club. Frank has had the privilege to have played with The Supremes, Hootie and the Blow Fish, John Michael Montgomery, Mark Anthony, Gloria Estafan, Willie Chirino, Ray Ruiz salsa Orchestra, Paul Ankia, Jim Belushi, Jim Widner Big Band, John Fedchock Big Band , Ed Calle Big Band, Arturo Sandavol, Duffy Jackson Big Band, Sam Rivers, KC and the Sunshine Band, Tommy Dorsey Orchestra (Buddy Morro), the Glenn Miller Orchestra and many more. He would like to acknowledge and thank the Ocala Jazz Society for the scholarship he received in 1998.

ABOUT THE SPACE COAST SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA— The SCSO is a lively and passionate Central Florida orchestra comprised of professional musicians, music educators and mentored amateurs of exceptional ability.  The Orchestra was formed by Conductor and Artistic Director Aaron T. Collins with a two-fold mission: to provide mentoring and performance opportunities for Florida’s finest young musicians as well as to provide professional concerts at genuinely affordable prices.  The ultimate goal of the organization is to help ensure the symphonic tradition for the enjoyment of future generations.

33-year old Aaron T. Collins is garnering recognition for his achievements.  LEAD Brevard named the ambitious Collins one of their “4 under 40” Young Professionals, the youngest-ever recipient of the honor. Space Coast Business magazine listed him as one of Brevard’s “100 Most Admired Businesspeople.” In 2016, Collins won the Richard A. Stark Award for cultural leadership from the Cultural Council of Indian River County.  Through his personal involvement with more than a dozen performing arts groups, pioneering reciprocal ad program and social media cross promotions, Collins has gained a reputation for generosity; championing other arts organizations throughout Central Florida for the cultural enrichment of the community.

The Space Coast Symphony Orchestra performs in several very comfortable venues in Brevard and Indian River counties, with advance general admission tickets priced at just $20.  School-aged children 18 years and under are admitted free of charge, as are college students with a valid ID.  In keeping with their mission, the symphony provides a unique Symphony for Everyone ticketing program, a “pay-what-you-can” option designed to provide substantially discounted admission to any Space Coast Symphony concert.

Relying on a non-traditional orchestra model and a slim budget, the Space Coast Symphony Orchestra is one of only 19 U.S. orchestras to perform year-round. In addition to maintaining the Space Coast Symphony JAZZ Orchestra and Space Coast Symphony Wind Orchestra, the non-profit organization provides numerous separate and free ensemble performances. More information about the Space Coast Symphony Orchestra’s upcoming concerts, ticket sales, venues, directions and sponsorship opportunities is available at www.SpaceCoastSymphony.org by calling toll free (855) 252-7276.