monday's mulling: a homerun of a concert

Saturday night T and I went to the Schuster Center whereThe Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra presented “Huddle Up: Music of Sports.” Prior to the concert a local high school marching band presented a stadium concert on the stage in the Winter Garden (main lobby) and then like all sporting events, started the concert with the National Anthem. Audience members were encouraged to wear their favorite sports team gear. I wore a University of Dayton sweatshirt and T wore his signed Jim Brown Cleveland Browns jersey. (So many high hopes for this football playoff season!).

The evening’s repertoire was terrifically fun and included: John William’s “Olympic Fanfare & Theme” (1984 Olympics); “Home Stretch,” (horse racing); “Mendelssohn’s “Symphony No. 4, Op. 90, 1,” (bike riding with footage of a bike rider traversing Dayton bike trail system); “Look Sharp,” (the Gillette razor commercial);  “P.D.Q. Bach/Peter Schickele’s Beethoven Symphony No. 5,” (two area sportscasters analyzed and broadcast the symphony); “The Skater’s Waltz,”; "Row, Row, Row Your Boat," with footage highlight an area rowing Olympian and the audience singing in a four-part round; “Sweet Georgia Brown,” “Take Me Out to the Ballgame,” “Big Band Baseball Hits,” “Casey at the Bat,” and “Highlights from ROCKY.” Such a light-hearted and fun evening!

I didn't take any photos of the performance but I love this piece of art hanging in the Schuster Center. It's part of artist Willis "Bing" Davis's Ancestral Tribal Dance series. Davis is originally from South Carolina but in his youth he and his family moved to Dayton. He has lived in Dayton for over 60 years and has been recognized as one of the premiere interpreters of art and the African-American experience in the United States. The triangle motif is common in his art that's borrowed from the patterns found in African quilts.