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ROYAL OAK — Dive into the world of folk during the “Folksongs Near and Far” show presented by the Royal Oak Concert Band at 3 p.m. March 9.
The 80-member band will be performing a variety of folk songs from different cultures and backgrounds with the Woodward Avenue Jazz Orchestra at the Dondero Auditorium at Royal Oak Middle School, 709 N. Washington Ave. in Royal Oak.
Folk music, according to Britannica.com, is a type of traditional and rural music that is passed down through families and other small social groups. Folk music is mostly passed down through hearing, and not reading.
Kevin Czarnik, director of the Royal Oak Concert Band, said that in the past concert bands would play dancing music, marches and transcriptions of music for orchestra or pop music ensembles.
“What changed that was composers in the early 1900s transcribing folk tunes, which would be like tunes that people would sing and hand down through the ages,” Czarnik said. “They transcribed these folk tunes for the band, and that became kind of original band music.”
Czarnik said that through the integration of folk music came the growth of the idiom of concert band.
“The concert band itself owes a lot to the use of folk tunes in its original literature,” he said.
Emily Borus, president and executive director of the Royal Oak Concert Band, has been a band member since 2000 and is the principal clarinet player. She has served as principal clarinet player and executive director for 24 years.
“We are really focusing on folk songs and how they are woven into different types of music,” Borus said. “You get to experience cultures, a variety of cultures, through these songs.”
The band will be playing a few Elvis Presley songs, which are folk tunes that he took inspiration from.
“We are playing a medley of Elvis hits that actually are not Elvis hits at all,” Czarnick said. “They’re hits that were primarily folk tunes from Germany and Italy that he later took and played with to become his own songs.”
The Royal Oak Concert Band is a nonprofit organization consisting of volunteer musicians.
“I think our audience has witnessed over the years how much love and intensity we bring to our performances. We want the audience to be engaged in what we’re doing,” Borus said. “We perform for the love of music, and some of these pieces are pieces that we may have played when we were in high school, others are brand-new works that we want to bring to the stage.”
The ROCB often performs with the Woodward Avenue Jazz Orchestra, a 20-member ensemble directed by James Cann. The jazz band will be joining the ROCB for the folk concert.
“The Woodward Avenue Jazz Orchestra is truly a sister organization, and they provide a similar type of experience to us, but different genres, different sensibilities, within the jazz realm,” Borus said.
Czarnik said that this is a special concert for him, marking his 10th year with the group.
“For me, it’s a big deal, and we have been working on a lot of serious, difficult music,” he said. “We’ve had a lot of great musician victories throughout our band. So it’s been quite a journey with them.”
Through the performance, Czarnik said that he is hoping to see the audience gain a deeper understanding of folk music.
“Music comes from cultures all over the world, it’s able to be re-created in cultures that are dissimilar,” he said. “Hopefully the audience can see that music can transcend some borders.”
Tickets for “Folksongs Near and Far” cost $12 for general admission and $10 for students and seniors. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit royaloakconcertband.org.
