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Eileen Nelson Ness is among a number of musicians who will perform a concert at 4 p.m. Sunday at the United Methodist Church of Albert Lea.  Root beer floats will be served prior to the concert at 3:30 p.m. All types of American music will be featured: marches by Sousa, the music of Gershwin, Berlin, Stephen Foster, Scott Joplin and more. The public is invited.

Concert at United Methodist to celebrate American music

Published Thursday, July 2, 2009

The public is invited to a concert of all-American music to celebrate this year’s Independence Day weekend. The concert will be held at the United Methodist Church of Albert Lea at 4 p.m. Sunday.

Music scanning the years from 1776 to present day will be heard.

The Albert Lea Cantori will perform Stephen Foster’s “Beautiful Dreamer,” “Oh, My Love’s Like a Red, Red Rose” by Rene Clausen, and the “Battle Hymn of the Republic” with audience participation.

Brent Ness from New York City will play “Variations” from George Gershwin’s “American in Paris.”

The Stray Notes will sing a gospel arrangement of “Swannee River” and Gail Thurnau will perform “Theme and Variations on God Bless Our Native Land” and the “Washington Post March” by John Philip Sousa.

Deb Stolarcek and Wendy Walker will perform a rag by Scott Joplin for two flutes.

Stuart Ness and Christie Schneider from Sioux Falls, S.D., will sing “Just an Old Fashioned Wedding” from “Annie Get Your Gun.”

Eileen Nelson Ness will perform “The Typewriter” of LeRoy Anderson and Meacham’s march, “American Patrol.”

The program will end with a rousing duo organ rendition of John Philip Sousa’s “Stars and Stripes Forever,” played by Beverly Seifert from Portland, Ore., and Eileen Nelson Ness. Instrumentalists also participating are Jerry Jarmon and Jack Hockenberry.

Beginning at 3:30 p.m. there will be root beer floats available in the narthex of the church. An offering will be taken. The concert is open to the public.

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