Music groups from UW-Green Bay shine in popular NFL Films concert


Before an enthusiastic audience of more than 800 concert-goers, two UW-Green Bay ensembles drew praise and applause at the Nov. 12 “Football Fever” concert at the Meyer Theatre in downtown Green Bay. The student Wind Symphony under the direction of Prof. Kevin Collins, along with an alumni-and-community big band organized by Prof. John Salerno, shared the stage with the Civic Symphony of Green Bay in a concert described as a “humdinger” by Press-Gazette critic Warren Gerds. Read his recap.

Columnist: Spence, fans touched by Titletown tribute

The mayor of Green Bay read a proclamation on stage, die-hard fans came from as far away as Long Island, Massachusetts and Texas, and the composer himself, Sam Spence, traveled from Munich, Germany, for last Friday’s extravaganza concert at the Meyer. David Barron, a sports columnist for the Houston Chronicle, was among the ‘Samheads’ who didn’t want to miss a note of the famous NFL Films scores, performed live. Baron blogged about his concert experience and Titletown trip; click here.

Concert had strong youth-education component
One of the special aspects of Friday’s joint Civic Symphony/UW-Green Bay concert at the Meyer Theatre was educational outreach to youth. A packed house of 975 children and their teachers attended a special Friday morning preview concert. Most of the children found they were already familiar with guest conductor Sam Spence’s music – NFL Films scores he wrote in the 1960s, ‘70s and ‘80s – because it remains widely heard today in commercials, on shows such as SpongeBob Square Pants, and in the Madden video game franchise.
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