4^th AVENUE" to appear with St. Joe Municipal Band

Director of the St. Joseph Municipal Band, Dr. Donald Moely, indicated the band concerts scheduled for Sunday, July 14, will include special guests the vocal a cappella group, "4th AVENUE."

The concert begins in a traditional manner with John Philip Sousa’s "Hail to the Spirit of Liberty." Coordinating with the St. Joseph Art Fair theme for this week, the band continues with Norman Dello Joio’s Scenes from the Louvre. The five movements of this suite cover the period of the famous Paris museum’s development during the Renaissance and are based on themes from composers of that period. The movements are titled The Portals, Children’s Gallery, The Kings of France, The Nativity Paintings, and Finale.

The program includes a Norwegian March by Johannes Hanssen entitled "Valdres," which is followed by the ballad by Johnny Burke and James Van Heusen, "Here’s That Rainy Day," arranged for band by Bob Lowden.

The program continues with the vocal presentation by "4th AVENUE."

4th AVENUE had it roots when Tim and Lyndsey Borst, and Joe and Karol Krueger met through the music program at Southwestern Michigan College in Dowagiac MI. They first noticed that there was potential when they would stay after class to practice the songs that were learned for Show Choir. The blend of their voices would put their lives in a direction that would later prove to be beneficial. In 1998 a mutual friend’s father needed some entertainment for Ethnic Fest in South Bend (IN), Tim and Joe asked Karol and Lyndsey if they would be interested in learning a few songs. The girls agreed. The quartet’s next decision would revolve around a name. This is an important aspect. It had to be catchy, yet have a good meaning. Karol found "avenue" in the dictionary. One of the definitions read "a path to broader horizons." She then added the "4" symbolizing the four of them. From there on, their lives began to mesh. They became best friends, and later, true loves. Their talents evolved into "funny" jokes here and there, and some strategic choreography. Most of the entertaining is done in Niles and Dowagiac, MI. Recently, they are proud to include Buchanan, St. Joe, Grand Rapids, and Northern Indiana. 4th Avenue loves to sing, and each performance is seen as a privilege to share their talents and touch the lives of the audience members. Their entertainment will include: "It’s Alright," "Java Jive," "Under the Boardwalk," "in the Still of the Night," and "Itty Bitty Pretty One."

The band continues with a Spanish styled march "Amparito Roca," by Jaime Texidor, Leroy Anderson’s "Blue Tango" and an English style concert march to conclude the program, "Coat of Arms" by Eric Coates.

The concerts will be at 3:30 and 7:30 at the John E. N. Howard Band Shell across from the Whitcomb in downtown St. Joseph.