Caldwell Fine Arts Past Performances

October 14, Monday
Adult $14-18: Student $10-14

They come from The Netherlands, but their music is straight from America's Swing era. Nineteen players and three vocalists strong, when they say Big Band, they mean BIG BAND!! They have the personnel to create the sounds of Glenn Miller, Harry James, and Tommy Dorsey.

Big Band SWING DESIGN was founded in 1983 in Maastricht by a group of five enthusiastic musicians and is now an internationally known show and dance orchestra. It is the leading Big Band in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany. During the years, SWING DESIGN expanded to a total of 21 members. Both instrumentalists and vocalists treat you to a varied repertoire of music and a fabulous show. The band members come from the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium and the United Kingdom.

Bands originated in the United States during the 1920s and they were wildly popular for decades. Everybody knows the unforgettable orchestras of Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey and Harry James. As a result, similar bands later on appeared in Germany. Examples are James Last, Max Greger and Bert Kaempfert. The Netherlands and the United Kingdom used to have their own good big bands, including Willy Schobben, The Skymasters and Syd Lawrence. At the moment, people like Harry Connick Jr., Brian Setzer and also a band like SWING DESIGN are responsible for a remarkable "return of the big bands".

SWING DESIGN's band leader is Bart Rademakers. He, like many of the other band members, graduated from the Music Academy of Maastricht. He also teaches at the Art Academy of Maastricht and is continually busy writing new arrangements that have become a trademark for the band. Smooth saxophone lines and punchy brass fills are complemented by the necessary attention to the various show-elements.

SWING DESIGN commands a broad repertoire of music and differentiates itself from other big bands by the enthusiastic and spontaneous way in which the band members provide a complete show. SWING DESIGN has already enjoyed much success in the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Germany and the USA. So far the band has released five CDs. One of the releases in 1998 was recorded to commemorate 15 years of SWING DESIGN and starred a number of guest artists with whom the band has worked over the years. Hence the title "Swing Design and Friends".

SWING DESIGN's tours through the U.S. in 1994, 1996 and 2000, 2001 were enormously successful. Swing Design has performed at the following venues: The Monterey Jazz & Dixieland Festival in Monterey, California, The Sun Valley Swing & Jazz Jamboree, Idaho, The Hotel Hershey, Hershey Pennsylvania, the Royal Dutch Ambassy in Washington DC, the Boulder Station Hotel & Casino and the Gold Coast Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, the New York Swing & Dance Society in Manhattan, New York the Swing 46 Club in Manhattan New York, and many more places.

Due to the spontaneous and exciting show, SWING DESIGN knows how to create a great interaction with its audience either young or old. Some examples of this are: Glenn Miller concerts in the Netherlands, USA and France; accompanying dance-contests such as Fred Astaire Dance Association in Pennsylvania, and galas such as at the Dutch Embassy in Washington D.C.

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Big Band Swing Design