PEACH WEEKENDER | MUSIC

Grugelfest will pay tribute to late trombonist

Violinist Itzhak Perlman will perform at 6 p.m. Sept. 14 in Hill Auditorium, Ann Arbor.

Grugelfest 2014, a jazz explosion, is set to take over the Park Inn, 101 N. Summit St., Sept. 12-14. It’s a memorial tribute to Ralph Grugel, the Cleveland trombonist who earned a solid following in Toledo before his death in 2005.

At the heart of the action will be Ray Heitger’s Cakewalkin’ Jass Band, Toledo’s premier traditional Dixieland group. Joining the band will be Duke Heitger, a fixture in the New Orleans jazz scene, plus boogie-woogie piano man Bob Seeley and Sister Jean, the Ragtime Queen.

Adding to the happy clamor will be the Yerba Buena Stompers with Miss Ida Blue, the Boilermakers from Pittsburgh, the River Rogues Jazz Band from Grand Rapids, Mich., and the North Side Jazz Band out of Columbus.

Stages will be set up in the hotel ballroom and the lounge, creating wall-to-wall jazz.

An opening blast is planned next Thursday night at Ye Olde Durty Bird, around the corner from the Park Inn, with Ragtime Rick and his Chefs of Dixieland playing. And the weekend will wrap up with a Dixieland Worship Service, 10 a.m. Sunday at Bethel Lutheran Church, 1853 South Ave., just down Broadway. Shuttle service will be available.

Tickets are either for the full weekend, $120, or by session, $45 each, one Friday night, two on Saturday, one on Sunday. They’re on sale at the Huntington Center box office, 419-321-5007 or www.ticketmaster.com. Hotel reservations at the Park Inn should be made through 419-241-3000 with a mention of Grugelfest.

More information at grugelfest.com

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Everyone knows Put-in-Bay is a party-hearty city on Middle Bass Island all summer, but just after Labor Day, the islanders like to touch their long history with a special weekend celebration. Fairs, parades, presentations, and more are on tap from Friday through Sunday.

A highlight of the weekend is the Toledo Symphony in concert at the Oliver Hazard Perry Memorial on the island’s west side. Music starts at 6 p.m. Saturday, with conductor Joan Landry on the podium.

Patriotic numbers plus favorite pop and jazz standards will fill the program, which winds up with the bang only Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture can bring, cannons and all.

Seating is provided for this free outdoor event.

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The Toledo Symphony will kick off its season with two concerts: a Mercy Foundation fund-raiser featuring the music of Foreigner, the ’80s rock band led by Brits Mick Jones and Ian McDonald and American Lou Gramm. Now Gramm is the sole reminder of such hits as I Want to Know What Love Is, and will be in town for the performance.

Brent Havens will lead the symphony in a program which will start at 8:30 p.m. Sept. 12 in the Stranahan Theater.

On Sept. 14, the Blade Chamber Series will launch with a world premiere — Four Sacred Places for chamber orchestra by Evan Chambers. Music starts at 7 p.m. in the Toledo Club.

Opening the program will be Benjamin Britten’s Quartet No. 1, performed by Rita Lammers, Tea Prokes, Tim Zeithamel, and Martha Reikow. And wrapping up this unique evening will be Beethoven’s Quartet in Eb Major, Op. 127. Performers will be Kirk Toth, Merwin Siu, Valentin Ragusitu, and Reikow.

For tickets and information on either event contact the symphony at 419-246-8000 or www.toledosymphony.com.

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One more august performance series launches on Sept. 14: the University Musical Society’s huge array of live shows — from solo instruments to huge orchestras, dance groups from around the world, and choral and theatrical performers. UMS, an operation under the University of Michigan umbrella, is one of the oldest presenters in the country.

Returning to kick off this season with grandeur will be one of the world’s best and most beloved violinists, Itzhak Perlman. He has appeared in Ann Arbor 10 times since his emergence in 1970. His concert is to begin at 6 p.m. in Hill Auditorium. Pianist John Root will accompany. No information on his program was available at the UMS website.

Remaining tickets are $20 for students up to $100, and can be purchased at 734-764-2538 or www.ums.org.

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Global Grooves, a family-friendly trip around the world and through cultures via dance, is planned for 5 p.m. Saturday at the Martin School Auditorum, 10 S. Holland-Sylvania Rd. Devised and presented by Studio 29 at the former school — now a center for the arts and gardens — the program will comprise traditional moves and music from the Middle East, India, and West Africa.

Performers include staff and students of the Aegela Centers for Middle Eastern Dance, the Aha Dance program, and the ALMA Dance Experience, plus guests.

Aha was created by Shyam Suchak and Sangeeta Mehta in 2004 to promote talent and the Indian culture through dance. Styles taught include Bhangra and Kathak, says Suchak, adding, “Bringing together the magnificent dance styles from India and adding a touch of the rhythms of the west promotes a rich cultural heritage.”

Aegela, the one-named performer and teacher, has been imparting her knowledge of Middle Eastern dance since 1978. She is one of only 11 non-Egyptians to win that country’s Lifetime Performer’s License.

ALMA is the only professional West African traditional performance ensemble in northwest Ohio. In the last seven years, Senegalese master drummer Yaya Kabo has led the group, which was established in 1994.

Tickets are $10 at the door, $8 in advance at www.aegela.com.

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Chiaroscuro, the men's community chorus of Lenawee County, is looking for singers for its 2014-2015 season. Rehearsals have just started, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Tuesdays, in Verheyden Performing Arts Center, Siena Heights University, on the north side of Adrian.

Founder Susan Matych-Hager will consider any male singer whose voice has changed and can match pitches. Auditions are held following rehearsal in Room 115 of the center. Audio rehearsal aids are provided for each concert.

“Chiaroscuro is Italian for bright and dark and is used in vocal music to describe a vocal technique that results in a warm, resonant sound with great brilliance and carrying power,” writes Matych-Hager, a music professor emeritus from Siena Heights.

“The goal of the ensemble is to touch the heart and mind of the listener with beautiful, expressive singing.”

The Chiaroscuro group presents public concerts in the Adrian area. For more information visit www.facebook.com/​ChiaroscuroEnsemble, call 517-265-8621, or email smatych@sienaheights.edu.

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The Terra Choral Society is open to those living in Erie, Ottawa, Huron, Sandusky, and Seneca counties who love to sing and can attend rehearsals 6:30-9 p.m. Tuesdays at Terra State Community College, 2830 Napoleon Rd., Fremont.

Michael Shirtz is music director and has a full performance schedule for 2014-2015, including the Stars and Stripes concert with the Firelands Symphony Oct. 11 and the holiday concert, If You Just Believe, Dec. 6-7. Both concerts are in the State Theatre, Sandusky. The 100-voice group will perform the Faure Requiem March 7 and 8 in Sandusky and Fremont, and wind up the season with Musicals, Movies, and More on April 25 in the Port Clinton Performing Arts Center. For more information, call 419-559-2229.

Send News of Music items to svallongo@theblade.com at least two weeks in advance.