Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024 • 7:30 p.m.
Weigel Auditorium
Columbus, OH
Program
University Band
Uiliami Fihaki, Paul Bissler and Shawn Davern, conductors
Redemption
Rossano Galante
Shawn Davern, conductor
Dedicated to his mother Enrica, Rossano Galante’s composition entitled Redemption is a lyrical, lush, romantic piece that captures the euphoria one experiences after being saved from emotional crisis. Ecstatic melodic lines and rich scoring will create an emotional experience that any ensemble or audience member will not soon forget!
— Note from the composer
Lake Superior Suite: III. Sleeping Giant
Cait Nishimura
Shawn Davern, conductor
Lake Superior Suite is a five-movement piece for wind band, inspired by the landscapes of five provincial and national parks on the north shore of Lake Superior. The piece was conceptualized during camping trips at each of the parks, and was finalized during the 150th anniversary of Canada’s confederation. The creation of this work was intended, in part, to expose listeners and performers to local natural wonders through music. The composition is dedicated with gratitude to Dr. Gillian MacKay at the University of Toronto.
The third movement of the suite is entitled Sleeping Giant after Sleeping Giant Provincial Park, the northernmost park included in this piece. The park derives it name from a landform that resembles a giant lying on its back. This is the park in which the composer interacted with the most wildlife, experienced the most extreme jaw-dropping views, and witnessed the most beautiful moments in nature. Sleeping Giant’s disjunct melodies, shifts in timbre, and unexpected rhythmic patterns represent this experience.
— Note from the composer
Crown of Castile
Johnnie Vinson
Paul Bissler, conductor
Crown of Castile is a terrific sounding concert march written in a traditional Spanish style. Utilizing elements of the habanera rhythm, and featuring a harmonic shift from minor in the beginning to major at the end, this paso doble makes a nice change of pace to the usual march-style piece.
— Note from the composer
Dum Spiro Spero
Chris Pilsner
Uiliami Fihaki, conductor
Dum Spiro Spero takes its title from a Latin phrase meaning “While I breathe, I hope.” When I read that phrase for the first time, I was taken aback by the incredible amount of power it held and immediately knew it would be the basis for a new piece.
When I started writing, my goal was to write something as deeply emotional and human as the title was. The result was a series of simple melodies supported by some of the most colorful orchestration and harmonies I’ve ever written. From the lush opening, the gentle singing, and ultimately the triumphal climax, the human quality to the music is what I think gives Dum Spiro Spero a powerful sense of grace and splendor.
It is dedicated to Casey Cropp, the man who has served as a mentor and friend for much of my musical career.
Dum Spiro Spero was commissioned by director Casey Cropp and the Rocky Mountain High School Winds Ensemble in 2009. The piece premiered on January 28, 2010 at the Colorado Music Educators' Association Conference in Colorado Springs, Colorado, with the composer conducting.
— Note from the composer
Kinetic Dances
Randall Standridge
Shawn Davern, conductor
Kinetic Dances is a dance for symphonic band in mixed meter. The rhythmic interchange between 7/8 and 4/4 time is utilized to create a unique rhythmic flow for the work. The challenge, when writing this, was to make the meter feel as natural as possible. The piece is in a slightly modified rondo form, with the main theme alternating with contrasting sections. Careful consideration was made in orchestrating this work to make it achievable by schools with smaller instrumentation, in accordance with the request of the commissioning party.
Kinetic Dances was commissioned by Steven H. Moss and the C. H. Yoe High School Band of Cameron, Texas, for performance in the 2014 TMEA conference in San Antonio, Texas. I owe him and his students a huge debt of gratitude for trusting me with this project.
— Note from the composer
Collegiate Winds
Phillip Day, conductor
Paul Bissler, guest conductor
The Star-Spangled Banner (2014)
arr. Brian Balmages (b. 1975)
Brian Balmages is an award-winning composer and conductor. His music has been performed throughout the world with commissions ranging from elementary schools to professional orchestras. He is a recipient of the prestigious A. Austin Harding Award from the American School Band Directors Association, and won the 2020 NBA William D. Revelli Composition Contest with his work Love and Light.
This setting of The Star-Spangled Banner, written for the Ohio All-State Band, was inspired by a performance at the 1991 NBA All-Star Game by Bruce Hornsby and Branford Marsalis.
AYO: Rhapsody for Band (2022)
Katahj Copley (b. 1998)
Carrollton, Georgia native, Katahj Copley (he/him/his) premiered his first work, Spectra, in 2017, and hasn’t stopped composing since. As of 2017, Katahj has written over 100 works, including pieces for chamber ensembles, large ensembles, wind ensembles, and orchestra. His compositions have been performed and commissioned by universities, organizations and professional ensembles, including the Cavaliers Brass, Carroll Symphony Orchestra, California Band Director Association, Admiral Launch Duo, and the Atlanta Wind Symphony. Katahj has also received critical acclaim internationally with pieces being performed in Canada, the United Kingdom, Japan, China and Australia.
About AYO, the composer writes:
Salutations.
Greetings.
Hello.
Hi.
Hey.
Yo.
Ayo.
These terms, along with countless others, have been used to greet people throughout history. However, the term “AYO” is different. Rooted in hip hop and jazz culture, AYO is built into the black language. It’s used to tell when something is right, when something is wrong, when something is awesome, and when something is too sweet for words. Its use is seen with your closest people, your family, or people who know you best. It’s personal. In short, “AYO” is a personal embrace that represents life.
With this piece, I wanted to build the kind of embrace you would get from this word alone while also honoring its beginnings, using hip hop rhythms and colorful harmonies. By the end of the piece, we the listeners go from uncertainty to home; and with the uniqueness of the piece, we in turn celebrate not only a word like AYO, but also celebrate life.
Amazing Grace (1984/2001)
arr. William Himes (b. 1949)
Paul Bissler, guest conductor
Born in Flint, Michigan, William Himes earned his Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from the University of Michigan. For five years he taught instrumental music in the public schools of Flint, Michigan, where he was also adjunct lecturer in low brass at the University of Michigan–Flint.
Since 1977, Himes has been music director of the Salvation Army’s Central Territory, which encompasses the eleven Midwestern states. In this capacity he is also conductor of the Chicago Staff Band, an internationally recognized ensemble which has led on successful tours of Panama, Mexico, Chile, Canada, Singapore, the Philippines, Hong Kong, England and Australia. The band’s 1987 tour of England included performances in the Royal Albert Hall and Buckingham Palace, where Himes was privileged to meet Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth.
Well-known for his compositions and arrangements, Himes has more than seventy publications to his credit. These, along with numerous manuscripts awaiting publication, are continually featured on international broadcasts and recordings.
The spiritual "Amazing Grace" was written by John Newton (1725–1807), a slave ship captain who, after years of transporting slaves across the Atlantic Ocean to the New World, suddenly saw through divine grace the evilness of his acts. First published in 1835 by William Walker in The Southern Harmony, it has since grown to become one of the most beloved of all American spirituals. Beautifully crafted, and eloquently scored, Himes’ reflective yet powerful arrangement, originally written for brass band, builds to a glorious climax perfectly blending the traditional melody with sumptuous new harmonies.
Suite Provençale (1989)
Jan Van der Roost (b. 1956)
I. Un ange a fa la crido (An angel brought the creed)
II. Adam e sa Coumpagno (Adam and his companion)
III. Lou Fustié (The carpenter)
IV. Lis Escoubo (A whistle tune)
A versatile composer and arranger, Jan Van der Roost is represented by works for wind band, brass quintet, orchestra, choir, chamber ensemble, piano and guitar. His compositions have been performed on radio and television, and recorded in over 35 countries. This four-movement suite is based on authentic folk tunes from the beautiful southern province in France, the “Provence.” Each movement has its own character, patterned on dances like the bourrée and the farandole.
Symphonic Dance No. 3, “Fiesta” (1965/1967)
Clifton Williams (1923–1976)
James Clifton Williams, Jr. began playing French horn, piano and mellophone in the band at Little Rock (Arkansas) High School. As a professional horn player, he would go on to perform with the San Antonio and New Orleans Symphony Orchestras. Williams also served in the Army Air Corps band as a drum major, composing in his spare time.
Clifton Williams attended Louisiana State University (BM, 1947) where he was a pupil of Helen Gunderson, and the Eastman School of Music (MM, 1949) where he studied with Bernard Rogers and Howard Hanson. In 1949, Williams joined the composition department at the University of Texas School of Music. He taught there until he was appointed chair of the Theory and Composition department at University of Miami in 1966. Williams retained this position until his death in 1976. His composition students included W. Francis McBeth and John Barnes Chance.
Clifton Williams received the prestigious Ostwald Award in 1956 for his first composition for band, Fanfare and Allegro. He repeated his success in 1957 when he won again with his Symphonic Suite. In addition to his many other honors, those most recently listed include election to membership in the American Bandmasters Association, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia National Music Fraternity of America, and the honorary degree of Doctor of Music conferred by the National Conservatory of Music at Lima, Peru.
Symphonic Dance No. 3, “Fiesta,” is one of five symphonic dances commissioned by the San Antonio Symphony Orchestra to celebrate its 25th anniversary in 1964. Each of the five dances represents the spirit of a different time and place in the history of San Antonio. This dance reflects the excitement and color of the city’s many Mexican celebrations, which Williams called “the pageantry of Latin American celebration — street bands, bull fights, bright costumes, the colorful legacy of a proud people.”
The introductory brass fanfare creates an atmosphere of tense anticipation, while the bells, solo trumpet, and woodwinds herald the arrival of an approaching festival. The brass announce the matador’s arrival to the bullring, and the finale evokes a joyous climax to the festivities.
Williams rescored this work for band, and it was first performed in 1967 by the University of Miami Band, where he was chairman of theory and composition.
Personnel
University Band
[Roster to be confirmed]
Musicians are listed alphabetically within each section.
Piccolo
Delaney Niklaus
Flute
Emma Hamilton
Megan Hubbard
Ella Johnson
Cecillia Le
Delaney Niklaus
Oboe
Sarah Burdick
Bassoon
Robert Mullen
Clarinet
Bella Ale
Emily Barker
Leah Bauer
Grace Beebe
Thomas Beck
Lauren Campman
Aaron Geise
Connor Gibson
Leahandria Hood
Olivia Putnam
Ryder Robins
Bass Clarinet
Jacob Claggett
Press Saji
Alto Saxophone
Clara Carrocce
Josh Gutierrez
Ryan Martinez
Jacob Oberdier
Keegan O’Leary
Elliott Smith
Mary Vaughan
Tenor Saxophone
Savannah Coyle
Ian Claggett
Patrick McClelland
Evan Schneider
Blake Steele
Baritone Saxophone
Kaitlyn Daum
Charlie Peterson
Kayla Schmidt
Kameron Troxell
Trumpet
Paolo Ariano
Shane Carlisle
Derek Dougherty
Alex Hein
Annie Liedtke
Finn Paul
Levi Rickenbach
Kendall Todd
Jess Vanek
Jizhi Xia
Horn
Shelby Kenley
Artem Vovchenko
Trombone
Jade Blevins
Erin Emans
Emily Lewinsky
Cameron Mills
Abigail Rutherford
Jenny Speidel
Nathan Vernon
Matthew Wheeler
Euphonium
Luka Khutsidze
Tori Klinger
Angel Luong
Louis Polien
Amelia Wells
Tuba
Zach Grant
Paden Knowles
Delaney Ray
Jeremy Timog
Double Bass
Tim Wintrode
Percussion
Daniel Allen
Ellie Burkholder
Dylan Kerniskey
Keira Lamont
Sophia Pack
Orion Stufflebeam
Collegiate Winds
Musicians are listed alphabetically within each section.
Piccolo
Devin Zdanowicz
Flute
Adrianna Fay
Maryssa Hoermle
Jasmine Kaur
Rebecca Margolis
Kehlin Morgan
Anna Muehleisen
Natalie O’Brien
James Rheinfrank *
Allegra Tannoury
Hana Winchester
Devin Zdanowicz
Bassoon
Olive Bennett
Jack Householder-Wise
Gunnar Pellissier *
Clarinet
Sam Baccei
Samantha Buckley
Mackenzi Buynak
Jarom Christensen
Eris Dale
Leena Futoryansky
Natalie Hall
Jenna Harkin
Evan Milam
Andrew Parulekar *
Max Webster
Ethan White
Elise Zavaglia
Bass Clarinet
Rowan Hauer *
Swaraj Patnaik
Tori Steinbrecher
Alto Saxophone
Holly Barger
Gabe Gasper
Samantha Goldsmith
Angela Rakhmistrovskaya *
Luke Willis
Tenor Saxophone
Zachary Brutko
Conner Ozatalar *
Baritone Saxophone
Andrew Vannorsdall
Trumpet
Nolan Daly *
Nevaeh Keiper
Graham Kowal
Marlee Lawson
Noah Madsen
Ryan Matthews
Diego Moreno
Andrew Novotny
Carter Wells
Horn
Aria Christensen
Adeline Hannig
Annalise Johnson
Alycia Stier *
Aravind Upadrasta
Randall Wiles
Trombone
Aaron Bekele (bass)
Clarissa Cousart *
Fernando Flores IV
Jackson Hammond
Sebastian Peña
Gavyn Schooley
Amara Suchy
Nicholas Zahniser
Euphonium
Corina Clagg
Matthew Grover *
Rayhaan Mir
Tuba
Luke Funk *
Sydney Reeves
Percussion
A J Berman *
Andrew Bourget
Garrett Campbell
Alexander Garza
Colin Spears
Marie Zantopulos
* principal player
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