Thursday, April 18, 2024 • 7:30 p.m.
Weigel Auditorium
Columbus, OH
Program
UNIVERSITY BAND
Sarah Baker and Uiliami Fihaki, conductors
Shawn Davern, guest conductor
Spirals of Light (2007)
Sean O’Loughlin (b. 1972)
Sarah Baker, conductor
Vibrant rhythms, passionate melodies, and colorful scoring characterize Sean O’Loughlin’s music. His extensive musical background includes orchestrating, copying, and proofreading scores for television and film in Los Angeles. Growing up in Syracuse, New York, Sean displayed a passion for music and showed musical talent at an early age. He benefited from loving parents who supported his musical aspirations and challenged him to explore music as a career. During his undergraduate years at Syracuse University, Sean’s writing career began to take shape with the guidance of Larry Clark. Enjoying an active and busy schedule, Sean guest conducts at schools and honor ensembles around the country. Through his growing number of commissions and published works, Sean is excited to continue contributing to the rich history of wind band and orchestral literature.
Spirals of Light opens with a kaleidoscope of sounds! Commissioned by the South-Central District Bandmasters Association of North Carolina for the 2006 9-10 All-District Band, Blair Smith, director and coordinator; this work is celebratory and utilizes a vast array of colors within the modern wind band. A rousing fanfare motive, ubiquitous oscillating figure, and an Irish folk-style melody provide plenty of variety. Syncopated rhythms and subtle dissonance add intensity to various figures as the main melody rises in the alto saxophone. Accompaniment figures resemble the band version of bagpipes. Leading into the middle of the work, the music transforms from 6/8 into 4/4. As the music builds throughout this section, the intensity finally breaks into a gloriously lyrical chorale. Finally, the original melodic figure and 6/8-time signature returns, providing a springboard into the final development. Imitation between the low brass and trumpets showcases the original melodic motif from the beginning in augmentation, leading to an uplifting ending!
Ammerland (2001)
Jacob de Haan (b. 1959)
Shawn Davern, conductor
Ammerland depicts the lush, enchanting region surrounding the Zwischenaher Lake in Ammerland, Lower Saxony, Germany. The rural land of Ammerland boasts seemingly endless country roads and an exquisite lakeside. The sonorous sounds of Ammerland create the feeling of being carried away to this unique landscape of fields covered with sprawling meadows covered with yellow wildflower blossoms. Commissioned by Blasorchester "Brass-Sax" Petersfehn e.V. on the occasion of their 5th anniversary, sponsored by "Geschaftsdruckerei Bischoff" Edewecht (Germany).
— Program note from Danville Community Band
Suspiros de España (1902)
Antonio Álvarez Alonso (1867–1903)
Uiliami Fihaki, conductor
Antonio Álvarez Alonso was a notable Spanish musician skilled in piano performance and composition. Despite facing early orphanhood, Alonso and his brother pursued musical education at the National School of Music in Madrid, where they were instructed by Damaso Zabalza and Emilio Arrieta Corera. Initially acclaimed for his virtuosity on the piano, Alonso shifted his focus towards composition following graduation. Collaborating with renowned lyricists of his era such as Tomás Rodríguez Alenza, Eugenio Fernandez Gullón, and Enrique García Álvarez, he contributed to the creation of over 20 operettas. Returning to Cartagena in 1897, he resided there until his death in 1903.
"Sighs of Spain" (Suspiros de España) stands as a beloved Spanish pasodoble. Originally, the pasodoble emerged as a marching tune for the Royal Infantry, later gaining popularity as both a concert piece and a dance in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Alonso's affiliation with the La Palma Valenciana café on Calle Mayor de Cartagena brought vibrant concerts to its evenings. One memorable night, he spontaneously shared a pasodoble melody he had penned on a coffee table with friends, who embraced it with joy. Inspired by a local confection known as "sighs" (caramelized hazelnuts) observed during his nocturnal rounds, he christened his new composition "Sighs of Spain."
Cajun Folk Songs (1991)
Frank Ticheli (b. 1958)
Uiliami Fihaki, conductor
Following a distinguished tenure as a professor of composition at the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music, Frank Ticheli retired in 2023, marking the culmination of his illustrious career since joining the faculty in 1991. During his time there, he also fulfilled the role of composer-in-residence for the Pacific Symphony until 1998, nurturing a strong collaboration with both the orchestra and its music director, Carl St. Clair. His orchestral works have earned widespread acclaim, receiving performances from esteemed ensembles such as the Philadelphia Orchestra, Atlanta Symphony, and various others across the United States and Europe. Ticheli's reputation extends to his compositions for concert band, alongside his roles as a guest conductor at prestigious venues like Carnegie Hall and numerous universities, festivals, and cities worldwide. Among his many accolades, he won the 2006 NBA/William D. Revelli Memorial Band Composition Contest for Symphony No. 2 and received honors from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, solidifying his status as a luminary in contemporary composition.
Cajun Folk Songs consists of two distinct movements. The opening movement, titled "La Belle et le Capitaine," commences with an expressive alto saxophone solo in d Dorian mode, set in a 2/4 time signature. Gradually, this melodious theme unfolds across the entire ensemble, imbuing the composition with a sense of fluidity. Ticheli enhances this fluidity by seamlessly transitioning between 2/4 and 3/4 time signatures, adding to the piece's dynamic character. In contrast, the second movement, "Belle," offers a lively and spirited tempo, marked by brisk pacing and emphasized accents. Characterized by frequent brief solos, muted brass sections, syncopation, and rhythmic vigor, this movement presents a stark departure from the tranquility of the first movement. Together, these two movements form a cohesive yet contrasting pair, contributing to a well-rounded and engaging performance experience.
Fate of the Gods (2001)
Steven Reineke (b. 1970)
Born in 1970 and raised in Tipp City, Ohio, Steven Reineke focused his youthful musical pursuits on learning to play the trumpet. At age 15, he taught himself to play piano. Continuing his trumpet studies at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, he received two Bachelor of Music degrees with honors in both trumpet performance and music composition. After graduating in 1993, he moved to Los Angeles and participated in the ASCAP Film Composers Workshop, where he conducted the Warner Brothers Studio Orchestra in recording sessions of his own music. Following his residency in LA, Steven returned to Cincinnati to orchestrate Carmon DeLeone’s original musical score for the Cincinnati Ballet Company’s production of Peter Pan.
Reineke joined the staff of the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra in the summer of 1995 as the music assistant and principal composer/arranger. His 100-plus arrangements for that orchestra have been performed worldwide. He has composed more than 20 works for concert band, and now serves as the music director of the New York Pops at Carnegie Hall, principal Pops conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra for the Performing Arts, and principal Pops conductor of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
Fate of the Gods, a programmatic work for symphonic band, depicts inspiring tales of Nordic mythology. The piece centers on the story of Ragnarök, also known as Twilight of the Gods. An incredible war between forces of good and evil ensues, bringing about the end of the cosmos. In the aftermath of destruction, a new and idyllic world will arise, filled with only joy and abundance.
The first section of the piece represents the creation of the primordial world in which forces of both good and evil are established. The second section is the development of dark, devious themes that symbolize the god Loki, the personification of all things evil. His theme gives way to the more soothing music that represents the god Balder, son of Odin. Balder personifies all that is good, pure and innocent. When evil ensues once more, Heimdall, the watchman of the gods, sounds his horn, signaling the beginning of the end. From all corners of the world, gods, giants, dwarves, demons and elves will ride toward the huge plain where the last battle will commence. This tremendous battle brings about massive chaos and eventually the destruction of the world. All is destroyed save one tree, the tree of life, known as Yggdrasil. The tree gradually brings existence back to the world. This time it is only forces of goodness, which are created. Evil has destroyed itself and good has won over all!
— Program notes inspired by the composer
COLLEGIATE WINDS
Phillip Day, conductor
Christopher Hoch, guest conductor
Uiliami Fihaki, guest conductor
Bells (1981/1984)
Ian MacDougall (b, 1938)
Ian McDougall was born in Calgary, Canada and grew up in Victoria, leaving there in 1960 to tour in Great Britain with the John Dankworth Band. He returned to Canada in 1962 and began a lengthy career as a freelance player, composer and arranger in Vancouver, and in Toronto where, until 1991, he was also the lead and solo trombonist with Rob McConnell's Grammy and JUNO award winning group, “The Boss Brass.” Ian was also lead trombone and a frequent composer/arranger for the Brass Connection, which won the JUNO award for best jazz album in 1982.
Ian now resides in Victoria, where he continues to play and teach. He taught trombone, composition, and jazz studies at the University of Victoria for over fifteen years, leaving there in 2003 as Professor Emeritus. In 2004 Ian was awarded the University’s “Distinguished Alumni” award. For many years after leaving his teaching post, Ian toured as a soloist and with his groups, throughout Canada and abroad.
Originally written for brass quintet to celebrate the wedding of close friends, Bells was expanded to this concert band version by the composer in 1984.
Of Endless Miles and Empty Rafts (2023)
Michele Fernández (b. 1965)
Christopher Hoch, guest conductor
Michele Fernández is a published composer, active guest clinician, adjudicator, and performer. Her works are currently (and/or scheduled to be) published through Hal Leonard, Excelcia/Kendor, Doug Beach, JW Pepper, Murphy Music Press, Print Music Source/Jazz Zone, and Jazz Lines/Walrus. She frequently serves as a guest clinician/conductor for All-State groups and Regional Honors Jazz/Symphonic groups.
Fernández recently retired from teaching in Miami after 30 years. Her groups have been selected for performance at the Midwest Clinic (Chicago 1993 and 1998), IAJE (Boston 1994 and New York City 1997), Montreux Jazz Festival (Switzerland 1996), and FMEA (Tampa 1994 and 1997). She and her students were the subject of a documentary on CBS Sunday Morning, a cover story in Band Director’s Guide, and she was featured as an outstanding educator in Downbeat Magazine. Before focusing on writing and clinics, she served as an active oboist in the Miami area, as well as a rhythm section player in a busy Afro-Latin /Jazz group.
About Of Endless Miles and Empty Rafts…, the composer writes:
Throughout time and regardless of origin, immigrants have shown a spiritual courage and resolve to survive that has found countless families suffering perilous journeys in search of safety. Many have been lost along the way. As a child of Cuban parents who fled oppression (leaving much behind to build a new life), my respect and empathy for all immigrants runs deep. Although my parents' (still traumatic) exoduses were not by sea, several family members' and friends' journeys were. Throughout my life I have heard stories of near losses and rafts washing ashore, empty. I still recall the feelings since childhood — wondering who they were, and what happened to them.
This piece is in no way intended as a contemporary statement, rather as an empathic look at humanity's struggles to protect innocent families throughout history, and a tribute to my own ancestors' courage. Many of us are descents of immigrants at some point in our deep histories, regardless of era, or origin. During my 30 years as a public school teacher in Miami, I had countless (precious) students who suffered trauma from the dangers of their immigrant journey, and so this original composition honors displaced souls from all eras and walks of life, irrespective of hemisphere — who have fled homes, to anywhere, in search of safety for themselves and their children. The piece is written using two authentic Afro-Cuban forms: Guaguancó and Son-Montuno. In this work, many authentic patterns are woven into the fabric of the winds as well. Each brief section represents elements of an immigrant's story:
1. Opening Chorale: depicts a treacherous journey, for example, as seas toss about a small raft and its occupants. At the end of the chorale, the listener can almost visualize someone falling overboard and descending into the depths with others still in the raft, crying out with reaching hands as rain and darkness beat down.
2. Guaguancó: (3/2 Rumba Clave): a seamless flashback to a memory; this dignified soul at home, living peacefully.
3. Son Montuno (2/3 Son Clave): Still a flashback — urgency sets in at home as turmoil intensifies into a pursuit, and the courageous decision to flee from danger comes to the forefront. The piece returns to the present (remaining souls) and the intense finale depicts the will of the human spirit to survive and carry on, to thrive and contribute, now in their new home — in honor of their lost loved ones' memories and courage.
Shenandoah (1999)
Frank Ticheli (b. 1958)
Uiliami Fihaki, guest conductor
Frank Ticheli joined the faculty of the University of Southern California's Thornton School of Music in 1991, where he is professor of composition. From 1991 to 1998, Ticheli was composer-in-residence of the Pacific Symphony.
Frank Ticheli's orchestral works have received considerable recognition in the U.S. and Europe. Orchestral performances have come from the Philadelphia Orchestra, Atlanta Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Dallas Symphony, American Composers Orchestra, the radio orchestras of Stuttgart, Frankfurt, Saarbruecken, and Austria; and the orchestras of Austin, Bridgeport, Charlotte, Colorado, Haddonfield, Harrisburg, Hong Kong, Jacksonville, Lansing, Long Island, Louisville, Lubbock, Memphis, Nashville, Omaha, Phoenix, Portland, Richmond, San Antonio, San Jose, Wichita Falls, and others. His clarinet concerto was recently recorded by the Nashville Symphony on the Naxos label with soloist James Zimmermann.
Ticheli is well-known for his works for concert band, many of which have become standards in the repertoire. In addition to composing, he has appeared as guest conductor of his music at Carnegie Hall, at many American universities and music festivals, and in cities throughout the world, including Schladming (Austria), Beijing and Shanghai, London and Manchester, Singapore, Rome, Sydney, and numerous cities in Japan.
Frank Ticheli is the recipient of a 2012 “Arts and Letters Award" from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, his third award from that prestigious organization. His Symphony No. 2 was named winner of the 2006 NBA/William D. Revelli Memorial Band Composition Contest. Other awards include the Walter Beeler Memorial Prize and First Prize awards in the Texas Sesquicentennial Orchestral Composition Competition, Britten-on-the-Bay Choral Composition Contest, and Virginia CBDNA Symposium for New Band Music.
In 2018, Ticheli received the University of Michigan Alumni Society’s highest honor, the Hall of Fame Award, in recognition for his career as a composer. He was also awarded national honorary membership to Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, "bestowed to individuals who have significantly contributed to the cause of music in America," and the A. Austin Harding Award by the American School Band Directors Association, “given to individuals who have made exceptional contributions to the school band movement in America." At USC, he has received the Virginia Ramo Award for excellence in teaching, and the Dean's Award for Professional Achievement.
This setting of Shenandoah was commissioned by the Hill Country Middle School Symphonic Band, Cheryl Floyd and Brad Smith, directors. It is dedicated in memory of their beloved friend, Jonathan Paul Cosentino (March 3, 1984–December 5, 1997), a horn player in the Hill Country band program.
The composer writes:
"In my setting of Shenandoah, I was inspired by the freedom and beauty of the folk melody and by the natural images evoked by the words, especially the image of a river. I was less concerned with the sound of a rolling river than with its life-affirming energy — its timelessness. Sometimes the accompaniment flows quietly under the melody; other times it breathes alongside it. The work's mood ranges from quiet reflection, through growing optimism, to profound exaltation."
American Nocturne (2021)
Steve Danyew (b. 1983)
Steve Danyew is the recipient of numerous national and international awards for his work, and his compositions have been performed throughout the world in venues such as the Sydney Opera House, the Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, and the steps of the U.S. Capitol. Danyew’s recent work Into the Silent Land was named the winner of the 2019 Walter Beeler Memorial Composition Prize. Three of his compositions for wind band are featured in Volume 11 of Teaching Music Through Performance in Band (GIA).
In addition to composing, Danyew is a passionate educator who teaches composition lessons through his own private studio. He also teaches courses focused on helping young musicians craft their own creative careers at the Eastman School of Music’s Institute for Music Leadership. He is the contributing author for the second edition of Ramon Ricker’s book Lessons from a Street-Wise Professor: What You Won’t Learn at Most Music Schools (Soundown, 2018). He is also a frequent guest composer and lecturer at schools throughout the United States.
In 2020, Danyew and his wife Ashley created Musician & Co., a new resource that equips 21st-century musicians to be both artists and business owners. The mission of Musician & Co. is to provide an innovative model for bridging the gap between the practice room and a profitable business.
About American Nocturne, the composer writes:
"About 10 years before writing this piece, I was reflecting on my experience playing saxophone in my middle school jazz band, where I first learned to play jazz. Our director started each rehearsal with a simple blues scale exercise that taught us not only about the blues scale, but also how to improvise. I decided that I wanted to write a piece of music using the blues scale, and as I began coming up with musical ideas for the piece, I felt like the music sounded like trains. That piece became Magnolia Star, named for a train that traveled between New Orleans and Chicago in the mid-20th century.
A few years later, I decided that perhaps I could write a trilogy of pieces that were inspired by the blues scale and trains, and I set out to create more material from these ideas. After writing Magnolia Star in 2011/2012, I created Green Diamond in 2018/2019. Now with American Nocturne in 2021, I have completed the trilogy of pieces which all reach back to this important experience early in my music education.
As a composer, so much of what I create today is informed by music that I have been exposed to by music teachers and my parents. My parents nurtured my interest in music by encouraging my improvisations at the piano, playing music in our home regularly, and providing me with instruments, private lessons, and more. And my music teachers inspired me, encouraged me, and helped me grow as a musician. I will forever be thankful for them."
American Nocturne was commissioned in 2021 by the Rocky Mountain Commissioning Project, led by Alan Mills and Colorado State University-Pueblo. The piece depicts a nighttime train ride from the jazz capital of New Orleans north to Chicago, incorporating the blues scale and train-like driving rhythms.
The Wrong Note Rag (1953/2005)
Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990)
arr. Ted Ricketts
Leonard Bernstein was a world-renowned conductor and composer, and one of classical music's icons of the 20th century. He was music director of the New York Philharmonic and conducted the world's major orchestras, leaving behind an enormous legacy of audio and video recordings. His books, as well as the much-beloved televised Young People's Concerts with the New York Philharmonic, established him as a leading educator. His orchestral and choral works include three symphonies (No. 1 "Jeremiah," No. 2 "Age of Anxiety," and No. 3 "Kaddish"), Serenade, MASS, Chichester Psalms, Songfest, Divertimento for Orchestra, Arias and Barcarolles, and Concerto for Orchestra. Bernstein's works for the Broadway stage include On the Town, Wonderful Town, Candide, and the immensely popular West Side Story. In addition to the West Side Story collaboration, Bernstein worked with choreographer Jerome Robbins on three major ballets, Fancy Free, Facsimile, and Dybbuk. Bernstein was the recipient of many honors, including eleven Emmy Awards, one Tony Award, the Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award, and the Kennedy Center Honors.
This instrumental version of The Wrong Note Rag, arranged for wind band by Ted Ricketts, is from the 1953 Broadway musical Wonderful Town, with lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green and music by Leonard Bernstein. The musical, set in 1935, tells the story of two sisters from Ohio, Ruth and Eileen Sherwood, who come to New York City aspiring to become a writer and an actress, respectively. The Wrong Note Rag is a production number sung by Ruth and Eileen and is the climax of the musical.
To achieve the whimsical and quirky mood that is The Wrong Note Rag, Bernstein uses the syncopated or “ragged” rhythms of ragtime music, a genre of American music popular in the early 1900s. Bernstein not only captures the essence of that style but embellishes it with even more complex rhythmic entanglements. To further create the desired mood, Bernstein incorporates dissonance in the form of a “wrong” note which creates great comic effect when Eileen and Ruth sing the song at a jazz nightclub in the musical’s rollicking finale.
Carmen Ohio/Across the Field
arr. Roger Cichy (b. 1956)
Personnel
University Band
Musicians are listed alphabetically within each section.
Flute/Piccolo
Alyssa Back
Jaylyn Fogle
Katie Freytag
Meghan Hubbard
Delaney Niklaus
Sabrina Sedlacko
Tamaki Wakita
Oboe
Bella Carmichael
Bassoon
Kyrie Iswandy
Robert Mullen
Clarinet
Emily Baker
Abby Baldwin
Leah Bauer
Grace Beebe
Ethan Campbell
Audra Franke
Kai Gasper
Aaron Geise
Connor Gibson
Tamya Halison
Crosbee Lisser
Brian Lo
Ryder Robins
Megan Thompson
Bass Clarinet
Adriana Clagg
Jacob Claggett
Alto Saxophone
Holly Barger
Josh Becker
Jack Burkhart
Lucia Cherok
Kate Lazuka
Ryan Martinez
Bella Reyes
Alexandra Smereka
Tenor Saxophone
Ian Claggett
Savanna Coyle
Baritone Saxophone
Kaitlyn Daum
Kayla Schmidt
French Horn
Caleb Austin
Paul Bossley
Ki Jones
Diego Leon
Sam Sedlacko
Kaden Silva
Allison Simon
Sami Steinhauser
Chris White
Trumpet
Paolo Atriano
Amelia Boles
Meredith Bowers
Ethan Cox
Matthew Curie
Jacob Schwartz
Josh Silver
Zach Spence
Jess Vanek
Trombone
Mark Fanning
Andre Felipe
Zach Grant
Hannah Geyer
Harrison Hall
Rudy Hartwig
Emily Leninsky
Abigail Rutherford
John Scott
Lindsey Shimoda
Nathan Vernon
Euphonium
Colin Fogerty
Keri Stout
Jojo Yu
Tuba
Michael Bacasa
Matthew Koehler
Delaney Ray
Matthew Sliwinski
Jeremy Timog
Percussion
Daniel Allen
Ellie Burkholder
Hattie Carr
Maddy Feerick
Will Fisher
Parker Foley
Jaliyah Harmon
Travis Jahna
Dylan Kerniskey
Sophia Krauss Galan
Keira Lamont
TJO Osborne
Favius Pena-Amaya
Chris Smallwood
Collegiate Winds
Musicians are listed alphabetically within each section.
Flute
Gianna Marchese (piccolo)
Rebecca Margolis *
Allegra Tannoury
Xander Wells
Hana Winchester
Jeila Wofford
Oboe
Samir Haurani
Lauren Yoder *
Bassoon
Kim Christ *
William Hughes
Conner Ozatalar
Clarinet
Phillip Ainsworth
Sam Baccei *
Dominic Barnes
Leena Futoryansky
Leena Jafri
Kady Rasmussen
Mariah Richardson
Andrew Smith
Alex Summers
Bass Clarinet
Swaraj Patnaik *
Tori Steinbrecher
Alto Saxophone
Matthew Chandran
Connor Croley
John Majerus *
Tenor Saxophone
Zachary Brutko
Baritone Saxophone
Katie Weaver
Trumpet
AJ Alexander
Stephanie Brown
Becca Dunn
Gaby Hardisky
Tommy Kasarcik *
Marlee Lawson
Ryan Matthews
Paige Pawlikowski
Colleen Pettengill
Olivia Truocchio
Horn
Leila Culp
Kama Ramsey
Lydia VanVleet *
Aidan Walsh
Trombone
Nolan Call *
Lily Kent
Jonathan Kessler (bass)
Andric McNabb (bass)
Kyndal Nowell
Nathan Palmer
Jack Rowell
Amara Suchy
Mathew Wheeler
Euphonium
Hannah Lyons *
Justin Planck
Louis Polien
Michael Woolley
Tuba
Joseph Orr *
Ryan Ouimet
Sydney Reeves
Ryan Schoeff
Percussion
Stephen Alexander *
AJ Berman
Andrew Bourget
Evelyn Fitzgerald
Peter Kindt
Marie Zantopulos
* principal player
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