Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2022
8 p.m.
The Ohio State University School of Music
Weigel Auditorium
SYMPHONIC BAND
Scott A. Jones, conductor
Dustin Ferguson, guest conductor
Joshua Reynolds, guest conductor
Sean Ferguson, guest artist
Claudia Wier, staging and movement specialist
Notes on the program — "Honoring the Past while Looking to the Future"
Welcome to this first performance of autumn semester by the musicians of the Ohio State Symphonic Band. We delight in welcoming you “back” to Weigel Auditorium, now fully integrated into the Timashev Family Music Building. If you were unable to wander around the building prior to the concert, please do so afterwards. There is a great deal to see, and a great deal for which to be thankful.
In that spirit, you are cordially invited to join us here on Sunday afternoon, October 23, at 1 p.m. for an afternoon of activities including the official Building Dedication, a School of Music Open House, and a 3 p.m. concert in Mershon Auditorium that includes four world-premiere performances in honor of the Timashev Family Music Building. It is an exciting time for music and each of the Arts at Ohio State, and we are pleased to share our contributions to that excitement with you this evening. For additional details and to RSVP for the event, visit Timashev Family Building Dedication and Celebration.
Composers have often looked to the past for musical material by which to be inspired, and so it is with each of the compositions presented to you this evening. Each of the compositions represents a strong connection to music’s rich history … in one instance, a “more-than-600-year-old” history! As such, we embrace a duality that honors the past while looking toward the future.
The second portion of the program will deviate a bit from a “typical” concert experience. In honoring our university’s identification as a “Research I” institution, we will share our progress in a semester-long collective exploration of large ensemble performance practice. Inspired by the writings and experiences of Bud Beyer, former chairperson of Theatre at Northwestern University, we present a suite from a collection of dance music published in 1551. Our exploration of the performance of this music is grounded in connecting with the listener in more direct, whole, and authentic ways. We are eager to share our research and then … to have conversation with you about your experience as an audience member. We hope you enjoy stepping into our shared research during the final portion of the performance.
Thank you again for supporting the arts at Ohio State and for the gift of your presence this evening!
— Scott A. Jones, conductor
Persian Dance No. 2 (2014)
Amir Molookpour
Iranian-born composer and musicologist Amir Molookpour began the study of traditional Persian music in early childhood. His rise to national renown in his home country followed formal study of music and thereafter original compositions and arrangements for the Symphony Orchestra of Iranian Radio and Television. During that engagement, he also co-founded the Association of Young Iranian Composers. Diverse in his musical complexion, Molookpour began musicology studies in Italy in 2001, where his research interests focused upon the functions of music in the religious rituals of the Zoroastrians of Iran.
Persian Dance No. 2 is one from a set of six dances published in 2014, each of which is based upon a different Persian scale. Containing three minor seconds, a pair of minor thirds, and only a single major second, the scale explored in this dance [ G Ab B C D Eb F# G ] is rich in both melodic and harmonic possibilities. As a result, the dance contains moments of intimate and lyric sensibilities, as well as those of great strength and honor.
Á La Machaut (2015)
Andrew Boss (b. 1988)
Dustin Ferguson, conductor
Á La Machaut integrates thematic material from celebrated medieval poet and composer Guillaume de Machaut (ca. 1300–1377) into a contemporary musical composition. The piece opens with melodic and harmonic material from his chanson, Puis qu’en oubli (“Since I am forgotten”), and following a colorful transition by the percussion leads into his Douce dame jolie (“Sweet lovely lady”). Woven throughout the entirety of the composition is the Kyrie from his Messe de Nostre Dame.
Andrew Boss is an American composer, pianist, conductor and educator. He holds a piano performance degree from Florida Southern College, and graduate degrees in composition from the Peabody Institute at Johns Hopkins University and the University of Texas. Boss is the recipient of numerous honors and commissions during his career, and currently resides in Fort Lauderdale, Florida where he teaches music theory and composition privately alongside his own compositional craft.
With Soul Serene (2018)
James M. David (b. 1978)
Josh Reynolds, conductor
With Soul Serene was inspired by a poem written by an American Civil War soldier in 1864. In spite of his capture and detention at the Andersonville Prison in Georgia, John Worrell Northrop remained optimistic.
I’ve struggled hard for victory,
In pride, although in pain,
With soul serene and spirit free,
And so I must again.
This piece explores the tensions of our past while also feeling a sense of optimism for our future as a country and people. The composition embodies the hopeful sentiment of the text and the struggles our country has faced in its relatively short existence. The faster portion of the composition is inspired by — and references — the 1954 composition by American composer Howard Hanson entitled Chorale and Alleluia.
James David (b. 1978) currently serves as associate professor of composition and music theory at Colorado State University. With works performed all around the world by some of the most prominent ensembles including the U.S. Army and Air Force Bands, the Dallas Wind Symphony, the Des Moines Symphony, The Ohio State University Bands, Northwestern University Bands, and the University of North Texas Wind Symphony. His compositions have been presented at more than fifty national and international conferences throughout North and South America, Asia, Europe and Australia.
La Processión Del Rocío, Op. 9 (1912/1962)
Joaquín Turina (1882–1949) / A. Reed
I. Triana en Fête
II. La Procession
Spanish composer Joaquín Turina was instrumental in propelling the national character of Spanish music in the early 20th century. Following initial musical studies in Seville and Madrid, Turina spent nearly a decade in Paris where he was immersed in the French style of musical composition. While in Paris, Turina was also deeply inspired by the music of fellow Spaniard Isaac Albéniz. He returned to Spain in 1914 where he furthered his compositional output and lived out the remainder of his life.
“Joaquín Turina wrote La Processión Del Rocío in 1913 to depict the annual procession known as ‘La Hermandad de La Virgen del Rocío de Triana’ from Seville 80 miles south to the holy site of El Rocío. Members of the ‘Hermandad,’ a type of brotherhood that includes some of the best families in Seville, participate in this annual ritual. At the head of the procession is a golden cart drawn by oxen which carries the Sinpecado, an image of ‘The Virgin of El Rocío.’ As the procession makes its way out of the city, it stops at several church doorsteps. While people dance the Seguidilla and the Soloare, a bystander sets off firecrackers adding a bit of unplanned excitement to the celebration. At the sound of melismas by high pitched vertical cedar flutes and drums, the procession resumes. The music to the ‘Salve of Rocío de Triana’ breaks forth, mingling with the pealing of the church bells, and the strains of the royal march. As the procession makes its way out of the city, its sounds fade away.”
— Note by Sixto F. Montesinos
— SHORT INTERVAL – 5 minutes —
“A Visit to the Laboratory: Large Ensemble Performance Research”
Selections from The Danserye (1551/2002)
Tielman Susato (ca. 1510-1570) / Dunnigan
I. La Mourisque
II. Bergerette
III. Les quatre Branles
IV. Bransle
V. Ronde and Salterelle
VI. La Mourisque Reprise
Tielman Susato was an instrumentalist, publisher and composer who lived in Antwerp at a time of tremendous international prosperity. Beyond his wide musical performance skill on sackbut, trumpet, crumhorn, flute and recorder, Susato also possessed an interest in calligraphy and typesetting. He is credited with significantly raising the standards for published music during his lifetime.
The Danserye, a collection of 57 dance music pieces, was published by Susato in 1551. Each dance in the collection is orchestrated in 4 parts (superius, contra tenor, tenor and bassus). Designed to be performed on any combination of instruments of the time, the music was likely intended for amateur musicians.
In 2002, Patrick Dunnigan set nine dances from the collection for modern wind band. His arrangement honored the traditional spirit of the music while also including contemporary musical devices to provide a “modern” sensibility to the overall suite. It is Dunnigan’s setting from which the music performed this evening hails.
Tonight’s performance of Susato’s music is part of a semester-long exploration of innovative approaches to instrumental performance. Based upon the research and writings of Bud Beyer, former chairperson of Theatre and Northwestern University, this exploration is anchored in connecting more directly, holistically and authentically with the audience member.
Special gratitude is extended to Claudia Wier for her contributions with both staging and movement, Sean Ferguson for his collaborative gifts on period-specific guitar, and Tim Donel for his technical and logistical support.
A Time for Conversation
An opportunity for conversation and exchange between the performers and audience members follows the sharing of the Susato dances.
ROSTER
The Ohio State University Symphonic Band
Musicians are listed alphabetically by section.
PICCOLO
Noah Breitenbecher
FLUTE
Noah Breitenbecher
Hanna Everding
Austin Frias
Sunny Jiang
Ray Johnson §
Danica Lipp ∆
Lauren Parrett +
Kayla Reid
Grace Reven
Coral Varian
OBOE
Kayla Olson ∆+
Laura Pitner
Adil Zafar
ENGLISH HORN
Laura Pitner
BASSOON
Aydan Bennett
Bobby Schwartz ∆+
Lucas Swiderski
E-flat CLARINET
Jacob Behrend
CLARINET
Jacob Behrend
Lucas Blair
Samantha Buckley
Laurel Dean
Joseph DeCillis §∆+
Zachary Grant
Bella Haines
Favius Pena-Amaya §
Ryan Rennie
Jessica Sullivan
BASS CLARINET
Meghan Jensen
Mason Williams ∆
ALTO SAXOPHONE
Brennan Colvard
Zach Langbein ∆+§
TENOR SAXOPHONE
Katia de Jong
BARITONE SAXOPHONE
Chris White
TRUMPET
Ruth Bonnice
Benjamin Dickson
Zach Heffner
John Heino
Elisabeth Lewis
Gavin Newton +
Alessandro Nocera
Bobby Petty
Nick Schnitzspahn ∆
HORN
Theresa Deevers
Shawnta Hunter ∆+
Eric Ji
Nora Lemmon
Mirai Nawa
David Whitacre
TROMBONE
Anthony Frankowski
Nik Henderson ∆+
Owen Kovach
Ashleigh Mastilak
BASS TROMBONE
Eric Oxsalida
Sophia Rowland
EUPHONIUM
Jacob Carlson ∆+
Ayden Casa
Andrew Eynon
TUBA
Jared Brandt
Avery Voress ∆+
Patrick Woo
PERCUSSION
Emmie Hess
Cierra Miller
Hannah Moore *
Erin Rybinski
Kyle Thomas ∆+
Kyle Turner
Haydn Veith
HARP
Nathan Hay *
DOUBLE BASS
Dallas Carpenter *
PIANO
Jiung Yoon *
∆ principal player
+ section leader
§ board member
* assisting musician
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