Tuesday, April 18, 2023 • 8 p.m.
Weigel Auditorium
Columbus, OH
OHIO STATE SYMPHONIC BAND
Scott A. Jones, conductor
Alex Mondragon, guest conductor
Bram Wayman, guest conductor
GUEST ARTISTS
Imani Winds
PROGRAM
Notes
Thank you for joining us for the final performance of the academic year by the musicians of the Ohio State Symphonic Band. We celebrate the music of composers of several countries and generations this evening, and in so doing, pay witness to the lasting value of music in our lives.
This week in our School of Music, we have been fortunate to host the five instrumentalists who comprise the Imani Winds. Our students have benefited greatly from their individual prowess as soloists and their collective impact as chamber musicians “par excellence!” Thank you to our partners in supporting this residency: the Ohio State Office of Diversity and Inclusion, Fort Hayes Career Center, the Barnett Center for Integrated Arts and Enterprise, and Capital University. You are invited to extend a personal gesture of welcome and gratitude to the Imani Winds at a catered reception following this evening’s performance in the Timashev Ensemble Rehearsal Room (N160). All are invited to attend!
We value our time with you this evening and wish you great joy as spring furthers its presence in the days and weeks to come …
— Scott A. Jones, conductor
Sélamlik, Op. 48, No. 1 (1906/2006)
Florent Schmitt (1870–1958), ed. Meyer
A lesser-known French classical composer of his time, Florent Schmitt studied composition at the Paris Conservatory with renowned composers Jules Massenet and Gabriel Fauré. His skill as a composer was recognized publicly in 1900 by his winning the prestigious scholarship for French artists, the "Prix de Rome." In addition to two works for wind band (the other being Dionysiaques, 1913), Schmitt’s catalog includes symphonies, ballets and chamber compositions, as well as works for solo piano and voice.
During a trip to the Ottoman Empire in 1905, Schmitt had the opportunity to view the Turkish ceremonial guard units assigned to the Sultan as part of a parade in Constantinople. So taken was Schmitt with the experience that he wrote this composition to capture his impressions of the experience. The title Sélamlik refers to the portion of a Turkish house reserved for the greeting of guests. The spirit of the music has been described as reflecting a sense of “pomp and savagery.”
Zephyrus (2005)
Mary Ellen Childs (b. 1957)
Internationally acclaimed composer Mary Ellen Childs has been hailed for “creating both rhythmic, exuberant instrumental works and bold, kinetic compositions that integrate music, dance and theater in fresh and unexpected ways.” She has been commissioned by highly regarded ensembles including the Kronos Quartet, the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Opera America, and the Dale Warland Singers, among others. Her diverse catalog includes compositions for solo accordion, percussion, string quartet, vocal ensembles, and two works for wind band.
Zephyrus was commissioned by Dr. Timothy Mahr, conductor of the St. Olaf Band in honor of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the music department at St. Olaf College (Northfield, Minnesota). The spirit of the composition is described by the composer:
“Zephyrus is the Greek god of the west wind, a warm and gentle wind. These lovely lines from Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales beautifully describe Zephyrus breathing life into all things in the spring:
Whan Zephyrus eek with his sweete breeth,
Inspired hath in every holy and heeth
The tendre croppes.
(When also Zephyrus with his sweet breath
Exhales an air in every grove and heath
Upon the tender shoots.)"
Ukrainian Folk Songs (1957)
Halsey Stevens (1908–1989) / Schaefer
Alex Mondragon, conductor
- Family gathering
- The repentant wife
- Easter song
- Under the cherry tree
- The sun has set
- Mother's concern
- Trouble with hemp
- A merry widow
- A love song
- Why do you pout, dear?
- The wife who beat her husband
Halsey Stevens was an American musicologist and composer who held degrees from Homer Academy (New York), Syracuse University, and the University of California–Berkeley. Stevens served on the music faculty at the University of Southern California (USC) for thirty years, and while there authored the monumental text The Life and Music of Béla Bartók. As a composer, Stevens made his name writing for orchestra, keyboard, chorus, and chamber ensembles of varied instrumentation. His two works for concert band are transcriptions of works originally composed for other musical idioms.
As its title implies, Ukrainian Folks Songs is a suite of eleven short movements, each based on a different Ukrainian folk song. The piece was originally written as a piano composition for the instruction of Stevens’ own children. A colleague at USC, William Schaefer, arranged the piano work for band in 1981 and conducted the premiere performance with the University of Southern California Wind Orchestra.
Windsicle (2006)
Roger Cichy (b. 1964)
Imani Winds, soloists
Brandon Patrick George, flute
Toyin Spellman-Diaz, oboe
Mark Dover, clarinet
Kevin Newton, horn
Monica Ellis, bassoon
Composer Roger Cichy’s music has been described as “… accessible, colorful and personal.” An Emmy-winning composer, Cichy studied film scoring with Disney’s legendary film composer, Buddy Baker. Cichy holds both a Bachelor of Music and a Master of Arts in Music Education degree from The Ohio State University and has directed college bands at Iowa State University and the University of Rhode Island. Musical influences in Cichy’s career include Edward Montgomery, Marshall Barnes, and Joseph Levey, with whom he studied at Ohio State.
Windsicle was commissioned by the United States Air Force Academy Band and the Rampart Winds Woodwind Quintet. The composer endeavored to craft “… a piece that would utilize the quintet as a whole, but at times, feature the vibrant tonal qualities of each of the five instrumentalists within the quintet in a work that was attractive to listeners, relying on variety of musical styles and moods.”
We delight in performing this work with the internationally acclaimed Imani Winds who have been in residence in our School of Music this week. In addition to the remarkable artistry that each of these five musicians has shared, we have also benefited from their genuine humanity and kindness. Please take the opportunity to greet and thank the Imani Winds at a reception immediately following this evening’s performance in the Ensemble Rehearsal Room (N160).
Rhosymedre (1920/1972)
Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872–1958) / Beeler
Bram Wayman, conductor
Celebrated English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams created a vast catalog of musical works during the more than 60 years of his compositional career. Revered as a symphonist, his nine symphonies have been hailed as equal with those of his 20th century contemporaries, Sergei Prokofiev and Jean Sibelius. The impact of his compositions has been lasting and deep, as his works continue to enjoy frequent performances in England and throughout the world.
In 1920 Vaughan Williams composed three preludes for organ, each based on a Welsh hymn tune. Rhosymedre, also known as “Lovely,” quickly became the most popular of the three. The simple hymn tune by 19th century Welsh composer John David Edwards moves almost entirely by scale steps. This simple tune is supported, however, by original material crafted by Vaughan Williams to create a sophisticated and deeply satisfying and experience for the listener — even at first hearing.
Dancing Fire (2016)
Kevin Day (b. 1996)
Composer Kevin Day has quickly emerged as one of the leading young voices in the world of music composition today. He is an internationally acclaimed composer, conductor and pianist, whose music often intersects the worlds of jazz, minimalism, Latin music, fusion and contemporary classical idioms. Day is an assistant professor of composition at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. He holds degrees from Texas Christian University and the University of Georgia; he is presently completing a DMA in composition from the University of Miami (Florida). He is an alumnus of Kappa Kappa Psi National Honorary Band Fraternity and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity of America.
Composed to honor the high school band program of which Day was once a member — Arlington High School (Texas) — Dancing Fire is ultimately a celebration of life. “I wanted to write a piece for my high school band program and its directors to honor the great pieces we played, the fun times we had, and the excitement our bands created at our concerts.”
ROSTER
Musicians are listed alphabetically by section.
PICCOLO
Sunny Jiang
Kayla Reid
FLUTE
Sunny Jiang
Ray Johnson +§
Danica Lipp ∆
Kayla Reid
Grace Reven
Coral Varian
OBOE
Kayla Olson ∆+
Laura Pitner
Adil Zafar
ENGLISH HORN
Adil Zafar
BASSOON
Aydan Bennett
Bobby Schwartz ∆+
Lucas Swiderski
E-flat CLARINET
Jacob Behrend
CLARINET
Jacob Behrend
Samantha Buckley
Joseph DeCillis ∆+§
Zachary Grant
Bella Haines
Favius Pena-Amaya §
Ryan Rennie
Jessica Sullivan
BASS CLARINET
Meghan Jensen ∆
SOPRANO SAXOPHONE
Zach Langbein
ALTO SAXOPHONE
Colin Fogerty ∆
Zach Langbein +
Katia de Jong *
TENOR SAXOPHONE
Brennan Colvard
BARITONE SAXOPHONE
Chris White
TRUMPET
Benjamin Dickson
Zach Heffner ∆
John Heino
Elisabeth Lewis
Gavin Newton +
Alessandro Nocera
Abigail Zunic
HORN
Shawnta Hunter +
Katherine Indyk
Nora Lemmon ∆
Crosbee Lisser
Mirai Nawa
David Whitacre
TROMBONE
Anthony Frankowski
Nik Henderson ∆+
Owen Kovach §
Ashleigh Mastilak
Jordan Updegrove
BASS TROMBONE
Eric Oxsalida
Sophia Rowland
EUPHONIUM
Jacob Carlson +
Ayden Casa
Andrew Eynon ∆
TUBA
Jared Brandt ∆+
Ryan Schoeff
Matthew Sliwinski
PERCUSSION
Philip Betts
Logan Gardiner
Emmie Hess *
Mary Paydock
Rohan Rindani
Erin Rybinski ∆+
Joseph Speidel *
Kyle Turner
DOUBLE BASS
Aidan Terry *
PIANO
Lira Chung *
∆ principal player
+ section leader
§ board member
* assisting musician
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