Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024 • 7:30 p.m.
Weigel Auditorium
Columbus, OH
The Ohio State University Symphonic Band
John Climer, conductor
Shawn Davern, guest conductor
Faculty Guest Artists
Katherine Rohrer, mezzo soprano
Michael Shirtz, tenor
Sights, Sounds and Songs
Overture from Dancer in the Dark (2000)
Björk Guðmundsdóttir (b. 1965)
arr. Henry Dorn
Dancer in the Dark tells the story of Selma Jezkova (played by Björk), a Czech immigrant to the United States in 1964. She has a congenital disease that is making her go blind, so she is working as hard as she can (at the local factory) with the limited sight she has left to provide for her 12-year-old son, who will eventually develop the same condition unless she can raise the money for an expensive medical procedure for him. Her only diversion is her love for musicals: she lapses into daydreams involving musical numbers at several points throughout the film, often to her detriment. Nothing goes as Selma plans, yet she does her utmost to protect her son as her vision fades.
Winner of Cannes Film Festival’s Palm d’Or in 2000, Dancer in the Dark is a genre-defying cinematic creation, incorporating elements of melodrama, documentary, musical and experimental film, shot in the manner of cinema vérité. The audience is made to feel as though they are a participant, rather than an observer, in the tumultuous and descending trajectory of the main character, Selma.
— Note from Wind Band Literature
Song of Lir (2004)
Fergal Carroll (b. 1969)
Song of Lir suggests an Irish lament, or caoine, and much of the material is derived from a 17th century Irish harping tune, "Captain O'Kane." The work was commissioned by Tim and Hillary Reynish in memory of their son William. Mr. Reynish is regarded as one of the leading conductors and scholars of wind band music in Great Britain and throughout the world.
Fergal Carroll was born in Clonmel. He studied music at the Waterford Institute of Technology, and in 2000 he graduated from the Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester, with a Master of Music degree in composition. His teachers have included Eric Sweeney, Anthony Gilbert and Adam Gorb. He has been commissioned by various organisations including RTÉ lyric fm, “The Rescue” (2007), the Association for Music in International Schools, “A New Song’s Measure” (2009) and Warrington Borough Council, “Winter Dances” (2002). His music has been performed in significant venues around the world, including Carnegie Hall, New York; the KKL, Lucerne; St Andrew’s Cathedral, Sydney; and Ford Hall, Ithaca, New York. Since 2005 Fergal Carroll has served as a band officer/conductor with the Irish Defence Forces and is currently based in Dublin as staff conductor of the Army No. 1 Band.
— Note from Contemporary Music Centre, Ireland
Seeds of Glass (2016)
Benjamin Dean Taylor (b. 1983)
Shawn Davern, guest conductor
Seeds of Glass explores the intersection of nature and technology. The video portrays the evolution of a huge machine made of glass. The machine starts as a seed and slowly grows and expands, continuously progressing; similar to a living organism. The music from the band reflects this duality of nature and technology by blending lush, open sonorities with a dubstep influenced, electronic-dance-music groove.
Recently named a recipient of a commission from the Barlow Endowment, Taylor’s prizes and honors include Winner in the 2013 Ticheli Composition Contest, a grant from the Indiana Arts Council (2015), Dean’s Prize in Composition from Indiana University (2013), BMI Student Composers Award (2011), Winner in the American Composers Orchestra Underwood New Music Readings (2012), and an ASCAP Young Jazz Composer Award (2011). His music has received performances at festivals including the College Band Directors National Association Conference, Society of Electroacoustic Music in the United States National Conference, Society of Composers National Conference, International Society of Bassists Conference, International Double Reed Society Conference, Scandinavian Saxophone Festival, and international jazz festivals in Edinburgh, Marlborough and Birmingham. His compositions have been featured on the radio and television including NPR’s Says You.
— Note from www.benjamintaylormusic.com
Goodnight Moon (2011/2017)
Eric Whitacre (b. 1970)
arr. Mösenbichler-Bryant
Katherine Rohrer, mezzo soprano
Over the past few years, I must have read "Goodnight Moon" to my son a thousand times -- maybe more. Somewhere around reading number 500, I began hearing little musical fragments as I read, and over time those fragments began to blossom into a simple, sweet lullaby. I knew it was a long shot, but I asked my manager, Claire Long, to contact HarperCollins and see if they would allow the text to be set to music. To my surprise and delight they agreed — the first time they had ever allowed "Goodnight Moon" to be used in such a way.
I composed the piece relatively quickly, originally setting the text for harp, string orchestra, and my son's mother, soprano Hila Plitmann. I later arranged Goodnight Moon for SATB choir and piano. More recently, my dear friend Verena Mösenbichler-Bryant arranged the piece for wind ensemble and soloist. The melody of Goodnight Moon will forever make me think of those quiet nights, reading my son to sleep.
— Note by the composer
Candide Suite (1956/1993)
Leonard Bernstein (1918–1990)
transcribed/adapted by Clare Grundman
1. The Best of All Possible Worlds
2. Westphalia Chorale and Battle Scene
3. Auto-da-fé
4. Glitter and Be Gay
5. Make Our Garden Grow
Katherine Rohrer, mezzo soprano
Michael Shirtz, tenor
Chorus:
Connor Bruce, Leah Buczek, Marlon Haughton, Sophia Haws, Jenna Hunnicutt, Adelaide Kawakami, Emma Kelley, Wyatt Kerns, Jordan Padilla, Samantha Sayar, Roman Wentzel
Candide was Leonard Bernstein’s third Broadway musical, following On the Town and Wonderful Town. Adapted by Lillian Hellman from Voltaire’s 18th-century satire on blind optimism, Bernstein’s Candide is an operetta set in the castle of the Baron Thunder-ten-Tronckh in the mythical European land of Westphalia. Within these walls live the Baron and Baroness; Cunégonde, their beautiful and innocent virgin daughter; Maximilian, their handsome son; Candide, their handsome bastard nephew; and Paquette, the Baroness’ buxom serving maid. They are taught by Dr. Pangloss, who preaches the philosophy that all is for the best in “The Best of All Possible Worlds.” Candide and Cunégonde kiss, and Candide is banned from Westphalia. As he leaves, Bulgarians invade, kidnap him and slaughter everyone except for Cunégonde, whom they prostitute out to a rich Jew and the Grand Inquisitor. Candide escapes and begins an optimistic, satirical journey, taking with him his sweetheart Cunégonde and Pangloss. Candide journeys to Lisbon, Paris, Buenos Aires, and even the legendary El Dorado, only to discover reality in the forms of crime, atrocity and suffering. He returns to Venice with Cunégonde, stripped of his idealism. His ultimate emotional maturation concludes in the finale with “You’ve been a fool, and so have I, But come and be my wife, And let us try before we die, To make good sense of life. We’re neither pure nor wise nor good; We’ll do the best we know; We’ll build our house, and chop our wood, And make our garden grow.”
Opening on Broadway on December 1, 1956, Candide was perhaps a bit too intellectually weighty for its first audiences, and closed after just 73 performances. Bernstein was less concerned over the money lost than the failure of a work he cared about deeply. The critics had rightly noted a marvelous score, and Bernstein and others kept tinkering with the show over the years. With each revival, Candide won bigger audiences. In 1989, the already seriously ill Bernstein spent his last ounces of vital energy recording a new concert version of the work. “There’s more of me in that piece than anything else I’ve done,” he said.
— Note from San Luis Obispo Wind Orchestra concert program (May 12, 2012)
Symphonic Band Personnel
John Climer, conductor
Shawn Davern, guest conductor
Musicians are listed alphabetically by section.
Piccolo
Katelyn Cheng
Grace Reven *
Flute
Melanie Ahn ^
Karis Brennan
Katelyn Cheng
Nic Digena
Sunny Jiang
Laurinda Lan ^
Danica Lipp
Grace Reven *
Haley Svec
Oboe
Claire Rottman
Briele Vollmuth *
Maddie Wittman
English Horn
Maddie Wittman
Bassoon
Bobby Schwartz *
Lucas Swiderski
E-flat Clarinet
Jacob Behrend
Clarinet
Jacob Behrend
Sonny Day
Landen Gedeon
Zach Grant ^
Adam Lee
Aoi Nishiyama
Noah Reilly *
Nicholas Ritchey
Logan Sturgeon
Lily Tropple
Joseph Young
Bass Clarinet
Leah Henning
Quinn Jensen *
Matthew Watson
Contrabass Clarinet
Quinn Jensen
Alto Saxophone
Alyssa Hartman *
Tito Leong
Willow Mauldin
Sammy Smith ^
Tenor Saxophone
Katia de Jong ^
Baritone Saxophone
Kyle Buchwalter
Trumpet
Jude Abuzeide *
Graham Bentley
Connor Caviness
Ben Dickson
Ava Diederich
Gaby Hardisky ^
John Heino
Connor Milner
Allison Morris
Horn
Caleb Anderson
Nicholas Blum
Margaret Carter
Theresa Deevers *
Jared Giovannone
Katherine Indyk
Mirai Nawa
Allie Polzin
Benjamin Wainwright
Trombone
Nolan Call
Lucia Cherok * ^
Jackson Fortner
Ashleigh Mastilak
Jacob Myers
Bass Trombone
Anthony Frankowski
Jonathan Kessler
Euphonium
Sayaka Iimura *
Clayton Messinger
Hannah Lyons
Tuba
Adam Johnson
Lucas Snouffer
Zane Tekaucic *
Percussion
Logan Crawford
Wesley Giles ^
Josh Green
Peter Kindt
Mary Paydock * ^
Hayden Techter
Harp
Abigail Bachelor (faculty)
Double Bass
Dallas Carpenter (faculty)
* principal player
^ board member
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