Wednesday, March 5, 2025 • 7:30 p.m.
Weigel Auditorium
Columbus, OH
WIND SYMPHONY
Russel C. Mikkelson, conductor
Sarah Baker, Shawn Davern, guest conductors
Program
Second Suite in F, Op. 28, No. 2 (1913)
Gustav Holst (1874–1934)
1. March
2. Song without words
3. Song of the Blacksmith
4. Fantasia on the Dargason
Shawn Davern, guest conductor
This suite, composed in 1911, uses English folk songs and folk dance tunes throughout, being written at a time when Holst needed to rest from the strain of original composition. The opening march movement uses three tunes, the first of which is a lively "Morris Dance." The folk song "Swansea Town" is next, played broadly and lyrically by the euphonium, followed by the entire band playing the tune in block harmonies — a typically English sound. "Claudy Banks" is the third tune, brimming with vitality and the vibrant sound of unison clarinets. The first two tunes are repeated to conclude the first movement. The second movement is a setting for the English folk song "I'll Love My Love." It is a sad story of a young maiden driven into Bedlam by grief over her lover being sent to sea by his parents to prevent their marriage. The Hampshire folk song, "The Song of the Blacksmith," is the basis of the third movement, which evokes visions of the sparks from red hot metal being beaten with a lively hammer's rhythm on the blacksmith's anvil. The English country-dance and folk song, "The Dargason," dating from the sixteenth century, completes the suite in a manner that continues to cycle and seems to have no end. The Elizabethan love tune "Greensleeves" is intertwined briefly and withdrawn before the final witty scoring of a piccolo and tuba duet four octaves apart.
— Note from the Philharmonia Winds
Divertissement ď eté (1965)
Jacques Casérède (1926–2014)
ed. Sarah Baker
1. La Plage
2. Peche sous-marine
3. Marche
Sarah Baker, guest conductor
Divertissement d’eté ("summer diversion”) is a delightful work for wind orchestra without saxophone or euphonium. It was written by French composer Jacques Castèréde.
There is a great deal of Ibert in Castèréde’s Divertissement, which he created for the American Wind Symphony in 1965. Castèréde’s piece is in three movements: a jolly, happy romp called La Plage ("The Beach"); a quiet, wonderfully colored section called Pêche sous-marine ("Fish Swimming Underwater"); and an elfin, graceful Marche. This performance will premiere a new edition of the work by DMA candidate Sarah Baker, who will also conduct.
— Note by Russel C. Mikkelson
Dance of the Jesters (1873/1997)
Peter I. Tchaikovsky (1840–1893)
arr. Ray Cramer
Dance of the Jesters is a prime example of Tchaikovsky’s keen sense of musical nationalism. Originally composed as incidental music for the ballet The Snow Maidens, the dance forever captures the color and zest of Russian folk dance music. The ballet about the Snow Maiden, the daughter of Father Frost, tells of her forbidden love with a human, Misgir, who is already betrothed to Coupava. The Snow Maiden follows him southward with plans to interrupt his wedding, but tragically melts under the rays of the southern sun.
Upon meeting Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov in 1868, Tchaikovsky renewed his keen sense of musical nationalism. Inspired by the master composer, Tchaikovsky's compositional style would forever capture the color and zest of Russian folk dance and music. The flurry, energetic drive and playful melodies associated with his ballet scores are all heard in this rare and invigorating music. This edition comes from an arrangement from the ballet The Snow Maidens that was originally transcribed for a Russian military band.
— Note by Ray C. Cramer
Come Sunday (2018)
Omar Thomas (b. 1984)
1. Testimony
2. Shout
Come Sunday is a two-movement tribute to the Hammond organ’s central role in Black worship services. The first movement, Testimony, follows the Hammond organ as it readies the congregation's hearts, minds, and spirits to receive The Word via a magical union of Bach, blues, jazz, and R&B. The second movement, Shout!, is a virtuosic celebration — the frenzied and joyous climactic moment(s) when The Spirit has taken over the service. The title is a direct nod to Duke Ellington, who held an inspired love for classical music and allowed it to influence his own work in a multitude of ways. To all the Black musicians in wind ensemble who were given opportunity after opportunity to celebrate everyone else’s music but our own — I see you and I am you. This one’s for the culture!
— Note by the composer
The Stars and Stripes Forever (1928)
John Philip Sousa (1854–1932)
ed. Keith Brion and Loras Schissel
Paul Bierley states that The Stars and Stripes Forever is “by far the most popular march ever written, and its popularity is by no means limited to the United States.” A ten-year international march popularity survey confirms Bierley’s statement. The universal appeal of Sousa’s march is illustrated by an article in The New York Times by Harold Schonberg which tells of a tour to China by Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra in 1973. After sitting politely but stonily through a program which ranged from Beethoven to Copland, the orchestra struck up The Stars and Stripes. “All of a sudden electricity permeated the hall. Faces broke into smiles; feet began tapping; there was a general air of understanding and happiness. Maybe,... (it) really is the greatest piece of music ever written by an American. In any case, it has made more friends for America than any other piece of music..."
— Note by from Program Notes for Band
Personnel
Piccolo
Braden Stewart
Katie Sharp
Sofia Geelhood
Flute
Katie Sharp *
Jonathan Mitchell
Braden Stewart
Sofia Geelhood
Lance Korte
Shreeya Yampati
Allie Gerckens
Oboe
Lauren Kowal *
Sophie Cracieun
Laura Pitner
English Horn
Laura Pitner
Bassoon
Brandon Golpe *
Isaiah Heyman
Bitania Petros
Contrabassoon
Isaiah Heyman
E-flat Clarinet
Bernadette John
Clarinet
Kaleigh McGee *
Bernadette John
Xinchen Du
Samuel Langer
Joseph Zishka
Asa Mattson
Christopher Larsen Rivera
Favius Pena-Amaya
Noah Reilly
Bass Clarinet
Rachel Weinstein *
Mason Williams
Alto Saxophone
Lucinda Dunne *
Cooper Greenlees
Tenor Saxophone
Sean Bauman
Baritone Saxophone
Colin Fogerty
Horn
Annie Moon *
Cheng Peng
Olivia Boden
Andrew Waite
Paul Bissler
Nora Lemmon
Trumpet
Luke Bingham *
Nick Schnitzspahn
Zach Heffner
Bobby Petty
Will Fisher
Abbey Zunic
Jude Abuzeide
Trombone
Tristan Miller *
Charlotte Stefani
Gavin Abrams
Alex Myers
Nik Henderson
Bass Trombone
Shawn Davern
Euphonium
Davis Aho *
Ayden Casa
Andrew Eynon
Tuba
Justin White *
Will Roesch
Zane Tekaucic
Percussion
Haydn Veith
Matt Hanson
Sam Sherer *
Brody Fogle
Noah Landrum
Nathan Smith
Sarah Baker (assisting)
Uiliami Fihaki (assisting)
Piano/Celeste
CJ Smyth-Small
Double Bass
Carson Wolf
Harp
Abigail Bachelor (faculty)
* principal
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