Wednesday, Oct. 6, 2021
7:30 p.m.
The Ohio State University School of Music
Mershon Auditorium
Scott A. Jones, conductor
Daniel Farr, guest conductor
Russel C. Mikkelson, conductor
Dustin Ferguson, guest conductor
Symphonic Band
Notes on the program
Welcome to this first performance of autumn semester by the musicians of the Ohio State Symphonic Band. This performance also is the first by the ensemble in nearly 19 months. For performer and listener alike, this evening marks a “first experience since” the onset of the pandemic in the spring of 2020.
The past 19 months have been transformative for musicians, artists and people. The compositions selected for this evening are reflective of a human quality or action commonly experienced during the pandemic. You will witness the sounds of Loss, Resilience, Hope and the Rebuilding of Community throughout the program. We hope that you find yourself feeling deeply as we move through the evening together.
We delight in the partnership of four School of Music studio faculty artists who will provide “connective interludes” between each ensemble composition. Their contributions represent “individual responses and reactions” to the composition that precedes their interlude as well as a connection to that which follows. We are deeply grateful for their willingness to serve as creative partners this evening.
In 1912, French sociologist Émile Durkheim coined the phrase “collective effervescence” which identifies “the sense of energy and harmony people feel when they come together in a group around a shared purpose.” What an apt description of what we are gathered here this evening to do — you as the listeners and we as performers. The sounds of “Collective Effervescence” are the best way we know to bring this evening’s performance to a close … and we hope that you agree.
On behalf of the performers, thank you for sharing your evening with us. You have our deep gratitude for your gift of time, and our best wishes for good health and wholeness as our collective journey continues…
— Scott A. Jones, conductor
RESILIENCE
Tempered Steel (1998/2008)
Charles Rochester Young (b. 1965)
This version of the composition is performed with permission of the composer.
“As we grow stronger and more resilient through hardship, we become ‘tempered.’ Tempered Steel is a celebration of our triumph over these unavoidable hardships and obstacles that we regularly face. It rejoices in the tenacious and unrelenting resolve that is part of us all.” The version of the composition presented this evening (shorter than the original) is performed with permission of the composer.
Works from Charles Rochester Young’s diverse catalog of compositions have been performed and broadcast in Europe, Japan, Central America, Canada, and in major concert halls throughout the United States. Former chair of theory and composition at the University of Wisconsin Steven’s Point, Young is currently serving as associate dean of the Baldwin Wallace Conservatory of Music (Ohio). He holds a degree in music education from the University of Arkansas and a master’s degree in saxophone performance from the University of Michigan, where he studied with Donald Sinta.
INTERLUDE
Three Scenes from a Summit (2021)
Timothy Leasure
1. a mountain lake — beautifully stark and majestic
2. a mountain lake — gentle and serene as if from a dream
3. the alluvial fan
Timothy Leasure, flugelhorn
REBUILDING COMMUNITY
Pageant (1954)
Vincent Persichetti (1915–1987)
Daniel Farr, conductor
Pageant is a composition in two contrasting sections, the first of which opens with a solo horn motive that serves as important material for both sections of the work. The music of the first section is slower and lyrical in its quality and features the woodwind and brass choirs in its scoring. A lively “parade” section follows, in which a new motivic idea introduced by snare drum is developed and presented, often in a call-and-response fashion. This section celebrates bi-tonality (two different key areas presented simultaneously) while maintaining a tuneful quality to the music. The section builds to a conclusion in which principal thematic material is simultaneously presented and culminates in a celebratory and colorful eight-tone final chord.
Vincent Persichetti developed a wide and varied catalog of compositions during his remarkable life. His unique voice and orchestration earned him a reputation of one of America’s most celebrated 20th century composers. Persichetti held degrees from the Curtis Institute and the Philadelphia Conservatory of Music. In his final faculty position, he served as chair of composition at the Juilliard School in New York City.
INTERLUDE
Elegy for Mippy II (1950)
Leonard Bernstein (1918–1990)
Sterling Tanner, trombone
LOSS AND REMEMBRANCE
Into the Silent Land (2018)
Steven Danyew (b. 1983)
Well before the tragic events of 2012, composer Stephen Danyew attended grades 3–5 at Sandy Hook Elementary School. In the composer’s words, “For … several years [following the event], I thought about writing a piece of music that would reflect upon this tragedy, but … struggled to know where to start. When I came across ‘Remember,’ a moving poem by Christina Rossetti [1830–1894], I found the direction I was looking for.”
Remember me when I am gone away,
Gone far away into the silent land;
When you can no more hold me by the hand.
Remember me when no more day by day,
You tell me of our future that you plann’d:
Only remember me; you understand
Remember me when I am gone away,
Gone far away into the silent land.
Steve Danyew’s music has been hailed as “startlingly beautiful” and “undeniably well-crafted and communicative” by the Miami Herald. Danyew is the recipient of numerous national and international awards for his work, and his compositions have been performed throughout the world. Into the Silent Land was named winner of the 2019 Walter Beeler Memorial Composition Prize. He holds degrees from the University of Miami (Florida) and the Eastman School of Music (New York). 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.
INTERLUDE
Suite for Solo Flute (1959)
Ivana Loudová (1941–2017)
Katherine Borst Jones, flute
HOPE
Abide with Me
William Henry Monk (1823–1889) / Gustafson
The hymn tune “Eventide” composed by William Henry Monk is one of the most popular of its genre, and serves as the musical material for the hymn "Abide with Me." The text was penned by Henry Francis Lyte (1793–1847), a hymnodist and poet. While this particular hymn is of the Christian faith, the text — which speaks to the comfort of a guiding presence in the midst of “deepening darkness” — has application to many faith and spiritual traditions.
INTERLUDE
Gigue from Suite No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007 (1717–1723)
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750)
Michael Rene Torres, alto saxophone
"COLLECTIVE EFFERVESCENCE"
Italian Rhapsody (2008)
Julie Giroux (b. 1961)
Commissioned by Colonel Arnald D. Gabriel in honor of his parents, “Italian Rhapsody is a collection of Italian folk songs and a few operatic excerpts. Solo clarinet opens the work and develops into a devious rendition of ‘The Italian Wedding Song No. 2.’ ‘Caderna,’ composed by A. D. Arcangelo, is present in both an Italian street band and contemporary march style. Giacomo Puccini’s La Boheme ‘Quando m’en vo’ makes an appearance as an accordion player serenading young lovers in the moonlight. The final feature, Luigi Denza’s ‘Funiculi! Funicula!,’ Giuseppi Verdi’s Il Trovatore (Act II – Anvil Chorus) and Gioacchino Rossini’s Barber of Seville. Italian operatic and folk song musical quotes are interlaced throughout the work.”
Composer Julie Giroux holds degrees from Louisiana State University and Boston University. She studied composition with John Williams, Bill Conti and Jerry Goldsmith, among others. A conductor, orchestrator and composer of music for television and film, Giroux was the first woman and youngest recipient to receive an Emmy in her category. Beyond television and film scores, her composition catalog includes works for orchestra, chamber ensembles, soloists and concert band.
Wind Symphony
Downey Overture
Oscar Navarro (b. 1981)
Downey Overture is dedicated with all my affection to the Downey Symphony Orchestra, for its hard work and dedication, and, of course, to its conductor, Sharon Lavery, for her professionalism and great passion for music. Downey Overture is a Latin-American fusion with which I have wanted to link my birth country, Spain, and California, the land that, as a result of the two years I lived there, has left a permanent imprint on my heart. An amalgam of rhythm and musical color wrapped in an atmosphere of dance are the essence of this piece. It is joyful, energetic and written with all my enthusiasm and dedication.
— Oscar Navarro
Roma
Valerie Coleman (b. 1970)
Dustin Ferguson, guest conductor
A nation without a country is the best way to describe the nomadic tribes known as gypsies, or properly called, the Romani. Their traditions, their language (Roma), legends and music stretch all over the globe — from the Middle East, the Mediterranean region, and the Iberian peninsula, across the ocean to the Americas.
Roma is a tribute to that culture, in five descriptive themes, as told through the eyes and hearts of Romani women everywhere: Romani Women, Mystic, Youth, Trickster, and History. The melodies and rhythms are a fusion of styles and cultures — malagueña of Spain, Argentine tango, Arabic music, Turkish folk songs, 3/2 Latin claves, and jazz.
Three Latin American Sketches
Aaron Copland (1900–1990)
arr. Russel C. Mikkelson
1. Estribillo
2. Paisaje Mexicano
3. Danza de Jalisco
The music of Latin America had a particular appeal for Copland. He composed two dances that when put together became Two Mexican Pieces. Later, he added a third and changed the title to Three Latin American Sketches. Copland wrote, "The tunes, the rhythms and the temperament of the pieces are folksy, while the orchestration is bright and snappy and the music sizzles along — or at least it seems to me that it does." This version for wind ensemble was arranged by Russel C. Mikkelson and is dedicated to the musicians of The Ohio State University Wind Symphony.
— Vivien Perlis and Russel C. Mikkelson
Paris Sketches
Martin Ellerby (b. 1957)
1. Saint Germain-des-Prés
2. Pigalle
3. Pèr Lechaise
4. Les Halles
This is my personal tribute to a city I love, and each movement pays homage to some part of the French capital and to other composers who lived, worked or passed through it — rather as did Maurice Ravel in his own tribute to the work of an earlier master in Le Tombeau de Couperin. Running like a unifying thread through the whole score is the idea of bells — a prominent feature of Paris life.
— Martin Ellerby
ROSTERS
The Ohio State University Symphonic Band
Musicians are listed alphabetically by section.
Braden Stewart
FLUTE
Hanna Everding
Sofia Geelhood ∆
Allie Gerckens
Ray Johnson
Sarah Jones
Lauren Parrett +
Braden Stewart
OBOE
Ryan O’Donnell *
Claire Rottman ∆ +
BASSOON
Laila Elhamri ∆ +
Robert Schwartz
E-flat CLARINET
Kelsey Blevins
CLARINET
Kelsey Blevins
Peter Breckenridge ∆ +
Laurel Dean
Joseph DeCillis
Rohit Kolluri
Fiona Lin §
Katie Lowry
Matthew Pugh
Mason Williams
Erin Wilson
BASS CLARINET
Favius Pena-Amaya
ALTO SAXOPHONE
Cooper Greenlees ∆
Sam Schafer +
TENOR SAXOPHONE
Zach Langbein
BARITONE SAXOPHONE
Colin Fogerty
TRUMPET
Ruth Bonnice
Carson Coldren *
Hunter DeWitt +
Eric Luman
Gavin Newton ∆
Alessandro Nocera
Bobby Petty
Spencer Withnell
HORN
Theresa Deevers
Shawnta Hunter
Eric Ji ∆
Crosbee Lisser §
Ila Sharma +
TROMBONE
Brianna Heath
Katie Moore
Alex Myers ∆ +
David York
BASS TROMBONE
Eric Oxsalida
Nick Pisanelli
EUPHONIUM
Davis Aho ∆
Noah Brindley
Jacob Carlson
Katie Reed +
TUBA
Jake Blevins ∆ +
Ryan Burdick §
Lydia Cooper
Nick Hann
PERCUSSION
Phillip Betts
Alex Brudnicki §
Nick Dye
Logan Gardiner
Matt Hanson ∆
Erin Rybinski +
Kyle Thomas
DOUBLE BASS
Ben Hus *
PIANO
Alex Buckley
+ section leader
§ board member
* assisting musician
Wind Symphony
PICCOLO
Meagan Gaskill
Brandon Landry
FLUTE
Arianna Bendit *
Meagan Gaskill
Brandon Landry
Lily Carpenter
Maggie McCarter
Irene Guggenheim-Triana
Jonathan Mitchell
OBOE
Michael Rueda *
Jerrin Wofford
BASSOON
Nate Centa *
Dylan Tharp
Eb CLARINET
Vanessa Klassen
Kaleigh McGee
CLARINET
Vanessa Klassen *
Gabrielle Valladares
Kaleigh McGee
Jiaqi Liu
Louis Maligaya
Maddy Brickner
Lily Tropple
Diana Sari
Marco Rojas
BASS CLARINET
Danny Hong
Eli Johnson
CONTRABASS CLARINET
Eli Johnson
ALTO SAXOPHONE
Alexander Lowe *
Colin Howell
TENOR SAXOPHONE
Sean Bauman
BARITONE SAXOPHONE
Pi Huizhong
HORN
Brittany White *
Trevor Healy
Brian Walsh
Abbey Burger
Emily Lay
TRUMPET
Alexander Sanso *
Benjamin Guegold *
Julia Moxley
Luke Bingham
Matt Pileski
Vanessa Rivera
Connor McMullen
TROMBONE
Melody Harrell *
Charlotte Stefani
Tristan Miller
BASS TROMBONE
C. J. McGhee
EUPHONIUM
Sean O’Brien *
Gareth Whelan *
Carter Bivens
TUBA
Justin White *
Bradley Krak
Cameron Reinbolt
PERCUSSION
Ben Shaheen *
Amelia Duplain
Clay Schneider
Hannah Moore
Ben Kerger
Justin Monroe
DOUBLE BASS
Dallas Carpenter
CELLO
Isaiah Wu
PIANO
Anna Lavin
HARP
Nathan Hay
Join us…
School of Music performances are free, except for a few premium events. Many performances will be livestreamed. Some events require online registration for those planning to attend in person.
Visit music.osu.edu/events