UCO Wind Symphony - "Things That Go 'Boom' in the Shadows" - 10/10/24

The School of Music presents the UCO Wind Symphony and an evening of captivating music with a touch of mystery. The program features “Festive Fanfare” (1997) by Samuel Magrill, “Haunted Objects” by John Mackey, “Shadow Dance” by David Dzubay, “Boomba” by Michael Barry, and the haunting “Danse Macabre” by Camille Saint-Saëns. Performed at historic Mitchell Hall Theatre, October 10th, 2024. Concert Program Boomba (2015) / Michael Barry (b. 1981) Festive Fanfare (1997) / Samuel Magrill Haunted Objects (Tsukumogami) (2024) / John Mackey (b. 1974) Movement I. Movement II. Shadow Dance (2006) / David Dzubay (b. 1964) “All things… are aggregates of atoms that dance and by their movements produce sounds. When the rhythm of the dance changes, the sound it produces also changes… Each atom perpetually sings its song, and the sound, at every moment, creates dense and subtle forms .” (Alexandra David-Neel, Tibetan Journey, London, 1936.) Viderunt omnes fines terrae salutare Dei nostri Jubilate Deo omnis terra Notum fecit Dominus salutare suum: ante conspectum gentium revelavit justitiam suam All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. Rejoice in the Lord, the whole earth. The Lord has made known his salvation; He has shown his righteousness in the sight of the people Danse Macabre (1874/c.1970) / Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921) Transcribed by Mark Hindsley (1905-1999) Program Notes Michael W. Barry is an American composer and pianist. Following his many years studying classical piano in his native Long Island, NY, Barry earned a degree in piano performance from SUNY Geneseo. After graduation, he moved to Los Angeles to attend USC’s Film Scoring Program, which began his composing career for film, television, and interactive media. Most notably, Michael’s music can be heard throughout Riot Games’ hugely successful title League of Legends and on their recent soundtrack release Music of League – Volume 1. In addition to his work for the screen, Michael is an avid composer of concert works, most recently releasing Endeavor and Boomba for wind ensemble. Barry is also an accomplished entrepreneur, having co-founded several successful companies including Hollywood Scoring and Cinesamples – one of the largest sample library companies for composers. His classical music compositions have been performed by the San Bernardino Symphony and The Riverside Philharmonic in Los Angeles, among others. Barry’s electric compositional style has been described as “multi-voiced but accessible.” Choosing not to limit himself to a single harmonic language, his pieces often pay homage to the classical literature of the past while being mostly aware of the present. A typical piece may have “a wide variety of influences weaved in a convincing web”…“mashed together with the composers’ own voice”. Boomba, Michael Barry’s vibrant, colorful piece for wind ensemble, features whimsical melodic lines and fast-paced call and response between the various ensemble textures. Michael’s use of classic jazz gestures and unexpected orchestration — including a rare solo for often under-utilized Eb Clarinet — create a work that’s equal parts nostalgic and fresh — warm yet electric. Barry writes, “It was a very Bob Boss-like experience. At the center of the piece is a silly motif in the timpani, which sounds like someone playing bongos, as well as some quirky horn lines.” – Program Note from publisher (Composer bio and program note accessed from WindRep.org) ====================================== Dr. Samuel Magrill is a Professor of Music and the Composer-in-Residence at the University of Central Oklahoma where he has taught music theory and composition since 1988. Previously, he taught at the University of Wyoming and California State University, Long Beach. He obtained his Bachelor of Music in Composition from Oberlin Conservatory and his Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees in Composition from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana. He has received numerous awards and commissions including ones from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Illinois Arts Council, ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers), the Oklahoma Music Teachers’ Association, and faculty research grants and merit-credit awards from the University of Central Oklahoma. In addition to his work as a composer, he is an avid accompanist, both instrumental and vocal, participates in numerous student and faculty performances throughout the year. Magrill has written over one hundred compositions for a variety of instruments, from solo piano and chamber music to choir, wind ensemble, symphony orchestra and opera. His works have been performed throughout the United States and abroad and at many regional and national conferences, including the National Flute Association, Society of Composers, Inc. and the College Music Society. Festive Fanfare was conceived of as a tonally accessible band composition in classical form, written especially for the University of Central Oklahoma Wind ensemble and its director, Dr. Ron Howell. All the material presented comes back either exactly the same or slightly transformed. In the work, the composer pays homage to Aaron Copland, Renaissance Music, Irish Music and Leonard Bernstein. ====================================== John Mackey has written for orchestras (Brooklyn Philharmonic, New York Youth Symphony), theater (Dallas Theater Center), and extensively for dance (Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Parsons Dance Company, New York City Ballet), but the majority of his work for the past decade has been for wind ensembles (the fancy name for concert bands), and his band catalog now receives annual performances numbering in the thousands. Recent commissions include works for the BBC Singers, the Dallas Wind Symphony, military, high school, middle school, and university bands across America and Japan, and concertos for Joseph Alessi (principal trombone, New York Philharmonic), Christopher Martin (principal trumpet, New York Philharmonic), and Julian Bliss (international clarinet soloist). In 2014, he became the youngest composer ever inducted into the American Bandmasters Association. In 2018, he received the Wladimir & Rhoda Lakond Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He resides in New York with his spouse, A. E. Jaques, a philosopher who works on the ethics of artificial intelligence for MIT, and also titles all of his pieces; and their cats, Noodle and Bloop. The composer writes about Haunted Objects: The thing about ghost stories — the good ones, anyway — is that they reflect the psychological inclinations of the reader. They may surprise, frighten, inspire or dazzle, but at the end of the tale an impression is made only if we see our own dreams, fears, and hopes in the characters. Sometimes we’re the protagonists, and sometimes we’re the ghosts, but the magic happens in the creeping realization that what lurks in the pages might also be right behind us. Haunted Objects (Tsukumogami) is a musical ghost story; one that aesthetically captures the spirit of a particular supernatural cultural phenomenon of Japan. I love Japanese culture, and wanted to write something that would honor its people’s traditions from my own perspective. I first visited in 2007 for the premiere of Kingfishers Catch Fire, and have been back several times since, including with my wife Abby on our honeymoon. She’s the person who first introduced me to the concept of tsukumogami, which are everyday items or tools that, after being around for a century, acquire a spirit and take on a life of their own. The idea inspired me to write music that alternated—and danced—between harmless and mischievous. I don’t consider the tsukumogami to be hurtful; they’re pranksters! They’re always reminding us that they have a use, and you should discard them with caution, as they might end up haunting you… (Composer bio and program note from JohnMackey.com) ====================================== David Dzubay is an American composer and educator. He grew up in Portland, Oregon, and earned a D.M. in Composition at Indiana University in 1991. Additional study was undertaken as a Koussevitzky Fellow in Composition at the Tanglewood Music Center, at the June in Buffalo Festival, and as co-principal trumpet of the National Repertory Orchestra in Colorado. His principal teachers were Donald Erb, Frederick Fox, Eugene O’Brien, Lukas Foss, Oliver Knussen, Allan Dean and Bernard Adelstein. Dzubay’s music has been performed in the U.S., Europe, Canada, Mexico, and Asia, by ensembles including the symphony orchestras of Aspen, Atlanta, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Detroit, Honolulu, Kansas City, Louisville, Memphis, Minnesota, Oregon, Oakland, St. Louis and Vancouver; the American Composers Orchestra, National Symphonies of Ireland and Mexico, New World Symphony, National Repertory Orchestra and New York Youth Symphony; and ensembles including Le Nouvel Ensemble Moderne (Montreal), Onix (Mexico), Manhattan Brass, Voices of Change (Dallas), the Alexander and Orion String Quartets, the League/ISCM, Earplay and the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players. His music has been championed by soloists including Christine Schadeberg, Thomas Robertello, Corey Cerovsek, Carter Enyeart, James Campbell, Eric Nestler and David Starobin, and conductors including James DePreist, George Hanson, David Loebel, Michael Morgan, Eiji Oue, Richard Pittman, Lawrence Leighton Smith, Carl Topilow, David Wiley, Samuel Wong, Kirk Trevor and David Zinman. His honors include a 2007 Guggenheim Fellowship, 2007 Djerassi Artist Residency, 2006 and 2007 MacDowell Colony Fellowships, 2007 Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra Composition Competition, 2005 Utah Arts Festival Commission, 2005 Columbia Orchestra American Composers Competition, 2004 William Revelli Memorial Prize from the National Band Association, 2003 Commission from the Metropolitan Wind Symphony, 2001 Walter Beeler Memorial Prize, 2000 Wayne Peterson Prize, and grants from the Aaron Copland Fund for Music for all-Dzubay CDs by Voices of Change (innova 588) and the Manhattan Brass (Bridge). Dzubay has also received awards from the NEA (1992-1993), BMI (1987, 1988), ASCAP (1988, 1989, 1990), the American Music Center, Composers, Inc., Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, Indiana State University, Indiana University (including the “Outstanding Junior Faculty Award”), the Tanglewood Music Center, and the Cincinnati Symphony. David Dzubay recently retired as Professor of Music, Chair of the Composition Department, and Director of the New Music Ensemble at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music in Bloomington. He was previously on the faculty of the University of North Texas in Denton. Dzubay has conducted at the Tanglewood, Aspen, and June in Buffalo festivals. He has also conducted the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble, the Greater Dallas Youth Symphony Orchestra, Music from China, Voices of Change, an ensemble from the Minnesota Orchestra, the Kentuckiana Brass and Percussion Ensemble and strings from the Louisville Orchestra at the Maple Mount Music Festival. From 1995 to 1998 he served as Composer-Consultant to the Minnesota Orchestra, helping direct their “Perfect-Pitch” reading sessions, and during 2005-2006 he was Meet the Composer/American Symphony Orchestra League Music Alive Composer-in-Residence with the Green Bay Symphony Orchestra. The composer writes about Shadow Dance: All things… are aggregates of atoms that dance and by their movements produce sounds. When the rhythm of the dance changes, the sound it produces also changes… Each atom perpetually sings its song, and the sound, at every moment, creates dense and subtle forms .” (Alexandra David-Neel, Tibetan Journey, London, 1936.) Perotin, a choirmaster at the cathedral of Notre Dame, composed the first known works of music written in four parts at the end of the twelfth century. His Viderunt Omnes, circa 1199, is an organum based on a Gregorian chant sung at both Christmas and New Year. Perotin’s organum can be thought of as a lengthened shadow of the original chant. That is, individual notes of the chant are sustained in the bottom part for long periods of time, during which the three upper parts have active melodic sequences, often with a rather dance-like lilt. The upper parts playfully shadow each other with imitative melodic lines in the same register, constantly crossing back and forth. Contrasting with the sustained-note sections are more active discant sections, called clausulae, where the bottom part is also rhythmically active. Shadow Dance, then, is a further shadowing of the chant, taking Viderunt Omnes as a base, or cantus firmus, and adding newly composed music above, below, and in between phrases of the Perotin, which is most evident during the first half of the composition. At the midpoint, “the rhythm of the dance changes” and the Perotin recedes, except for momentary glimpses back in time. Players in the ensemble are asked to sing portions of the original chant, namely the first and the last two words – Viderunt, and justitiam suum. Like the age in which we live, the character of this dance is unstable: by turns ominous, peaceful, celebratory, reflective, frantic, joyful, raucous, anxious, hopeful. Text: VIDERUNT OMNES Viderunt omnes fines terrae salutare Dei nostri Jubilate Deo omnis terra Notum fecit Dominus salutare suum: ante conspectum gentium revelavit justitiam suam Translation: All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. Rejoice in the Lord, the whole earth. The Lord has made known his salvation; He has shown his righteousness in the sight of the people (Composer bio and program note accessed from WindRep.org) ====================================== Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns was a French composer, organist, conductor, and pianist of the Romantic era. He is known especially for The Carnival of the Animals, Danse Macabre, the opera Samson and Delilah, Piano Concerto No. 2, Cello Concerto No. 1, Havanaise, Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso, and his Symphony No. 3 (Organ Symphony). His aunt introduced Saint-Saëns to the piano, and began giving him lessons. At about this time, age two, Saint-Saëns was found to possess perfect pitch. His first composition, a little piece for the piano dated 22 March 1839, is now kept in the Bibliothèque Nationale de France. His first public concert appearance occurred when he was five years old, when he accompanied a Beethoven violin sonata. He went on to begin in-depth study of the full score of Don Giovanni. In 1842, Saint-Saëns began piano lessons with Camille-Marie Stamaty, a pupil of Friedrich Kalkbrenner, who had his students play the piano while resting their forearms on a bar situated in front of the keyboard, so that all the pianist’s power came from the hands and fingers but not the arms. At ten years of age, Saint-Saëns gave his debut public recital at the Salle Pleyel, with a performance of Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 15 in B-flat major (K. 450). In the late 1840s, Saint-Saëns entered the Conservatoire de Paris, where he studied organ and composition, the latter under Fromental Halévy. Saint-Saëns won many top prizes and gained a reputation that resulted in his introduction to Franz Liszt, who would become one of his closest friends. At the age of sixteen, Saint-Saëns wrote his first symphony; his second, published as Symphony No. 1 in E-flat major, was performed in 1853 to the astonishment of many critics and fellow composers. Hector Berlioz, who also became a good friend, famously remarked, “He knows everything, but lacks inexperience.” For income, Saint-Saëns played the organ at various churches in Paris, with his first appointment being at the Saint-Merri in the Beaubourg area.[1] In 1857, he replaced Lefébure-Wely at the eminent position of organist at the Église de la Madeleine, which he kept until 1877. His weekly improvisations stunned the Parisian public and earned Liszt’s 1866 observation that Saint-Saëns was the greatest organist in the world. He also composed a famous piece called Danse Macabre at this time. Saint-Saëns was a multi-faceted intellectual. From an early age, he studied geology, archaeology, botany, and lepidoptery. He was an expert at mathematics. Later, in addition to composing, performing, and writing musical criticism, he held discussions with Europe’s finest scientists and wrote scholarly articles on acoustics, occult sciences, Roman theatre decoration, and ancient instruments. He wrote a philosophical work, Problèmes et mystères, which spoke of science and art replacing religion; Saint-Saëns’s pessimistic and atheistic ideas foreshadowed Existentialism. In 1908, he had the distinction of being the first celebrated composer to write a musical score to a motion picture, The Assassination of the Duke of Guise. In addition to Saint-Saëns’ orchestral works, which include several popular concerti, he composed 13 operas and numerous choral works. Among his compositions are three pieces for band plus Hail California, which was written for combined band, symphony orchestra and organ. This was a commemorative piece composed for the Panama-Pacific Exposition held in San Francisco in 1915. The composer traveled widely during his later years and spent the last several years of his life in Algiers. Danse Macabre, Op. 40, is a tone poem for orchestra, written in 1874 by French composer Camille Saint-Saëns. It started out in 1872 as an art song for voice and piano with a French text by the poet Henri Cazalis, which is based on an old French superstition. In 1874, the composer expanded and reworked the piece into a tone poem, replacing the vocal line with a solo violin. According to legend, “Death” appears at midnight every year on Halloween. Death calls forth the dead from their graves to dance for him while he plays his fiddle (here represented by a solo violin). His skeletons dance for him until the rooster crows at dawn, when they must return to their graves until the next year. The piece makes particular use of the xylophone to imitate the sounds of rattling bones. Saint-Saëns uses a similar motif in the Fossils movement of The Carnival of the Animals. (Composer bio and program note accessed from WindRep.org) About the Conductor: Brian Lamb has served as the Director of Bands at the University of Central Oklahoma since 2001. He conducts the Wind Symphony, the Symphonic Band, and the Marching Band, and teaches conducting and instrumental courses; he continues to guide all aspects of the UCO band program. Dr. Lamb made his Carnegie Hall debut in 2005, performing with UCO friend and colleague Tess Remy in the Weill Recital Hall. In 2006, Lamb and the UCO Wind Symphony performed for a full house in the Isaac Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall. The UCO Wind Symphony, with Lamb as conductor, has garnered international attention and acclaim from audiences, composers, and critics alike for outstanding and creative performances and for playing an active role in commissioning projects and consortiums, including work with Carter Pann, David Maslanka, Carolyn Bremer, Richard Danielpour, Michael Daugherty, Michael Colgrass, Mark Lomax, Susan Botti, Samuel Magrill, and others. Lamb received his bachelor’s degree in music education from Baylor University, a master’s degree in trumpet performance and literature from the University of Notre Dame, and the doctor of musical arts degree in conducting from the University of North Texas. He has been fortunate to study with many outstanding musical mentors, including Eugene Corporon, Michael Haithcock, Gary Sousa, Larry Rachleff, Alan McMurray, Jack Stamp, Dennis Fisher, John Haynie, Barry Hopper, and William Scarlett. Prior to his UCO appointment, Dr. Lamb served as Director of Instrumental Studies at Southwest Baptist University and as director of bands and chairman of the fine arts department at James Bowie High School in Arlington, Texas. Still active as a trumpet performer, Dr. Lamb plays in the Redbud Brass Quintet, the UCO Faculty Brass Quintet. Dr. Lamb is active as a clinician and guest conductor all over the world, and his groups have received acclaim for performances at regional, state and national conventions. In his 23-year tenure at UCO, the Wind Symphony has been selected to perform at three College Band Directors National Association (CBDNA) Regional Conventions, and they have been the collegiate honor band at six Oklahoma Music Educators Association (OkMEA) conventions. Under Lamb’s baton, the UCO Wind Symphony has released 5 CDs on the prestigious Equilibrium label, which are available on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon, CDBaby, and all other relevant streaming services. He has contributed several published works to various journals and textbooks, and he is the author of “Music is Magic,” a children’s radio program that aired on KUCO-90.1 FM. He is a member of Pi Kappa Lambda Music Honor Society, the College Band Directors National Association, Oklahoma Music Educators Association, Music Educators National Conference, and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia. He was honored as a Friend of the Arts by Sigma Alpha Iota, he is an honorary member of Kappa Kappa Psi, the national band service fraternity, and he was recently inducted into the Oklahoma chapter of Phi Beta Mu, the international band directors’ fraternity. Wind Symphony Personnel (All players listed alphabetically. Principals designated by * where applicable) Flutes Sadie Carlton Kylee Hall Alison Horowitz Amari Kinyanjui* (also Piccolo) Bryanna Louch* (also Piccolo) Mia Zumwalt Oboes EJ Dimmer Em Johnston Ava Lumen Bassoons Micah Adkins* (contra) Ryan Holcomb Barrett Riley Clarinets Jace Cooper Aleisha Greene Lliam Guill Lucas Houpt Josh Lee Roseanna Medina (also bass) Kylie Nolting (also Eb soprano) Sam Vaughn* Allie Wright Bass Clarinets Jeron Fishburn (also contrabass) Caden Giles Saxophones Caleb Boyster (alto) Tony DeLozier (baritone) Mason McCormack (alto) Mark Stroud (alto) Jalon Thomas* (alto, soprano) Blake Vandegrift (tenor) Horns Cristalynne Burns Alex Hamm* Sephra Jared Iriana Phipps Derek Stills Trumpets Josiah Banter Ronnie Blubaugh Clinton Carr Trevor Chandler Caleb Rollins* Libby Romero Trombones Mason Longey* Luke McHenry Ryan Miller Brandon Monasco Mateo Rivera (bass) Euphoniums Riley Crow (and tuba) Luke McHenry Tubas Zane Radka* Zach McNaught String Bass Kambree Brown Piano Dr. Sallie Pollack (faculty guest) Harp Chelsea Bushong (faculty guest) Percussion Casey Bond Trey Brabham Tara Brown Treven Cowherd* Tristan Fox Gabriel Sorrells