Wind Symphony - 10/5/23

UCO Wind Symphony Presents: "Premieres! New Music for Winds!" Featuring Danny Hansen, Guest Composer-In-Residence 7:30 p.m. October 5, 2023 Mitchell Hall Theatre Two Pieces from 6½ Syncopated Movements (1993/2021) Wynton Marsalis (b. 1961), Arr. James Spinazolla I. Jubilo: The Scent of Democracy II. Ragtime OKLAHOMA PREMIERE (The UCO Wind Symphony was part of the consortium that commissioned these works) Stone Colors, Three Desert Images for Wind Symphony (2022) Steven Michael Gryc (b. 1949) I. Daybreak (yellow to orange) II. Dust Devil (orange to red) III. Mountains and Shadows (red to purple) OKLAHOMA PREMIERE (The UCO Wind Symphony was part of the consortium that commissioned these works) Elegy (2022) Danny Hansen (b. 1987) ***WORLD PREMIERE*** Como Canons (2022) Tyler Harrison (b. 1985) OKLAHOMA PREMIERE Wind Symphony Personnel Flutes Bryanna Louch Amari Kinyanjui (piccolo) Alison Horowitz Kayla Factor (piccolo) Kieran Sowerby Abbie Childers Oboes Richard Paulk Braeden Jermain (Eng. Horn) Nick Cockerill Bassoons Micah Adkins (contra) Abbie Claussen Clarinets Cristian Celis Noah Billingsley Fernanda Ceron Jace Cooper Roseanna Medina Liam Guill Brasen Walker Bass Clarinets Noah Billingsley Jeron Fishburn (contra) Devin Erwin-Acker Saxophones Jeffrey Stevenson (tenor) Jalon Thomas (alto, soprano) Anthony DeLozier (bari) Jon Torres (alto) Braeden Jermain (alto) Horns Becca Geitzenauer Alex Hamm Cristalynne Burns Sephra Jared Trumpets Caleb Rollins Ryan DeWendt Trevor Chandler Noah Moey Laila Martinez Ty Clifton Trombones Naomi Wharry Luke McHenry Mateo Rivera (bass) Mason Longey Euphonium Andy Wolfe Tuba Riley Crow Cliff Muchunguzi String Bass Noah Colson Percussion Kyle Broadbooks Zach Kimber Trey Brabham Katelynn Moore Treven Cowherd Jonathan Haywood Piano Yingshi Bu Harp Chelsea Bushong* *denotes faculty guest and alumna Program Notes Jazz: 6 ½ Syncopated Movements was commissioned and premiered by the New York City Ballet in January 1993. The piece represents the first collaboration of Wynton Marsalis and choreographer Peter Martens, and demonstrates Marsalis’s extraordinary ability to approach historical forms with a contemporary and unique sensibility. The principal theme is introduced by the piano, and then bounces around the ensemble with subtle variations, consistently framed by the snare drum’s comfortable groove. In several movements, boisterous soloistic passages in the brass and saxophones emerge, often set against one another in a bold exciting counterpoint. Jubilo opens with a short and fast theme shared by the snare and piccolo, who feature as dual soloists throughout the movement.  They are quickly joined by the entire band in a rhapsodic stream of ever-changing melodies and a characteristic balance of swung ang straight rhythmic grooves.  Frequent shifts in orchestration, references to various American musical traditions, and dizzying textural interruptions kaleidoscopically coalesce in an exuberant celebration of freedom. Originally scored for an 11-piece jazz ensemble, Ragtime was arranged by James Spinazzola for the Cornell University Wind Symphony and premiered in its new version in November 2021 with the arranger conducting.  Solo passages for clarinet, trumpets, trombone, piano, and percussion have been transcribed from the improvised solos presented on the album Jump Start and Jazz: Two Ballets by Wynton Marsalis, performed by the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra with the composer present on trumpet (Sony Classical, 1997) (program note by the arranger, James Spinazzola) Stephen Michael Gryc is Professor Emeritus at the University of Hartford’s Hartt School where he has served on the faculty since 1980. He received his professional training at the University of Michigan where he earned four degrees in music, including the degree of Doctor of Musical Arts. His composition teachers included William Albright, Leslie Bassett and William Bolcom, and he performed as a trombonist in the university bands under legendary conductors William Revelli and George Cavender. He has received grants and fellowships from the ASCAP Foundation, the Connecticut Commission on the Arts, the MacDowell Colony, the Charles Ives Center for American Music, Meet The Composer, the Ucross Foundation, and the University of Hartford. His many awards include the 1986 Rudolf Nissim Prize for orchestral music from the ASCAP Foundation. His works have been performed throughout North and South America, Europe, Asia and Australia. Gryc’s compositions for bands and wind ensembles have been performed throughout the United States by such ensembles as the United States Marine Band, the Eastman Wind Ensemble and many other university and college bands from the Florida State University to the University of Alaska. His band music has been recorded by the University of New Mexico Wind Symphony, the Hartt Wind Ensemble, and the University of North Texas Wind Symphony. Philip Smith and Joseph Alessi, trumpet and trombone principals of the New York Philharmonic, are featured on recordings that include works that Gryc composed for them, Evensong for trumpet and wind ensemble and Passaggi for trombone and wind ensemble. (bio from windrep.org) Stone Colors, Three Desert Images for Wind Symphony, was composed in 2022 and was commissioned by a consortium of over one hundred academic institutions and individuals in memory of conductor and educator Eric Rombach-Kendall, the Director of Bands at the University of New Mexico for twenty-nine years. Eric was a great collaborator and friend who commissioned several of my most-frequently-performed works for wind ensembles. Eric and I shared a love of the natural world, so I chose to compose a piece in his memory that reflected that interest as well as the state where Eric spent most of his professional life. Deserts are places that inspire contemplation of both the infinite and the intimate. In the course of my piece, I attempted to find musical analogies to the physical landscape of the desert as well as our psychological reactions to being in that landscape. The first movement, Daybreak, was inspired by my experience of a sunrise in Badlands National Park in South Dakota. Dust Devil, movement two, depicts the small cyclones that animate an otherwise still landscape. Mountains and Shadows suggests the presence of massive monoliths such as those in Monument Valley, Arizona, as well as the silent introspection in people who observe the overwhelming sight. The color palette for the three movements proceeds from yellow to orange to red to purple, reflecting not only the colors of desert stone but also the times of day. (program note by the composer) Elegy for Wind Ensemble.  I held my open hand out into the fading sun. It warmed my palm and in its glow I could make out the ridges and valleys of my fingertips. I wanted to take this last piece of day with me, so I closed my hand around it. But as soon as I did my palm was left cool and dark. Such is my experience with Elegy. I open myself up to the music and I can feel it. The sounds convey some sorrowful message, but as I begin translating the feelings into words, the message flees and I’m once again left empty-handed. Elegy is a work of mournful lyricism, but what it means beyond that I cannot say. It conveys lamentation in abstraction: we know that we yearn and we know that we miss, but we don’t know why or who.  (program note by the composer) Como Canons.  I am fortunate in my life to have lived in so many places. I have lived in several of the largest cities in the United States, including New York City, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. I always had difficulty writing in cities, and Montana is where I came to find solace and rest amidst my busy life. As time has passed, I realize the more I travel away from Montana, the further I am from the place that has inspired so many of my compositions. The majority of my music has either been written in Montana or about Montana. It is also where I met David Maslanka, who had such a profound influence on my life both musically and personally. This work is named after Lake Como, a lake in the middle of the mountains in Montana’s Bitterroot Valley. The Como peaks are recognizable from a distance as the “three sisters,” three adjacent mountain peaks forming a sort of crown. The canons in the piece were inspired by the overwhelming sound of birds in the spring of 2020. At the end of the day, Montana is where I come to commune with the gods of music. They are in the birds of the air, the open sky, the snow-covered mountains, and the amazing sunsets over the canyons. It was the place I came to get away, and now it goes by another name: home.  (program note by the composer) Biographies 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. 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, 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, Lamb plays in the Redbud Brass Quintet, the UCO Faculty Brass Quintet. 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 22-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. Danny Hansen writes music that… … and displays a command of… … but he can’t do 3rd person. I do my best every time I sit down to write. Sometimes the day’s efforts make it into the final score, and sometimes I must simply content myself with the knowledge that tomorrow’s attempts are a short time away. My favorite composers are the great big famous ones we all know and love: Bach, Brahms, and Mozart, to name a few. The modern composers I enjoy include John Adams (particularly his “maximalist” works), Hans Abrahamsen (I’m jealous of his Schumann arrangements for wind quintet), and Ligeti (of course). I grew up playing guitar in rock bands and tuba in wind bands. My favorite ear training exercise has been my involvement in choirs. And although I started piano at 18 or 19, I’ve learned the most about how music is built while sitting at this magnificent instrument. When I’m not working on music or learning Squarespace fundamentals, I’m training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu or playing with Dog Pickles, who is a dog. … and in case you’re interested: Education: Ph.D in Music Composition - Eastman School of Music (2023) M.M. in Music Composition - Indiana University (2015) ·         B.M. in Music Composition - Western Washington University (2011) Wynton Marsalis is a world-renowned trumpeter, bandleader, composer, and a leading advocate of American culture. He presently serves as Managing and Artistic Director of Jazz at Lincoln Center, the Director of Jazz Studies at The Juilliard School, and President of the Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation. Marsalis has been called the “Pied Piper” of jazz and the “Doctor of Swing.” Since his recording debut in 1982, he has released 127 jazz, classical and alternative recordings and won many awards, from a home cooked meal to honors that require a tuxedo. He regularly performs in the most prestigious concert halls and is known to play until all hours of the morning in the most inconspicuous local clubs. From the very beginning of his career, education has been vital to his mission. He has taught and mentored a voluminous number of musicians who have gone on to play, teach and advocate in their own brilliant ways. Through these relationships Marsalis has ensured that the legacy of jazz music will continue to propagate for generations to come. Over the past four decades, Marsalis has rekindled and animated widespread international interest in jazz through performances, educational activities, books, curricula, and relentless advocacy on public platforms. Today, Marsalis continues the renaissance that he sparked in the early 1980s, attracting new generations of young talent to jazz and illuminating the mythic meanings of jazz fundamentals. Marsalis performs and composes across the entire spectrum of jazz and has written jazz-influenced chamber music and symphonic works for revered classical ensembles across the US and abroad. He is inspired to experiment in an ever-widening palette of forms and concepts that constitute some of the most advanced thinking in modern jazz and in American music on the broad scale. Wynton Marsalis’ core beliefs are based on jazz fundamentals: freedom and individual creativity (improvisation), collective action and good manners (swing), as well as acceptance, gratitude and resilience (the blues). Marsalis believes that music has the power to elevate our quality of life and lead us to both higher and lower levels of consciousness. He maintains that music can elevate the quality of human engagement for individuals, social networks and cultural institutions throughout the world. (bio from wyntonmarsalis.org) Stephen Michael Gryc is Professor Emeritus at the University of Hartford’s Hartt School where he has served on the faculty since 1980. He received his professional training at the University of Michigan where he earned four degrees in music, including the degree of Doctor of Musical Arts. His composition teachers included William Albright, Leslie Bassett and William Bolcom, and he performed as a trombonist in the university bands under legendary conductors William Revelli and George Cavender. He has received grants and fellowships from the ASCAP Foundation, the Connecticut Commission on the Arts, the MacDowell Colony, the Charles Ives Center for American Music, Meet The Composer, the Ucross Foundation, and the University of Hartford. His many awards include the 1986 Rudolf Nissim Prize for orchestral music from the ASCAP Foundation. His works have been performed throughout North and South America, Europe, Asia and Australia. Gryc’s compositions for bands and wind ensembles have been performed throughout the United States by such ensembles as the United States Marine Band, the Eastman Wind Ensemble and many other university and college bands from the Florida State University to the University of Alaska. His band music has been recorded by the University of New Mexico Wind Symphony, the Hartt Wind Ensemble, and the University of North Texas Wind Symphony. Philip Smith and Joseph Alessi, trumpet and trombone principals of the New York Philharmonic, are featured on recordings that include works that Gryc composed for them, Evensong for trumpet and wind ensemble and Passaggi for trombone and wind ensemble. (bio from windrep.org)