War and Peace
Shawn Smith, conductor Diane Reich, soprano
7:30 PM | OCT. 10, 2025 | CONCERT HALL | MUSIC BUILDING
The Planets
I . Mars, the Bringer of War
II . Venus, the Bringer of Peace
Um Mitternacht
Diane Reich, soprano
Symphony No. 1: In Memoriam, Dresden, Germany, 1945
I Prologue
II . Seeds in the Wind
III . Ave Maria
IV . Fire Storm
Sleep
— INTERMISSION —
GUSTAV HOLST 1874–1934
Trans Patterson
GUSTAV MAHLER 1860–1911
DANIEL BUKVICH
b 1954
ERIC WHITACRE
b . 1970
Music for Prague 1968 KAREL HUSA 1921–2016
I Introduction and Fanfare
II Aria
III Interlude
IV Toccata and Chorale
PERSONNEL ROSTER FALL 2025
Shawn Smith, director
Piccolo
Kalina Rencher
Flute
Rebekah Fife
Madison Franklin*^
Camille Hunsaker
Mickayla Hunter^
Daniel Woodfield
Oboe
Hailey Wilkerson
Marisa Wride*
English Horn
Caroline Seamons
Bassoon
Madi Sarahs
Zach Smith *
Contrabassoon
Cade Singleton
E-flat Clarinet
Seth Rugg
Clarinet
Reuben Allan*
Hyehyun Pak
Eliza Palmer
Rachel Pearson
Melissa Wilson
Jordan Yardley
Bass Clarinet
Melissa Coulter
Ben Eubanks
Contrabass Clarinet
Amber Christiansen
Alto Saxophone
Jonathan Crane*
Eli Thomas
Tenor Saxophone
Jeff Sass
Baritone Saxophone
Hamish Reeves
Trumpet
Carter Glass
Ila Goodrich
Casey Harris
Katie Myers
Caden Randolph
Abe Smith*
Horn
Kanani Annandale
Eric Coons
Spencer Landen*
Kirstyn Miller
Chase Tovey
Trombone
Aneisha Booth*
Elisia Hellwig
Daniel Spencer
Bass Trombone
Peter Merrill
Euphonium
Madeline Chadburn*^
Luke Lehmuller
Tuba
Emma Hogge*
Julianna Thomas
Percussion
Sean Caviness
Connor Chase
Eli Gordon
Ben Smith*
Alex Wolfersberger
String Bass
Neal Baird
Piano Timothy McKay
Harp Annalise Drewes
*Principal
^Graduate Student
Program Notes
The Planets, Gustav Holst
Among the most widely performed works in the orchestral repertoire, Holst’s The Planets began its life as Seven Pieces for Large Orchestra . The work reflects Holst’s interest in astrology rather than astronomy, assigning human characteristics to each of the planetary movements . In keeping with tonight’s theme, we perform the first two movements of the suite . “Mars, the Bringer of War” is a tense, ominous movement with an uncomfortable twist—it marches forward with five beats in each measure rather than the two or four beats per measure in a traditional march . Listen for foreshadowing of the future soundtrack to Star Wars, as John Williams took inspiration from this particular movement .
In complete contrast to the first movement, “Venus, the Bringer of Peace” is serene, tranquil, and shows influence of the music of Debussy . Featuring a solo French horn and floating woodwind chords, the work very effectively calms the spirit, serving as a fitting counterbalance to the aggressiveness of Mars .
Um Mitternacht, Gustav Mahler
One of five songs contained in Mahler’s Rückert-Lieder, “Um Mitternacht” is the only song in the set scored for orchestral winds without strings . In fact, it is Mahler’s only contribution to the wind repertoire .
“Um Mitternacht” (At Midnight) recounts the poet’s battle with darkness in both its literal and figurative sense . Three central instrumental motives are introduced in the opening bars and form the foundation for much of the song: a three-note dotted figure in the clarinets; a rising and falling dotted figure in the flute; and an even descending scale in the horns, mirrored by an ascending scale in the voice . Each of the first four stanzas
weaves these motives in different contexts, representing the poet’s feeling of helplessness and hopelessness . The fifth and final stanza moves from despair to hope, both musically and in the text, as the poet places his life and worries into the Lord’s hands, leading to a triumphant conclusion .
A translation of Rückert’s poetry follows:
At midnight, I was roused and looked up to the heavens; No star in the entire sky smiled down upon me at midnight.
At midnight, I cast my thoughts out beyond the dark limits. No vision of light brought me solace at midnight.
At midnight, I was rapt to the beats of my heart;
One single pulse of pain welled up at midnight.
At midnight, I fought the battle, of your passion, oh humankind; I could not resolve it with my strength at midnight.
At midnight, I commended my strength into your hands! Lord, over death and life you keep watch at midnight!
Symphony No. 1: In Memoriam, Dresden, Germany, 1945, Daniel Bukvich
On the night of February 13, 1945, Allied forces fire-bombed the undefended German city of Dresden . Swollen by the flow of refugees fleeing the advancing Russian Army to almost twice its normal population, the “Fire Storm” killed approximately 150,000 men, women and children .
Movement I, “Prologue”: This movement establishes the mood of impending disaster and presents the thematic material upon which the rest of the piece is based .
Movement II, “Seeds in the Wind”: The title of this movement refers to the method of “seeding” the bomb target with jellied gasoline and incendiaries . The movement portrays the fury of the bombing attack .
Movement III, “Ave Maria”: The material in this movement reflects upon the religious and artistic heritage of Dresden and becomes a prayer for the victims of the attack .
Movement IV, “Fire Storm”: In this movement, the sounds of the “Fire Storm” are recreated . Musically, the last movement serves as a resolution to the tension built up in the previous three movements .
Sleep, Eric Whitacre
Originally an a cappella choral piece with lyrics by Charles Anthony Silvestri, Sleep features a lush, expansive sound and a theme of peaceful surrender to sleep and dreams . The work was initially set to poet Robert Frost’s “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening,” but was later paired with a newly composed poem by Silvestri after the Frost estate refused permission . Whitacre featured the piece in one of his “virtual choir” videos, which has been viewed nearly three million times on YouTube . He later transcribed the work for a variety of ensembles, including the version for band that you hear tonight .
Music for Prague 1968, Karel Husa
In 1968, Czechoslovakia began to relax Communist economic policies and lift restrictions on media, speech, and travel . The Soviets denounced this “Prague Spring” and, after several failed attempts at negotiation, sent Eastern Bloc armies to invade the country . Composer Karel Husa heard about the invasion while on vacation at his summer cottage in upstate New York . The professor of music at Cornell University and Czech expatriate resolved to write a new composition for band that would honor the beauty of his native city, Prague, but also express the tragedy of the occupation . He based his Music for Prague 1968, which has been called one of the most important original compositions for band, entirely on a 15th-century Hussite war
song, “Ye Warriors of God and His Law,” which Husa called “a symbol of resistance and hope for hundreds of years, whenever fate lay heavy on the Czech nation . ”
It is not as beautiful a music as one always would like to hear. But we cannot always paint flowers, we cannot always speak in poetry about beautiful clouds, there are sometimes we would like to express the fight for freedom.
-Karel Husa
It is the composer’s wish that the following foreword be printed in its entirety in all concert programs of each performance of Music for Prague 1968:
Three main ideas bind the composition together . The first and most important is an old Hussite war song from the 15th century, Ye Warriors of God and His Law, a symbol of resistance and hope for hundreds of years, whenever fate lay heavy on the Czech nation . It has been utilized also by many Czech composers, including Smetana in My Country . The beginning of this religious song is announced very softly in the first movement by the timpani and concludes in a strong unison (Chorale) . The song is never used in its entirety .
The second idea is the sound of bells throughout, Prague, named also the City of “Hundreds of Towers,” has used its magnificently sounding church bells as calls of distress as well as of victory . The last idea is a motif of three chords first appearing very softly under the piccolo solo at the beginning of the piece, in flutes, clarinets and horns . Later it reappears at extremely strong dynamic levels, for example, in the middle of the Aria .
Different techniques of composing as well as orchestrating have been used in Music for Prague 1968 and some new sounds explored, such as the percussion section in the Interlude, the ending of the work, etc . Much symbolism also appears: in addition to the distress calls in the first movement (Fanfares), the unbroken hope of the Hussite song, sound of bells, or the
tragedy (Aria), there is also the bird call at the beginning (piccolo solo), a symbol of the liberty which the City of Prague has seen only for moments during its thousand years of existence .
Biographies
Our Soloist
Diane Thueson Reich, soprano, is a professor of voice at Brigham Young University . She currently serves as the dean of the College of Fine Arts and Communications and previously served as the director of the School of Music . She has previously taught and been the director of opera at Central Washington University . Diane has earned doctoral and master’s degrees from Indiana University . At home in the concert hall or on the opera stage, she has appeared in major operatic roles such as Marguerite in Faust, Anne Trulove in The Rake’s Progress, the title role in Strauss’s Arabella, Nanetta in Falstaff, Rosina in The Ghosts of Versailles, Mimì in La bohème, Pamina in Die Zauberflöte, Valenncienne in The Merry Widow, Mother in Amahl and the Night Visitors, and Antonia in The Tales of Hoffman . Diane has performed with professional opera and theater companies, including the Utah Festival Opera Company, Opera West, Indiana University Opera Theater, Utah Lyric Opera, Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma City, and River City Players . She created the role of Rosamond in the world premiere of Michael Valenti’s opera, Beau Nash, performed with Portland Chamber Orchestra .
Diane has been a guest artist with Icicle Creek Music Festival, Third Angle Ensemble in Portland, Oregon . She also appeared with the Yakima and Walla Walla Symphonies, the Indianapolis Symphony, the Utah Chamber Orchestra, Indiana University Philharmonic, and Indiana State and Utah State University orchestras, as well as soloed in the northwest premiere of George Crumb’s Star Child in Seattle’s Benaroya Hall . She was a featured soloist with Vietnam National Opera and Ballet Company in Hanoi and a guest soloist with the St . Petersburg Chamber Philharmonic in Russia, and she has sung several
concerts throughout Vietnam, China, Germany, and Austria . She has been an artist-in-residence at the Conservatorio Statale di Musica in Pescara, Italy, and the National University of Arts Education in Hanoi, Vietnam . Diane is a multiple Metropolitan Opera Audition winner in both the Utah and Indiana Districts, and she won first place in the Vera Scammon International S .O .S . Voice Competition . She has been the recipient of numerous scholarship and academic awards as well . Diane’s research endeavors have led her to be a leading authority on the vocal music of contemporary composer Henry Mollicone . Reich’s students have gone on to prestigious graduate programs such as Indiana University, New England Conservatory, University of Houston, Florida State University, Arizona State University, Cleveland Institute of Music, and University of Missouri–Kansas City . Her students have also been accepted to participate in training programs and festivals throughout the world .
About the Conductor
Shawn Smith serves as the director of the Brigham Young University School of Music, as well as professor of conducting and director of Bands . Prior to his appointment at BYU, he spent sixteen years as director of bands at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and Texas A&M–Corpus Christi .
Smith holds a doctor of musical arts degree in instrumental conducting from Arizona State University, and master of music and bachelor of music education degrees from Louisiana State University and Boise State University, respectively .
In high demand as a band and orchestra conductor, clinician, and adjudicator, Smith has been invited to conduct professional and educational ensembles throughout the United States, South America, Central America, and Europe, including concerts with world-renowned trombonist Joseph Alessi, Grammy Award–winning chamber ensemble Eighth Blackbird, Tony-nominated Broadway and television star Derek Klena, “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band, and the United States Air Force Band .
Equally at home with opera and musical theater productions, Smith has conducted pit orchestras for The Marriage of Figaro and a six-week run of Les Misérables . His performances have been heard numerous times on American Public Media’s Performance Today, the most popular classical music radio program in the United States . In 2015 Smith was awarded second place for the American Prize in Conducting— Professional Band Division .
In the area of research, Smith has been published in the Journal of the World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles and in Alta Musica, and he has presented his research at national and international conferences in the United States, Europe, and South America . Smith has also presented
numerous educational clinics, workshops, and speeches, most notably at the International Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic in Chicago, Illinois, and at state music conferences throughout the United States .
As a public school teacher, Smith served as director of bands and orchestra at one of the largest high schools in Idaho, where he administered a very successful comprehensive instrumental music program .
An accomplished trumpeter, Smith has performed with the Corpus Christi Symphony (Texas), the Boise Philharmonic Orchestra (Idaho), the Acadiana Symphony (Louisiana), Keith Brion’s New Sousa Band, and the Temptations .
During his tenure as director of bands at Texas A&M–Corpus Christi, Smith received the Texas A&M System Teaching Excellence Award twice . Smith holds honorary memberships in Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, Sigma Alpha Iota, and Kappa Kappa Psi . He also holds memberships in the Utah Music Educators Association, the National Band Association, the College Band Directors National Association, and the World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles .
About the BYU Wind Symphony
The finest woodwind, brass, and percussion players at Brigham Young University perform with the Wind Symphony, under the direction of Shawn Smith . The BYU Wind Symphony maintains an active performance schedule with programming that ranges from wind band classics to some of the newest wind repertoire . Participation in commissioning consortiums and hosting composers and guest conductors on campus offers ensemble members wonderful musical experiences .
The BYU Wind Symphony has performed with world-renowned artists including New York Philharmonic principal trombonist Joseph Alessi, Grammy Award–winning chamber ensemble Eighth Blackbird, Tony-nominated Broadway and television star Derek Klena, and the popular vocal trio Gentri . The ensemble has been honored with invitations to perform at national and division conferences of the College Band Directors National Association, the American Bandmasters Association National Conference, and the international conference of the World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles .
As BYU’s premier wind band, the ensemble has performed throughout the United States and in over twenty countries, including China, Japan, South Korea, Mongolia, Australia, New Zealand, and many European countries . Recent concert tours include Australia (May 2018), Texas (May 2019), Spain/ Portugal (May 2023), South Korea (July 2024), and Brazil (May 2026) . Their latest album, Latin Dances, was released in 2024 and is available on all streaming services .
