Wind Symphony 10-19-24

Myths and Legends The Lord of the Rings with Shawn Smith, conductor Christina Castellanos, flute

7:30 PM | OCTOBER 19, 2024 | CONCERT HALL | MUSIC BUILDING

PROGRAM

Slava! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . LEONARD BERNSTEIN 1918–1990

Euterpe: Concertino for Flute and Band . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FERRER FERRAN b. 1966

Christina Castellanos, flute

Symphony No. 1: The Lord of the Rings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . JOHAN DE MEIJ I. Gandalf (The Wizard) II. Lothlórien (The Elvenwood) III. Gollum (Sméagol) IV. Journey in the Dark 1. The Mines of Moria 2. The Bridge of Khazad-Dûm V. Hobbits

b. 1953

PROGRAM NOTES

Slava! | Leonard Bernstein

When Mstislav Rostropovich (“Slava” to his friends) invited Leonard Bernstein to help him launch his inaugural concert as music director of the National Symphony Orchestra, he also asked him to write a rousing new opening piece for the festivities. This overture is the result, and the world premiere took place on October 11, 1977, with Rostropovich conducting his orchestra at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC. The first theme of Slava! is a vaudevillian razzmatazz tune filled with side-slipping modulations and sliding trombones. Theme two is a canonic tune in 7/8 time. A very brief kind of development section follows, after which the two themes recur in reverse order. Near the end they are combined with a quotation (proclaimed by the ubiquitous trombones) from the “Coronation Scene” of Mussorgsky’s Boris Goudonov, where the chorus sings the Russian word “Slava!,” meaning “glory!” In this way, of course, the composer is paying an extra four-bar homage to his friend Slava Rostropovich, to whom this overture is fondly dedicated.

Euterpe: Concertino for Flute and Wind Band | Ferrer Ferran

In Greek mythology, the Muses are the nine goddesses who inspired literature, science and the arts. Euterpe is the Muse of Music and known as the Giver of Delight and the protector of the art of flute playing. She is usually represented crowned with flowers and carrying a flute. In this Concertino for Flute and Band, the composer seeks to represent the Muse of Music, Euterpe, showing all her charms.

The Concertino is in one movement with three distinct sections. The first section has a joyful and playful character which is followed by a beautiful, slow and lyrical section with a feeling of wistfulness. The work concludes with an energetic and fun romp which allows our soloist to show off the technical capabilities of the flute.

Symphony No. 1: The Lord of the Rings | Johan de Meij

Dutch composer Johan de Meij’s first symphony, The Lord of the Rings, is based on the trilogy of the same name by J. R. R. Tolkien that has fascinated and inspired millions of readers since its publication in 1955.

Composed between 1984 and 1987, the symphony was awarded first prize in the 1989 Sudler International Wind Band Composition Competition in Chicago, and a year later the symphony was awarded by the Dutch Composers Fund. In 2001 the orchestral version was recorded by the London Symphony Orchestra. De Meij’s symphony consists of five separate movements, each illustrating a personage or an important episode from Tolkien’s masterpiece. The composer offers the following regarding this substantial work in the symphonic band repertoire: Although it is not simple to summarize Tolkien’s extensive and complex work, the main outline is as follows: the central theme is the Ring, made by primeval forces that decide the safety or destruction of the World. For years it was the possession of the creature Gollum, but when the Ring falls into the hands of the Hobbits, the evil forces awake and the struggle for the Ring commences. There is but one solution to save the World from disaster: the Ring must be destroyed by the fire in which it was forged: Mount Doom in the heart of Mordor, the country of the evil Lord Sauron. It is the Hobbit Frodo who is assigned to carry out this task, and to assist him a company, the Fellowship of the Ring, is formed under the leadership of Gandalf, the wizard. The companions are secretly followed by Gollum, who does not shun

PROGRAM NOTES any means, however perfidious, to recover his priceless Ring. However, the companions soon fall apart, and after many pernicious adventures and a surprising climax, Frodo and Sam can at last return to their familiar home, The Shire.

The symphony’s five movements are described as follows:

I. GANDALF (The Wizard)

The first movement is a musical portrait of the wizard Gandalf, one of the principal characters of the trilogy. His wise and noble personality is expressed by a stately motif which is used in a different form in movements IV and V. The sudden opening of the Allegro vivace is indicative of the unpredictability of the grey wizard, followed by a wild ride on his beautiful horse “Shadowfax.”

II. LOTHLÓRIEN (The Elvenwood)

The second movement is an impression of Lothlórien, the elvenwood with its beautiful trees, plants, exotic birds, expressed through woodwind solos. The meeting of the Hobbit Frodo with the Lady Galadriel is embodied in a charming Allegretto; in the Mirror of Galadriel, a silver basin in the wood, Frodo glimpses three visions, the last of which, a large ominous Eye, greatly upsets him.

III. GOLLUM (Sméagol)

The third movement describes the monstrous creature Gollum, a slimy, shy being represented by the soprano saxophone. It mumbles and talks to itself, hisses and lisps, whines and snickers, is alternately pitiful and malicious, is continually fleeing and looking for his cherished treasure, the Ring.

IV. JOURNEY IN THE DARK

The fourth movement describes the laborious journey of the Fellowship of the Ring, headed by the wizard Gandalf, through the dark tunnels of the Mines of Moria. The slow walking cadenza and the fear are clearly audible in the monotonous rhythm of the low brass, piano and percussion. After a wild pursuit by hostile creatures, the Orks, Gandalf is engaged in battle with a horrible monster, the Balrog, and crashes from the subterranean bridge of Khazad-Dûm in a fathomless abyss. To the melancholy tones of a Marcia funèbre, the bewildered Companions trudge on, looking for the only way out of the Mines, the East Gate of Moria.

V. HOBBITS

The fifth movement expresses the carefree and optimistic character of the Hobbits in a happy folk dance; the hymn that follows emanates the determination and noblesse of the hobbit folk.

The symphony does not end on an exuberant note, but is concluded peacefully and resigned, in keeping with the symbolic mood of the last chapter “The Grey Havens” in which Frodo and Gandalf sail away in a white ship and disappear slowly beyond the horizon.

WIND SYMPHONY PERSONNEL

Piccolo Hailey Dalton

Contrabass Clarinet Melissa Coulter

Flute Madison Franklin* Mickayla Hunter^ Abi Rasmussen Daniel Woodfield

Alto Sax Nathan McCarthy Joshua Olson*

Oboe Rachel Johnson* Hailey Wilkerson English Horn Camdyn Bentley Bassoon Blake Lind* Zach Smith Contrabassoon Maggie McHenry Eb Clarinet Seth Rugg Clarinet Reuben Allan* Hyrum Buck Carly Conner Matthew Johnson Dallin Jorgensen Spencer Quantz Bass Clarinet Amber Christiansen

Tenor Sax Jonathan Asay Bari Sax Ethan Petersen Trumpet Alec Clark*^ Brett Duerden Tommy Eskelsen Carter Glass Lola Heninger Wyatt Stevens Horn Eric Coons Aleah Dupree * Nathan Fenwick Kirstyn Miller Trombone Ezra Baldemar Peter Merrill (Bass) Kevin West Daniel White*

Euphonium Madeline Chadburn*^ Luke Lehmuller Tuba Emma Hogge* Hayden Thompson Percussion Thomas Biggs* Marshall Haight Zac Larsen Matthew Larson Ben Smith Ben Willis String Bass Dylan Evans Piano Faith Nixon Harp Jessica Peterson *Principal ^Graduate Student

BIOGRAPHIES

Our Soloist Christina Castellanos is the assistant professor of flute at Brigham Young University.

A proud native of Bountiful, Utah, Christina’s primary teacher was Nancy Toone, and she later received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees, graduating magna cum laude as the Outstanding Senior and summa cum laude as the Outstanding Graduate, with Dr. Richard Soule at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas while also serving as president of Sigma Alpha Iota and the Las Vegas Flute Club.

Since then, Christina has enjoyed a prosperous and diverse musical career. After becoming second flutist of the Las Vegas Philharmonic at the age of 22 and being later appointed to principal flutist, Christina quickly established herself as a top call freelance musician on the Las Vegas Strip, playing hundreds of shows over a six-year run of Phantom—The Las Vegas Spectacular, as well as backing countless headliners—most notably Plácido Domingo, Pavarotti, Frank Sinatra Jr., Andrea Bocelli, Harry Connick Jr., “Weird Al” Yankovic, and Seth MacFarlane. She has had the pleasure of playing under the direction of Itzhak Perlman and Michael Giacchino, and she has shared the stage with artists such as Sting, Ben Folds, Kristin Chenoweth, Renée Fleming, the Beach Boys, Arturo Sandoval, Il Divo, GENTRI, Kansas, the Who, and Journey.

Besides her duties as principal flutist of the Las Vegas Philharmonic, Christina can be heard as principal flutist of the Nevada Ballet Theatre and Salt Lake Symphony, as solo flutist of Sinfonia Salt Lake, and in very frequent performances with the Utah Symphony, Utah Opera, Ballet West Orchestra, Boise Philharmonic, Reno Philharmonic, Reno Chamber Orchestra, Orchestra at Temple Square for the Tabernacle Choir, the TAD Wind Symphony in Japan, and many off-Broadway musical productions.

While Christina enjoys immensely playing with orchestras and freelancing, one of her biggest passions is solo and chamber music work. As a soloist, not only has Christina performed many of the great “standard” classic pieces with bands and orchestras alike, but she works hard to contribute to building great flute repertoire through commissions such as Stacy Garrop’s Phoenix Rising, which she recently performed as a soloist at the National Flute Association Convention.

As an educator, Christina has served as adjunct professor of flute at the Snow College Horne School of Music and Utah Valley University, and assistant flute instructor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. As a clinician, Christina has been a guest artist at Utah State University, Salem Youth Symphony, Anna Maria College Music Institute, the Utah Flute Association, and the Blackbird Music Project in California, to name a few. Besides her studio teaching, Christina has published hundreds of instructional videos online for Musician’s Toolkit and Connect Through Music.

Christina has also continued to make community service a priority as past president of the Utah Flute Association and as a facilitator for the Jed Moss Collaborative Pianist Scholarship, endowed in perpetuity at the University of Utah.

BIOGRAPHIES When Christina isn’t teaching or performing, she enjoys spending time with her husband, Chris, co-owner and solo horn of Boston Brass, and their two beautiful children, Lily and Orion.

About the Conductor

Shawn Smith serves as professor of conducting and director of bands in the Brigham Young University School of Music. Prior to his appointment at BYU, he spent 16 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 and in Asia, South America, Central America, and Europe, including concerts with world-renowned trombonist Joseph Alessi, Grammy Award–winning chamber ensemble Eighth Blackbird, Tonynominated Broadway and television star Derek Klena, and “The President’s Own” United States Marine 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.

BIOGRAPHIES

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.

In addition to on-campus concerts, the ensemble has been honored with performances at the Music Educators National Conference and Convention; the College Band Directors Association, National and Division Conventions; and the American Bandmasters Association National Conference. The BYU Wind Symphony was recently honored with an invitation to perform at the 2024 International Conference of the World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles, held in South Korea.

As BYU’s premier wind band, the Wind Symphony has been presented in many of the United States and in over twenty countries—including China, Japan, South Korea, Mongolia, Australia, New Zealand, and many European countries.

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