Wind Symphont Gentri 11-08-24

For Heroes Proved: A Veterans Day Celebration with Special Guest GENTRI Shawn Smith, conductor

7:30 PM | NOVEMBER 8, 2024 | CONCERT HALL | MUSIC BUILDING

PROGRAM

The Star-Spangled Banner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FRANCIS SCOTT KEY AND JOHN STAFFORD SMITH 1779–1843; 1750–1836

Let Freedom Ring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . RYAN NOWLAND b. 1978

Patriotic Medley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ARR. STEPHEN NELSON, ORCH. CARL HAMMER Featuring GENTRI

American Salute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MORTON GOULD 1913–1996

In a Blaze . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ARR. STEPHEN NELSON, ORCH. CARL HAMMER Featuring GENTRI

Hymn to the Fallen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . JOHN WILLIAMS b. 1932

Danny Boy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . TRADITIONAL ARR. STEPHEN NELSON, ORCH. CARL HAMMER

Featuring GENTRI

Armed Forces Medley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ARR. JIM KESSLER

PROGRAM

Mayor Michelle Kaufusi, guest speaker America the Beautiful . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . KATHARINE LEE BATES AND SAMUEL A. WARD

1859–1929; 1848–1903

ARR. CARMEN DRAGON

A Million Dreams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BENJ PASEK AND JUSTIN PAUL b. 1985; b. 1985

ARR. STEPHEN NELSON, ORCH. CARL HAMMER

Featuring GENTRI

God of Our Fathers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . DANIEL C. ROBERTS AND GEORGE W. WARREN 1841–1907, 1828–1902

ARR. CLAUDE T. SMITH

The Stars and Stripes Forever . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . JOHN PHILIP SOUSA 1854–1932

WIND SYMPHONY PERSONNEL

Piccolo Hailey Dalton

Bass Clarinet Amber Christiansen

Flute Madison Franklin* Mickayla Hunter^ Abi Rasmussen Daniel Woodfield

Contrabass Clarinet Melissa Coulter

Oboe Rachel Johnson* Hailey Wilkerson

Alto Sax Nathan McCarthy Joshua Olson* Tenor Sax Jonathan Asay

English Horn Camdyn Bentley

Bari Sax Ethan Petersen

Bassoon Blake Lind* Zach Smith

Trumpet Alec Clark*^ Brett Duerden Tommy Eskelsen Carter Glass Lola Heninger Wyatt Stevens

Contrabassoon Maggie McHenry Eb Clarinet Seth Rugg Clarinet Reuben Allan* Hyrum Buck Carly Conner Matthew Johnson Dallin Jorgensen Spencer Quantz

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

ABOUT

OUR GUEST ARTIST

GENTRI, which is short for “The Gentlemen Trio,” was established in June 2014 and is composed of three dynamic tenors: Brad Robins, Casey Elliott, and Bradley Quinn Lever.

The fourth member of the group is the award-winning composer, arranger, and producer Stephen Nelson.

To date, GENTRI has released four EPs and four full-length albums, the most recent being Hymns II, GENTRI’s second album to feature spiritual and inspirational music. Nearly all of GENTRI’s albums have reached #1 on various Billboard charts. The Gents are also known for their award-winning music videos, which have been featured on news outlets around the world, including ABC World News, NBC Nightly News, and Inside Edition. Their music videos have amassed over 400 million views online.

GENTRI has performed all over the United States and across the globe. They have shared the stage with world-renowned talent, including Tony Award–winning powerhouse Kristin Chenoweth, international tenor sensation Alfie Boe, Tony Award–winning vocalist Idina Menzel, and legendary rock bands Journey, Blondie, and OneRepublic.

ABOUT

OUR GUEST SPEAKER Michelle Kaufusi is a Provo girl through and through: born and raised, graduated from Brigham Young University, always actively involved in community service—and eventually making history as Provo’s first female mayor.

Honored as Utah’s 2019 Informed Decision Maker of the Year and the 2022 Utah Valley Chamber Champion, Mayor Kaufusi continues her regional leadership with appointed positions as the chair of the Utah County Metropolitan Planning Organization and MPO Finance Committee; former president of the Utah League of Cities and Towns; chair of Utah Municipal Power Agency; chair of the newly established Utah Lake Authority; vice chair of Utah County Council of Governments; and vice chair of the Utah Water Quality Board. She is a busy lady!

Mayor Kaufusi’s leadership has also translated to national accolades for Provo City, most notably being honored by the distinguished Milken Institute as the nation’s BestPerforming City for an unprecedented three consecutive years, from 2021 to 2023.

As the fourth largest city in Utah, Provo is clearly “hitting above its weight” with distinctions such as the #2 Safest Big City in the U.S. (2021), #2 Happiest City in America (2022), #2 Hottest Job Market in America (2022), #3 Most Neighborly City in the U.S. (2022), and #1 City for Worker Satisfaction (2023).

OUR 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, Tony-nominated Broadway and television star Derek Klena, and “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band.

Equally at home with opera and musical theatre productions, Smith has conducted pit orchestras for The Marriage of Figaro and a 6-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.

ABOUT

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.

OUR NARRATOR The compositions of ANDREW MAXFIELD—hailed as “rhythmically vital … superbly judged … [and] tender” by Fanfare Magazine—have been performed throughout the U.S. and Europe. A recent winner of the King’s Singer’s New Music Prize (Jury Special Commendation), Andrew has been a Composer Fellow of the National Collegiate Choral Organization and Composer in Residence for Newburyport Choral Society, Southern Virginia University, and Sound of Ages.

Ensembles which have performed Andrew’s music recently include Utah Symphony, Utah Opera, The Choir of Royal Holloway, The Gesualdo Six, USC Thornton Chamber Singers, Emporia Symphony Orchestra, Carroll University Symphonic Band and Choir, Wingate University Singers, Salt Lake Symphony, Utah Philharmonic, The Piedmont Singers, University of Pennsylvania Chamber Choir, and Choral Arts Initiative.

Recent commissions include Barlow Endowment for Music Composition, Center for Latterday Saint Arts in New York City, and a concert-length score for SALT Contemporary Dance, showcased at Lincoln Center. His album, Celebrating Wendell Berry in Music, was released

by Tantara Records and his “well-crafted, approachable” works (George Case, The Boston Cecilia) are published by Walton, Santa Barbara, and Yalecrest.

Andrew learned his craft at BYU, the EAMA–Nadia Boulanger Institute in Paris, Boston Conservatory at Berklee, and the University of Bristol (UK), via mentorship with Philip Lasser (Juilliard), John Pickard, Jonathan Bailey Holland, and Marti Epstein. He also holds an MBA in Arts Administration from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

ABOUT

Andrew lives with his wife Liz Davis Maxfield—a professional cellist, expert in Irish traditional music, and rock climber—and their two handsome, high-octane boys (plus a hyper puppy) just downhill from Sundance in Provo, Utah.

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 offer 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.

Special Thanks

Airforce ROTC Detachment 855 Color Guard Lyndsay Keith, Narration Script Writer and Guest Artist Coordinator Provo Mayor Michelle Kaufusi BYU School of Music BYU College of Fine Arts and Communications

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