Belmont University School of Music presents
Concert Band Dr. George Shannon II, conductor
Belmont University School of Music
Overture in B-flat
Caesar Giovannini (1925-2017) arr. by Wayne Robinson
Forget Me Not, O Dearest Lord
J. S. Bach (1685-1750) arr. by Alfred Reed
Mosaic
Stephen Paulus (1949-2014)
Give Us This Day: Short Symphony for Wind Ensemble II. Very Fast
David Maslanka (1943-2017)
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2025 6:00 PM
MCAFEE CONCERT HALL
Program Notes Overture in B-Flat (1966): Caesar Giovannini (1925–2017), who served as a piano soloist in the Navy Band and studied at the Chicago Conservatory of Music, transitioned into a successful staff pianist role at NBC before finding his niche in film and television composition in Los Angeles. His exposure to military band music proved to be incredibly inspiring, leading him to pen dynamic works for the wind band medium, of which Overture in B-Flat remains his most celebrated. Scored by Wayne Robinson, this piece is a vigorous and driving example of contemporary band repertoire that immediately captures the listener's attention with energetic brass fanfares juxtaposed with lyrical, legato woodwind passages—a compositional technique he was noted for. Giovannini masterfully develops his material using quartal harmony—the stacking of notes in intervals of a fourth—which creates an exciting harmonic tension and release that gives the work its distinctive, biting flavor and culminates in a celebratory close. Forget Me Not, O Dearest Lord (1736/1985): The melody, Vergiss Mein Nicht (Forget Me Not), stems from an interesting chapter in Bach’s life as the director musices in Leipzig. It first appeared in 1736 in a volume of sacred songs, the Schemelli Gesangbuch, which was intended not for the rigorous, four-part congregational singing of the church but for private devotion and family reflection. Consequently, Bach’s setting—which he referred to as an aria—features an exceptionally warm, lyrical, and flowing melodic line, a testament to his prowess as a Lied (song) composer. We often think of Bach primarily as a master of counterpoint, but this piece reminds us that his work includes these moments of singular melodic beauty, which can rightly be compared to the great art songs written a generation later by composers like Schubert. It’s an elegant example of the profound personal faith that informed Bach's vast musical heritage.
Mosaic (2004): Mosaic functions as a vibrant sonic metaphor for the concept of community, much like the art form it's named after, where individual, distinct components are unified into a cohesive picture. As the composer himself noted, "Mosaic is a work of many facets and layers. I have put it together much the same way that a muralist would make a mosaic out of little pieces of ceramic tiles." Listeners will observe how small musical ideas are introduced, fragmented, and then interwoven—a jigsaw puzzle of sound—using varied meters, which Paulus described as creating "different sizes of musical bits." This approach requires exceptional collaboration from our musicians, where individual voices, including percussion, are strategically brought in to "color the mural," adding their unique "personality to the mix." The work is intended to represent "a contemporary picture of our world—vast mixes of people of all colors, backgrounds and experiences—who we might find living in any part of the world." Enjoy the dynamic interplay and the ultimate beauty achieved through this celebration of distinctness within unity. Give Us This Day (2007): Give Us This Day is a symphonic work, comprising two movements, thus having the subtitle “Short Symphony for Wind Ensemble.” The piece has become a staple in wind band literature, and blends Maslanka’s unique compositional style of advanced writing and the incorporation of a Bach chorale. He writes these words: The words "give us this day" are, of course, from the Lord's Prayer, but the inspiration for this music is Buddhist. I have recently read a book by the Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh (pronounced "Tick Not Hahn") entitled For a Future to be Possible. His premise is that a future for the planet is only possible if individuals become deeply mindful of themselves, deeply connected to who they really are. While this is not a new idea, and something that is an ongoing struggle for everyone, in my estimation it is the issue for world peace. For me, writing music, and working with people to perform music, are two of those points of deep mindfulness.
Music makes the connection to reality, and by reality I mean a true awakeness and awareness. "Give Us This Day" gives us this very moment of awakeness and aware aliveness so that we can build a future in the face of a most dangerous and difficult time. I chose the subtitle "Short Symphony for Wind Ensemble" because the music really isn't programmatic in nature. It has a full-blown symphonic character, even though there are only two movements. The music of the slower first movement is deeply searching, while that of the highly energized second movement is at times both joyful and sternly sober. The piece ends with a modal setting of the chorale melody Vater Unser in Himmelreich ("Our Father in Heaven"), #110 from the 371 Four-Part Chorales by J.S. Bach. Program Notes by Dr. George Shannon II, School of Music Faculty
Personnel Flute Emma Berridge
Classical Performance
Richmond, VA
Camilla Clark
Music Business
Minneapolis, MN
Ashley Feely
Biology
Wayland, NY
Barbara Hogue
Audio Engineering Technology
Valley Stream, NY
Paige Marlow
Music Education and Music Theory
Nashville, TN
Joseph Ramirez
Music Business
Tucson, AZ
Lola Virelli*
Elementary Education | Music Minor
Batavia, IL
Briana Crowder
Music Business
Glasgow, KY
Will Fedak*
Classical Performance
Atlanta, GA
Ian Burns*
Finance | Music Minor
Northbrook, IL
Brooklyn Smith
Music Education
Pulaski, TN
Emily Bonham
Audio Engineering Technology
Magnolia, TX
Morgan Franklin
Music with an Outside Minor
Smyrna, TN
Oboe
Bassoon
Clarinet
Addison Patrick*
Undeclared
Branson, MO
Trinity Whitaker
Audio Engineering Technology
Swannanoa, NC
Coltrane Frenton*
Audio Engineering Technology
San Mateo, CA
Alayna Lepore
Music Education
Skanee, MI
Joseph Aey
Music Technology
Youngstown, OH
Conner Burchwell
Music Education
Nashville, TN
Evan Gorsline
Music Business
Mt. Juliet, TN
Annelise Pérez
Social Entrepreneurship
Chattanooga, TN
Shane Taylor
Commercial Music
Portsmouth, RI
Magdalena Turner*
Audio Engineering Technology | Mathematics/Studio Art Minor
Lititz, PA
Whitney Gabriel
Music Education
Batavia, IL
Megan Gretz
Music Education
Charlotte, NC
David Hofmiller
Audio Engineering Technology
Clarksville, TN
Katie Kirstenpfad
Marketing
Chino Hills, CA
Ainsley Mahoney*
Music Education
Stanford, IL
Logan Abramo
Audio Engineering Technology
Annapolis, MD
Livi Crawford*
Music Therapy
Chula Vista, CA
Joanna Bello
Audio Engineering Technology
Seaford, NY
John Berns*
Music Education
Oconee, IL
Evan Boling
Biology
Nashville, TN
Zachariah Govan
Classical Performance
Parkland, FL
Jackson Karlovsky
Architecture
Fox River Grove, GA
Evan Pinkston
Music Education
Nolensville, TN
Ayvah Steveson
Composition
Franklin, TN
Jack Winn
Music Therapy
Orlando, FL
Bass Clarinet
Alto Saxophone
Tenor Saxophone
Baritone Saxophone
Trumpet
French Horn Eva Christmann*
Neuroscience
Cleveland, TN
Kevin Randles
Music Business
Chicago, IL
Valerie Zillgitt
Film and Television Writing
Muskego, WI
Jordan Nguyen*
Music Education
Nashville, TN
Knyah Mattison
Music Business
O’Fallon, IL
Elementary Education
Irvine, CA
Andrew Itzla
Music Education
Briarcliff Manor, NY
Lincoln Karlovsky*
Data Science
Fox River Grove, IL
Harper Benjamin
Commercial Music
Valparaiso, IN
Savannah Cummings
Music Business
Ashby, MA
Isaiah Haynes
Applied Mathematics
Nashville, TN
Jayce Howard
Computer Science
Detroit, MI
Presley Kane
Music Business
New Lenox, IL
Jai Morton-Cox
Biology
Nashville, TN
Bryce Rosenbery
Classical Performance | English Minor
Las Vegas, NV
Karissa Szarek*
Music Ecuation
Mt. Juliet, TN
Trombone
Euphonium Katie Funk
Tuba
Percussion
*denotes principal
Upcoming Concerts and Events Wind Ensemble Wednesday, Novebmer 19, 7:30 p.m. McAfee Concert Hall Saxophone Masterclass and Performance: Alex Hahn Friday, November 21, 9:00 a.m. Harton Recital Hall Camerata Monday, November 24, 7:30 p.m. McAfee Concert Hall Faculty Brass Monday, December 1, 7:30 p.m. McAfee Concert Hall Graduate Hooding & Reception Friday, December 12, 12:00 p.m. McAfee Concert Hall Carillon Concert Wednesday, December 24, 1:00 p.m. Bell Tower
For more information on upcoming concerts and events, please visit www.belmont.edu/cmpa or “like” Belmont University School of Music on Facebook.