02.19.24 Crane Wind Ensemble

Evening Concert Series Helen H. Hosmer Concert Hall

2023-2024 Season Monday, February 19, 2024 7:30 p.m.

The Crane Wind Ensemble State of the Art Brian K. Doyle, conductor Kimberly Sparr, viola

PROGRAM Luminance (2023)

Shuying Li (b. 1989) Consortium Premiere

The Sound of Numbers (2023)

Ivette Herryman Rodriguez (b. 1982) Consortium Premiere

I wake in the dark and remember (2022) Rain Journey I lie listening into the black hour

Joel Puckett (b.1977) Kimberly Sparr, viola Consortium Premiere Intermission

Wishes and Wantings (2022)

Kelijah Dunton (b.1998)

Symphony in B-flat (1951) Moderately fast, with vigor Andantino grazioso Fugue, Rather broad

Paul Hindemith (1895-1963)

The passing of Glen Adsit (Director of Bands at the Hartt School) on January 16 th and Donald Hunsberger on November 5th necessitated for me the need to reflect on who we are and what we’ve achieved in the wind band world. Glen was a sincere, musical conductor and, an ardent proponent of new music…only a few years older than me. Donald Hunsberger was most well-known as the 3rd conductor of the even more famous Eastman Wind Ensemble. He was also a masterful arranger and composer, with professional roots in not only in the United States Marine Band, “The President’s Own,” but also here, as a faculty member in the Crane School of Music.

The Eastman Wind Ensemble, created by Frederick Fennell in 1952, only predates the Crane Wind Ensemble by a few years. The CWE was founded in 1956 by Willard Musser. The fundamental concept of the Wind Ensemble was not one of size, but sincere dedication to realizing the intent of the composer regarding instrumentation and orchestration – sound and sound-color. These are the enduring legacies of Fennell and Hunsberger – wind bands capable of being “sonic chameleons,” shifting piece-to-piece to create varying tapestries of sound. This splendor of soundscape in turn serves to heighten the listener’s emotional response to, and connection with the music.

We hope you enjoy tonight’s program, an exploration of this rich diversity of sonic color in our “State of the Art.”

THE CRANE WIND ENSEMBLE Formed in 1956 by Willard Musser, the Crane Wind Ensemble comprises 58 of the most outstanding wind and percussion majors in the Crane School of Music.

The CWE performs as a full wind band, and in smaller chamber groups with varied instrumentation. This group is dedicated to the performance of the finest wind repertoire, regardless of period or disposition of instrumental forces. The CWE is also committed to performing music of our time and is active in working with composers in the commissioning of new works to support this goal.

The lineage of principal conductors of the CWE includes Willard I. Musser, Harry I. Phillips, Elliot Del Borgo, Anthony Maiello, Timothy Topolewski, and Brian K. Doyle. Recent guest artists have included Mallory Thompson (virtual), Michael Haithcock, H. Robert Reynolds, Stacy Garrop, Joe Alessi, John Whitwell, and Frank Battisti.

Since 2006, the CWE has premiered over 45 new works for wind band. Recent premieres include works by Erika Svanoe, Nkeiru Okoye, Gregoria Karides Suchy, Shuying Li, James Lee III, Stephen Bryant, Joel Puckett, Kristin Kuster, Roshanne Etezady, David Heinick, James Mobberley, Christopher Theofanidis, Gregory Wanamaker, Dana Wilson, D.J. Sparr, and Andre Previn. The CWE performs at least three performances each fall and spring and also tours regularly. Major offcampus performances have included concerts at the NYSSMA Winter Conference, the NYSBDA Winter Symposium, and at the Division Conference of CBDNA at the Coast Guard Academy (2016) and at Temple University (2020). In November of 2014, the Crane Wind Ensemble released the compact disc, Adirondack Songs.

The Crane Wind Ensemble Personnel Piccolo Julie Williams Margo Neth Flute Julie Williams * Sara McIntyre * Elsie Munsterteiger Emma Scionti Margo Neth Renee Rivers Simone McPartling Oboe Kayla Outman * Amara Leitner Mariana Morales English Horn Amara Leitner Bassoon Jalen Johnson Liam Hill Contra Bassoon Jordon Gyarmathy E-flat Clarinet Nicholas Derderian Clarinet Nick Alvarez * Brandon McLauglin Paige Krebs Libby Sheldon Emily Oldfield Jessica Schaller Katie Pullaro

Bass Clarinets Abby Rodriguez Jovany Rivers Evan Mintz

Trombone Andrew Gorman * Elliot Borden Tobey Dwyer

Alto Saxophone Nathaniel Cobb * Celeste LaFlamm Alex Brown

Bass Trombone Samir Ghalayini

Tenor Saxophone Sara Ward Baritone Saxophone Carina Phillips Trumpet Molly Collins * Rebecca Wertengerger Brian McNamara Casey Asaro Zoe Fragapane Michael Digman Horn Michael Shipps Heather Murphy Ryan Eckl Sophia Randazzo Natalie Hartmann Dario Longobardi

Euphonium Jennifer Carden * Aiden Sears Tuba John Lithco * Henry Stringer Zach Barstow Double Bass Logan Monti Percussion Bailey Yerdon * Wyatt Calcote Kameron Balcom Elisabeth Skalski Hailey Gomez Nadav Isak Piano Jack Jiang Harp Ricky Chui Librarians Ashley Colucci Kayla Outman * Section Principal

UPCOMING WIND & PERCUSSION CONCERTS AT CRANE: Jazz Ensemble • Tuesday, 27 February • 7:30 p.m.

Symphonic & Concert Band • Thursday, 29 February • 7:30 p.m.

Jazz Ensemble • Tuesday, 19 March • 7:30 p.m.

The Crane Wind Ensemble • Wednesday, 20 March • 7:30 p.m.

Concert Band • Tuesday, 10 April • 7:30 p.m.

Symphonic Band • Thursday, 11 April • 7:30 p.m.

The Crane Wind Ensemble • Friday, 19 April • 7:30 p.m.

Jazz Band & Ensemble • Wednesday, 24 April • 7:30 p.m.

PROGRAM NOTES CWE • 19 February 2024 LUMINANCE Shuying Li Shuying Li began her musical education in her native China. In her sophomore year at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, she won a scholarship to continue undergraduate study at the Hartt School in Connecticut. She holds a doctoral and master’s degree from the University of Michigan.

Her prior composition teachers include Michael Daugherty, Evan Chambers, Ye Guohui, Robert Carl and Larry Alan Smith. She studied conducting with Glen Adsit and Edward Cumming and studied piano with Paul Rutman.

Additionally, Shuying has worked with Joseph Schwantner, Martin Bresnick, Christopher Theofanidis, and Steven Mackey.

Recently, Shuying made her Carnegie Hall debut with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra for the premiere of a commissioned work. In addition, Shuying has been named one of the three resident composers in the Composer Librettist Development Program with the American Lyric Theater (ALT) in their 2017-2018 season, to write a oneact opera to be produced by ALT in May 2018. In 2014, after performances by the Hartt Wind Ensemble and the University of Cincinnati CCM Wind Orchestra, Shuying’s work for band, Slippery Slope, won the ASCAP/CBDNA Frederick Fennell Prize.

Other awards include recognition as a finalist in the 2017, 2016 and 2015 ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composers Award, awards from The American Prize, the Michigan Music Teachers Association Commissioned Composer Competition, and the International J. Dorfman Composition Competition, among others. She was the composer in residence for the Romania ICon Arts Festival during summer 2014.

A believer that music has an innate power to promote cultural diversity, Shuying founded the Four Corners Ensemble in 2017, which consists of seven top-level emerging performers who are from six different countries.

Luminance explores the interplay between light and darkness both musically and thematically. Inspired by the concept of "luminance," this work seeks to evoke a sense of radiance and brilliance through its music.

At its core, Luminance addresses issues relevant to contemporary society. By exploring themes of hope and despair, inclusion and exclusion, and power and powerlessness, the piece seeks to provide a platform for reflection and conversation. Through its use of evocative tonalities and dynamic contrasts, Luminance aims to inspire audiences to find strength in moments of darkness and embrace the light within themselves.

Commissioned by a consortium organized by Andy Collinsworth, Sonoma State University, and Thomas Seddon, Washburn University Program note by Shuying Li

THE SOUND OF NUMBERS Ivette Herryman Rodriguez A native from Cuba, Ivette Herryman Rodriguez holds a B.M in Music Composition from the Instituto Superior de Artes (Higher Institute of Arts), in Havana, a M.M in Music Composition from Baylor University, and a M.M in Music Theory and D.M.A in Music Composition from Michigan State University. She studied composition with Juan Piñera, Scott McAllister, Ricardo Lorenz, and Zhou Tian.

Ivette's music has been described as “absolutely exquisite” and “breathtakingly beautiful.” Her piece Sigue, for women's choir, became a bestseller in the year of its publication, selling over 5000 copies. Her zarzuela Cerca del Rìo won a Cubadisco Special Award in 2010. Her work Memorial, for soprano, cello, and piano is scheduled to be released on a CD that will feature works composed by CINTAS Fellows. She is the recipient of the 2015-16 prestigious Brandon Fradd Fellowship in Music Composition.

Ivette's most recent commissions include a second piece for the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble, a new work for the Michigan State University Symphony Band, which will be premiered to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the MSU Band's program, and a new composition commissioned by the Illinois State Music Teachers Association (ISMTA). She is the winner of the 2019 ISMTA Composer Commissioning program.

Ivette has taught Music Theory and Composition at the Instituto Superior de Artes, the Opera of El Salvador (OPES), the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and Western Illinois University, where she also taught Class Piano.

Currently, Ivette is an Assistant Professor of Theory and Composition at the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam.

The Sound of Numbers was written for middle school band, considering the characteristics of pieces that align with a 1.5 grade of difficulty. The changing meters of the piece are an exception to those guidelines, but I am confident that the periodicity of the metric patterns, and the pervasive presence of the quarter note as a constant pules, sometimes explicit and other times implied, will make the performance of this piece by young musicians possible.

To compose this piece, I have used the numbers 1, 2, 3, amd 4, which can be found in the ages of middle schoolers in the U.S. – that is, 11 through 14. I built the rhythm and pitch content of the piece using the numbers to represent durations, intervals, scales, and tonal centers. I hope that the musicians performing this piece can see and hear the presence of the numbers 1 through 4 in its fabric and use this understanding of the piece to inform their learning and performance of it.

Program note by Ivette Herryman Rodriguez

I WAKE IN THE DARK AND REMEMBER Joel Puckett W. S. Merwin's (1927-2019) poetry has been a constant in my adult life. His words bring me comfort in times of anxiety, smiles in times of happiness, and comfort in times of grief. 2020-2021 brought difficult times for all of us, and I once again found myself turning to Merwin's words.

I rarely know exactly what his poems mean, but I love how they make me feel. This was no different for the poem that inspired my viola concerto, I wake in the dark and remember. As I was writing, I rolled over the imagery in my mind: "wake in the dark and remember," "listening to the black hour," "you are asleep beside me while around us the trees full of night lean," etc., etc. These images are so vivid and clear, yet they lack any strict narrative, so my imagination became free to run wild and see the sounds the words inspire.

The concerto is in two movements but played without a break.

I wake in the dark and remember was commissioned by an international consortium of universities led by Damon Talley and Louisiana State University. It is dedicated with great admiration and gratitude to the extraordinary violist Kimberly Sparr, who gave the premiere, and who is playing tonight.

Below is the W. S. Merwin poem that inspired this concerto. Please take a moment to read these words and listen to the sounds they provoke in your own imagination.

Rain Travel – W.S. Merwin I wake in the dark and remember it is the morning when I must start by myself on the journey I lie listening to the black hour before dawn and you are still asleep beside me while around us the trees full of night lean hushed in their dream that bears us up asleep and awake then I hear drops falling one by one into the sightless leaves and I do not know when they began but all at once there is no sound but rain and the stream below us roaring away into the rushing darkness Program note by Joel Puckett

KIMBERLY SPARR Viola Soloist Equally skilled as a soloist, chamber and orchestral violist, Kimberly Sparr has garnered praise for her versatility and virtuosity across the United States and beyond. She is a founding member of Atlantic Chamber Ensemble and is the assistant principal viola of the Colorado Music Festival Orchestra.

As an orchestral violist, Sparr was the assistant principal violist of Virginia’s Richmond Symphony from 2008-13 and has performed with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra, and the Washington National Opera, among others. Her festival participation includes New Hampshire Music Festival; Tanglewood Music Center; the Verbier Festival Orchestra in Switzerland; the Festival Mozaic and Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music in California; Sarasota Music Festival; and the Lake George Music Festival in New York.

Sparr has appeared as a concerto soloist with the Amarillo Virtuosi, the Pittsburgh Civic Orchestra, the Texas Tech University Symphony Orchestra, Colorado Music Festival Orchestra, and the Lubbock Symphony Orchestra.

An enthusiastic educator, Dr. Sparr has been on the faculties of Texas Tech University, The College of William & Mary, and University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). She received her degrees from Rice University, New England Conservatory, and the University of Maryland. Her teachers include James Dunham, Daniel Foster, Heidi Castleman, Victoria Chiang, and Martha Strongin Katz.

WISHES AND WANTINGS Kelijah Dunton A native of Brooklyn, New York, Kelijah Dunton has called the neighborhoods of Williamsburg, Bushwick, and Crown Heights home. Moving from place to place helped him learn what it means to be around people of all backgrounds, ages, and walks of life, as well as exposing him to many genres of music in different communities.

Mr. Dunton studied alto saxophone through school and continues to be an active performer within New York City's own metropolitan music community. In 2019, without formal composition training, Dunton embarked on his composition career, persevering while learning from his musical peers and experiences.

His significant musical moments include performing in NYC honor bands, competitive NYSSMA festivals, traveling to prestigious music colleges, sitting in with various award-winning jazz bands, and most recently performing with an MMC community band for all ages and music education levels.

As the composer writes: In my high school days, I spent a lot of my time consuming and learning about Japanese culture and its fascinating history. I’ve always had the desire to listen to and emulate modern Japanese music from J-Pop to movie scoring giants such as Joe Hisaishi and the like. I have a great appreciation for the culture because it has probably influenced me the most in my musical writing and has opened my eyes to different forms a musical thought can take.

Now here we are with my new piece, Wishes & Wantings, a modern Japanese-inspired piece that speaks to my own personal experience being surrounded by Japanese culture growing up and what it also means to so many other people that I know and relate to from all walks of life.

Program note by Kelijah Dunton

SYMPHONY IN B-FLAT Paul Hindemith Born in Hanau, Hindemith was taught the violin as a child, but his parents objected to his musical ambitions, and he left home at the age of eleven as a result. He entered the Hoch Conservatoire in Frankfurt am Main where he studied conducting, composition and violin under Arnold Mendelssohn and Bernhard Sekles, supporting himself by playing in dance bands and musical-comedy outfits. He led the Frankfurt Opera orchestra from 1915 to 1923 and played in the Rebner string quartet in 1921 in which he played second violin, and later the viola. In 1929 he founded the Amar Quartet, playing viola, and extensively touring Europe.

In 1922, some of his pieces were heard in the International Society for Contemporary Music festival at Salzburg, which first brought him to the attention of an international

audience. The following year, he began to work as an organizer of the Donaueschingen Festival, where he programmed works by several avant garde composers, including Anton Webern and Arnold Schoenberg. From 1927 he taught composition at Berlin and in the 1930s he made several visits to Ankara where he led the task of reorganizing Turkish music education. Towards the end of the 30s, he made several tours of America as a viola and viola d'amore soloist.

Despite protests from the conductor Wilhelm Furtwängler, his music was condemned as "degenerate" by the Nazis, and in 1940 he immigrated to the United States, where he taught music at Yale University and Harvard, influencing several generations of composers and performers. He became an American citizen in 1946, but returned to Europe in 1953, living in Zürich and teaching at the University there. Towards the end of his life he began to conduct more. Hindemith died in Frankfurt am Main from acute pancreatitis.

Commissioned by Lieutenant Colonel Hugh Curry, commander of the United States Army Band, the Symphony in B-flat was first performed in Washington, D.C. on 5 April 1951, with the composer conducting. This three-movement work is the only symphony that Hindemith wrote expressly for the wind band. Although Symphony in B-flat features unique uses of dissonant chords and non-harmonic tones, it preserves neo-classical tonality, forms, and rhythmic and melodic patterns.

Short figures are apt to form themselves into ostinatos to provide the background to broad and declamatory melodies; these melodies will often repeat characteristic phrases of awkward lengths so as to disturb the even flow of the basic rhythm. A slow section will alternate with a scherzando section, and the two will combine to form the third portion of a movement.

The symphony’s opening movement is ternary in form. The A section contains three ideas: the first is a wide, sweeping melody; the second an extended passage built on a short figure and set exclusively for woodwinds; and the third, which is preceded by a long unison woodwind passage, an impressive chorale-like melody announced by the horns and building in the brass to a triumphant climax. The short B section is concerned with a jerky fugato and its characteristic episodes.

The “Andantino grazioso” is largely comprised of a dialogue between alto saxophone and cornet on a quiet but oddly cheerful little tune, while the scherzo, which it afterwards joins in combination, is a rapid, bustling affair given entirely to woodwind and tambourine.

The symphony ends boisterously with a fugue whose energetic exposition is followed by a further exposition in stretto. After a quieter middle section in which a graceful new theme is worked out at length, the fugue subject returns suddenly in full force and the two combine. When this is in full swing, the broad opening melody of the first movement is thundered out by trumpets and trombones, with all the three themes making a splendid counterpoint. Eventually the two subjects of the last movement drop out, and the symphony ends with tremendous final statement of the melody with which it began.