SYMPHONIC BAND
桃太郎
“MOMOTARO” - premiere
03.16
2:00 pm 2025 Sunday Hammerschmidt Memorial Chapel
Music by Tyler Ono Animation by Jewel Racasa
Clutch
Elmhurst University Music Department Present
Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Band
March 16, 2025 | 2:00pm Hammerschmidt Chapel
- - P R O G R A M - -
Elmhurst University Symphonic Band
James Hile, conductor
On a Hymnsong of Philip Bliss
Polka from “Schwanda, the Bagpiper”
Symphony No. 2
III. Apollo Unleashed
Andrew David Perkins
David Holsinger
Jaromir Weinberger trans. Glenn C. Bainum
Frank Ticheli
Elmhurst University Wind Ensemble
Adam Kehl, conductor
“Somethings Old, Somethings New…”
桃太郎 (Momotaro) (2025) Tyler S. Ono (b. 1997)
Jewel Racasa, director of animation Consortium premiere
Grainger’s Highlands Scottish Dances Percy Aldridge Grainger (1882-1961)
Faeroe Island Dance (1956)
Scotch Strathspey and Reel (1901-1911)
Dust Devils (2024)
Premiere Performance
Annabel Punzel (b. 2003)
Winner ‐ 2024 Elmhurst University Malambo Composition Competition
March in F (ca.1809)
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) ed. Patrick Dunnigan
New England Tryptic (1956) William Schuman
I. Be Glad Then, America (1910-1992)
II. When Jesus Wept
III. Chester
Piccolo
ELMHURST UNIVERSITY SYMPHONIC BAND
Joseph Johnson
Flute
Mya Budzichowski
Sarah Collins
Fatima Dabbah *
Jennifer Jeffrey
Jessica Jeffrey
Heather Johnson
Victoria Palomino
Aliah Robles
Olivia Simmons
Ben Steger
Dorothy Stelzik
Cristina Vermeulen
Bassoon
Heather Forster-Jensen
Clarinet
Gina Carter
Yanalis Conchas
Steve Goldman
Caroline Husa
Kim Hempel
Dan Kesselring
Melissa Lehmann
Mia Merrell *
Georgios Panagiotidis
Mya Robles
Lisa Steele
Bass Clarinet
Frank Barrett
Sean Gaertner
Alto Saxophone
David Andrusyk
Karabeth Footman *
Nathan Levendel
Tenor Saxophone
Dominic Bouffard
Lauren Hauser
Haris Smajkic
Baritone Saxophone
Emma Leucht
Eric Sanders
Trumpet
Scott Ashley
Eric Barbier
Justin Czarnowski
Bob Dickinson *
Abigail Komperda
Joe Miceli *
Glenn Morimoto
Laurie Pieler-DiCola
Horn
Luke Fahey
Joan Moore *
Amy Mullard
Trombone
Sebastian Cabezas
Michael Cumberland *
Vanessa Gronke
Ed Hempel
Brianna Maciel
Drew Pekkarinen
Euphonium
Paul Eakley *
Mike Taylor
Tuba
John Kasongo *
Edward A. Susmilch
Percussion
Matt Browne
Shane Dickinson *
Jeff Maginity
Morgan Martin
Diego Rodriguez
* denotes principal
ELMHURST UNIVERSITY WIND ENSEMBLE
Trumpet
Piccolo
Tori Marchi
Flute
Bianca Cima
Anthony Galang
Eliana Kiltz *
Camryn Nowak-Brown
Oboe
Julie Poppelwell
Disha Virdi*
Bassoon
Tobie Schroeder
Eb Clarinet
Joe Valenti
Clarinet
Audrey Dunwoody
Eliza A. Martinez
Faith Negele
Cristian Zavala*
Bass Clarinet
Evan Auriemma (contra)
Zoe Offenbecher
Alto Saxophone
Sophia Frasca
Lissette Hernandez* (soprano)
Cadence Leucht
Tenor Saxophone
Christoper Tejeda
Baritone Saxophone
Bryce Leitzinger
Ian Bardes
Mackenzie Costa
Charlie Rossi*
Aldre Delos Santos
Anna Thompson
Horn
Fiona Chisholm
Hannah Hadraba*
Momoko Hasselbring Seko
Yana Votintseva
Trombone
Nathanial Gibson
Ian Martinez*
Taylor Nygrne
Ashley Rokosz
Euphonium
Randy Beschomer
Milton Nonato
Ethan Soltys*
Tuba
TJ Countryman Jr.
David Johansson*
Percussion
Anthony Cox*
Morgan Martin
Henrik Rivadeneira
Ian Stenzel
Brian Tacastacas
Harp
Raquel Coleman
* denotes principal
Elmhurst University Music Department
Chair: Dr. James Hile
Administrative Assistant: Trish Thoren
Administrative Assistant: Heather Meyer
Elmhurst University Applied Wind and Percussion Faculty
Flute: Professor Marie Bennett
Oboe: Professor Julie Popplewell
Bassoon: Professor Dianne Ryan
Clarinet: Professor Andrea DiOrio
Saxophone: Professor Matthew Beck
Trumpet: Professor Christopher O’Hara
French Horn: Professor Emma Sepmeier
Trombone: Professor Thomas Stark
Euphonium/Tuba: Professor Josh Wirt
Percussion: Professor Bob Rummage
Elmhurst University Concert Band Staff
Director of Bands/Wind Ensemble
Dr. Adam Kehl
Director of Symphonic Band
Dr. James Hile
Director of Varsity Band
Mr. Eric Morong
Band Managers: Ethan Soltys, Lissette Hernandez
Band Staff: Hannah Hadraba, Charlie Rossi, Karabeth Footman, Eliza Martinez, Chris Tejada
Program and Poster Design: Sabina Fijor
Recording: Mr. John Towner and Student Recording Service
PROGRAM NOTES
Symphonic Band
Clutch
Andrew David Perkins
I have visceral childhood memories of going to the Belle Isle Indy car races in Detroit with my dad. The smell of high‐octane racing fuel, burning rubber, domes c beer, feeling the scorching hot summer sun bouncing off the asphalt. The pitch‐bending sounds of the Formula One cars screaming past us at insane speeds, the roar of the crowd at the checkered flag. Wildly dangerous, every boundary being tested, all for a chance at the winner's circle.
This compe ve spirit inspired me to write a fanfare that pushes the boundaries of tempo, range & technical demand, and gives the conductor, performers, and listener a nice adrenaline rush too. I also wanted to push myself to write the most exci ng wildly chao c music I could imagine. Fast. Loud. And a bit reckless.
‐ Program Note by composer
On a Hymnsong of Philip Bliss
David Holsinger
On A Hymnsong Of Philip Bliss is a radical departure of style of this composer. The fran c tempos, the ebullient rhythms we associate with Holsinger are replaced with a res ul, gentle, and reflec ve composi on based on the 1876 Philip Bliss‐Hora o Spafford hymn, It Is Well with My Soul. Wri en to honor the re ring principal of Shady Grove Chris an Academy, On A Hymnsong Of Philip Blis' was presented as a gi from the SGCA Concert Band to Rev. Steve Edel in May of 1989.
Hora o G. Spafford, a Chicago Presbyterian layman and successful businessman, planned a European trip for his family in 1873. In November of that year, due to unexpected last minute business developments, he had to remain in Chicago; but he sent his wife and four daughters on ahead as scheduled aboard the S.S. Ville du Havre. He expected to follow in a few days. On November 22, the ship was struck by the Lochearn, an English vessel, and sank in twelve minutes. Several days later the survivors were finally landed in Cardiff, Wales, and Mrs. Spafford cabled her husband, “Saved alone.” Shortly a erward, Spafford le by ship to join his bereaved wife.
It is speculated that on the sea near the area where it was thought his four daughters had drowned, Spafford penned this text with words so significantly describing his own personal grief, “When sorrows like sea billows roll...” It is noteworthy, however, that Spafford does not dwell on the theme of life’s sorrows and trials, but focuses a en on in the third stanza on the redemp ve work of Christ. Humanly speaking, it is amazing that one could experience such personal tragedy and sorrow as did Hora o Spafford and s ll be able to say with such convincing clarity, “It is well with my soul...”
Hymnwriter Philip Bliss was so impressed with the experience and expression of Spafford’s text that he shortly wrote the music for it, first published in 1876. Bliss was a prolific writer of gospel
songs throughout his brief life me, and in most cases he wrote both the words and the music. This hymn is one of the few excep ons.
There is specula on that this was perhaps the last gospel song wri en by Bliss. Bliss and his wife, Lucy, were killed in a train wreck in Ashtabula, Ohio, on December 29, 1876. Most sources men on that Bliss actually escaped from the flames first, but was then killed when he went back into the train to try to rescue is wife. Neither body was ever found.
As a postscript, Bliss’s trunk was salvaged from the wreckage, and in it, evangelist D. W. Whi le found an unfinished hymn, which began, “I know not what awaits me, God kindly veils my eyes...”
‐ Program Note by composer
Polka from “Schwanda, the Bagpiper”
Jaromir Weinberger
Weinberger began seriously working on the opera Schwanda the Bagpiper in 1924. Although excerpts from the opera (including the Polka from Act II, Scene 2, and the Fugue from the closing scene) had previously become successful concert pieces, the entire opera was first performed in Prague on April 27, 1927. The premiere was not noteworthy, but the revival in German (as Schwanda, der Dudelsackpfeifer) in Breslau, on December 16, 1928, was a sensation. Over 2,000 performances were given in Europe between 1927 and 1931. In the next few years it was performed in cities around the world, including the New York premiere at the Metropolitan Opera House on November 7, 1931. For a time, Weinberger found himself both rich and famous. Polka and Fugue was introduced to American orchestra audiences in 1928 by the eminent AustrianGerman conductor Erich Kleiber (a student and conductor in Prague in 1911-1912). The score for band was transcribed by Glenn Cliffe Bainum in 1928.
The opera libretto, based on a Czech folk tale and adapted by Milos Kares from a play by Josef Tul, is a delightful mixture of humor, fantasy, satire, and realism. The story involves Schwanda, the master bagpiper, and Babinsky, a robber who leads Schwanda on a series of adventures. The polka is taken from a scene in which Schwanda plays for Queen Iceheart, who is waiting for someone who can melt her heart. His irresistible playing does the trick, and the queen and Schwanda decide to get married, sealing their vow with a kiss. However, Schwanda is already married to Dorota, so the marriage to the queen is canceled. In response to his wife’s questions of his fidelity, he cries, “If I have given the queen a single kiss, may the devil take me” -- and the devil does. He is rescued from hell, however, by Babinsky, who plays cards with the devil and wins everything he owns. He returns it all in exchange for Schwanda, who plays the fugue on his bagpipe before he leaves, so that the servants of hell may hear the playing of a master bagpiper.
- Program Notes from Program Notes for Band
Symphony No. 2
Frank Ticheli
The finale, Apollo Unleashed, is perhaps the most wide-ranging movement of the symphony, and certainly the most difficult to convey in words. On the one hand, the image of Apollo, the powerful ancient god of the sun, inspired not only the movement's title but also its blazing energy. Bright sonorities, fast tempos, and galloping rhythms combine to give a sense of urgency that one often expects from a symphonic finale. On the other hand, its boisterous nature is also tempered and enriched by another, more sublime force, Bach's Chorale BWV 433 (Wer Gott vertraut, hat wohl gebaut). This chorale -- a favorite of the dedicatee, and one he himself arranged for chorus and
band -- serves as a kind of spiritual anchor, giving a soul to the gregarious foreground events. The chorale is in ternary form (ABA'). In the first half of the movement, the chorale's A and B sections are stated nobly underneath faster paced music, while the final A section is saved for the climactic ending, sounding against a flurry of 16th-notes.
- Program Note by composer
WIND ENSEMBLE – PROGRAM NOTES
The Elmhurst Wind Ensemble is proud to present their consortium premiere of a work for wind ensemble and digital animation from composer Tyler Ono and animator Jewel Racasa (See below for artist biographies).
桃太郎 ‐
Momotarō is a popular hero of Japanese folklore. His name is often translated as Peach Boy, but is directly translated as Peach + Tarō, a common Japanese given name. Momotarō is also the title of various books, films and other works that portray the tale of this hero. The present conventional form of the tale can be summarized as follows:
Momotarō was born from a giant peach, which was found floating down a river by an old, childless woman who was washing clothes there. The woman and her husband discovered the child when they tried to open the peach to eat it. The child explained that he had been bestowed by the gods to be their son. The couple named him Momotarō, from momo (peach) and tarō (eldest son in the family). When he was just five years old, he was able to cut a big tree with just an old knife. When he matured into adolescence, Momotarō left his parents to fight a band of Oni (demons or ogres) who marauded over their land, by seeking them out in the distant island where they dwelled (a place called Onigashima or "Demon Island"). En route, Momotarō met and befriended a talking dog, monkey and pheasant, who agreed to help him in his quest in exchange for a portion of his rations (kibi dango or "millet dumplings"). At the island, Momotarō and his animal friends penetrated the demons' fort and beat the band of demons into surrendering. Momotarō and his new friends returned home with the demons' plundered treasure and the demon chief as a captive.
Percy Aldridge Grainger (July 8, 1882 – February 20, 1961) was an Australian-born composer, arranger and pianist who moved to the United States in 1914 and became an American citizen in 1918. In the course of a long and innovative career he played a prominent role in the revival of interest in British folk music in the early years of the 20th century, and is considered one of the most prominent and important composers of wind band music in history. Much of his work was considered highly experimental, unusual, and extremely difficult at the time, but over the years have become widely accepted standards of the band repertoire.
Grainger left Australia at the age of 13 to attend the Hoch Conservatory in Frankfurt. Between 1901 and 1914 he was based in London, where he established himself first as a society pianist and later as a concert performer, composer, and collector of original folk melodies. As his reputation grew he met many of the significant figures in European music, forming important friendships with Frederick Delius and Edvard Grieg. He became a champion of Nordic music and culture, his enthusiasm for which he often expressed in private letters, sometimes in crudely racial or anti-Semitic terms.
In 1914 Grainger moved to the United States, where he lived for the rest of his life, though he travelled widely in Europe and Australia. He served briefly as a bandsman in the United States Army during the First World War through 1917–18, and took American citizenship in 1918. After his mother's suicide in 1922, he became increasingly involved in educational work. He also experimented with music machines, which he hoped would supersede human interpretation. In the 1930s he set up the Grainger Museum in Melbourne, his birthplace, as a monument to his life and works, and as a future research archive. As he grew older, he continued to give concerts and to revise and rearrange his own compositions, while writing little new music. After the Second World War, ill health reduced his levels of activity. He considered his career a failure. He gave his last concert in 1960, less than a year before his death.
Faeroe Island Dance is considered Grainger’s last work written for band, finishing the edition just months before his passing. The musical material is taken from the native folk-music heritage of the Faeroe Islands of the North Atlantic Ocean. On Sundays there were two locations in the town where the local villagers danced. In one area there were the Faeroe Dances and in the other the members of the Torshavn Wind Orchestra played the Tyrolean waltz, Swedish masquerade, Rhinelander, mazurka, and other waltzes and polkas for the village. Dancing to instrumental music in these islands dates back to the 17th century. High and rugged, profiled by great cliffs and narrow ravines, the Faeroe Islands of the North Atlantic are populated by a gentle and simple people.
From the native folk-music heritage of this distant land, Percy Grainger chose the lovely, flowing folksong Let's Dance Gay in Green Meadow. An unusual, rather austere and primitive work in moderate tempo, based upon a Danish folk-dance tune which Grainger collected in 1905. The abrupt ending is typical and authentic to the dancetunes themselves, which are performed connected to one another. Hence this work is more satisfactory in performance if it is connected to another.
Scotch Strathspey and Reel is one of Grainger’s first works available for band, written between 1901 and 1911. As was common, he composed multiple versions of the piece including arrangements for male voices and a version for indeterminate instruments. The version for band is a virtuosic tour de force for winds. The work makes use of the melody from the sea-shanty What Shall We Do with a Drunken Sailor? along with six other Scottish and Irish folksongs skillfully interwoven, with vintage Grainger compositional troupes such as colorful harmony, sudden and surprising musical events, thick polyphony, and his trademark wit. Writing about Scotch Strathspey and Reel in a program note, Grainger said:
If a room full of Scotch and Irish fiddlers and any nationality of chanty-singing deep-sea sailors could be spirited together and suddenly miraculously endowed with the gift of polyphonic harmonic free improvisation enjoyed for instance by South Sea Island Polynesians, a rather merry babble of tune, harmony and rhythm would result.
Annabel Punzel’s Dust Devils is the winner of the 2024 Elmhurst Composition Contest. She is currently a student at Elmhurst University majoring in Music Theory and Composition. Annabel writes of the piece:
After disastrous wildfires in the Redwood Forest, strong, spiraling gusts of wind pick up ash from the forest floor, creating tornados of dust– also known as “dust devils”. In pursuit of creating this overture, the phenomenon inspired the driving melodies and mysterious washes of color in this piece. The final chord promises a hopeful future, as forests have the miraculous power to regenerate, even after they’re burnt to the ground.
March in F was one of many original marches written by Beethoven, a common compositional medium for many of the elite composers of the period, where marches were of interest to the courts of the time. Written between 1809 and 1810 for "his Royal Highness Archduke Anton,” the march exists in two versions - with and without a trio. Tonight’s version includes the trio.
William Schuman was born the Bronx, N.Y. in 1910 and was a prominent American composer and educator. Despite an early life in music, in 1928, Schuman entered New York University to prepare for a business degree at the School of Commerce, while at the same time working for an advertising agency. While in school, he continued to collaborate on pop songs with E. B. Marks, Jr., an old friend from summer camp, and also created some forty songs with lyricist Frank Loesser. Loesser's first publication, in fact, was a song with music by Schuman. Together they wrote songs for radio, vaudeville, and nightclub acts. In April 1930, having attended his first professional symphony orchestra concert, Schuman suddenly realized that many of his loves, baseball, business, and popular music must be relegated to subsidiary positions in his life in favor of composing "classical" or concert music.
Upon this realization, Schuman reentered school, earning a B.S. in music education in 1935 from the Teachers College of Columbia University. In the fall of 1935, Schuman settled into his first teaching position, at Sarah Lawrence College, Bronxville, N.Y., where he remained on the faculty for a decade. In 1937, he earned an MA degree from Columbia University. In 1944 G. Schirmer appointed Schuman Director of Publications. He began work there even before leaving the Sarah Lawrence faculty and continued to serve Schirmer as Special Publications Consultant after moving in 1945 to his next post, the presidency of the famed Juilliard School. During the 1940s he received his first of many honorary doctorates and was awarded the first Pulitzer Prize ever given in the field of musical composition.
Subtitled "Three Pieces for Orchestra After William Billings," the New England Triptych is an expansion of Schuman's 1943 William Billings Overture, a piece that was premiered by the New York Philharmonic in 1944 but never published, and has since been withdrawn by the composer. New England Triptych was written in 1956 and premiered on October 28 of that year by the Orchestra of the University of Miami under the direction of Andre Kostelanetz, who had commissioned it.
The version for winds was completed shortly after by the composer, publishing each movement individually, and recomposing as needed to ensure standalone movements that can be played alone if desired. In its totality, the piece is an important and substantial work for winds of significant artistic depth, and advanced compositional prowess. It stands as one of the few large scale works for winds from a Pulitzer Prize winning composer.
Schuman prefaced his score with this note:
William Billings (1746–1800) is a major figure in the history of American music. His works capture the spirit of sinewy ruggedness, deep religiosity, and patriotic fervor that we associate with the Revolutionary period in American history. I am not alone among American composers who feel a sense of identity with Billings, which accounts for my use of his music as a departure point. These three pieces are not a "fantasy" nor "variations" on themes of Billings, but rather a fusion of styles and musical language.
The first movement, Be Glad then, America, is built on these lines from Billings' text:
Yea, the Lord will answer And say unto his people behold I will send you corn and wine and oil And ye shall be satisfied therewith.
Be glad then, America, Shout and rejoice. Fear not O land, Be glad and rejoice.
Halleluyah!
After a short introduction by solo timpani (one of the first works to introduce melodic material with percussion), the winds develop music harkening from the "Halleluyah" material of the end. Brass then mark start the main section, followed by a complex, polyphonic treatment of the words "Be Glad then, America, Shout and Rejoice.” The solo timpani returns, leading to a fugal section based on the words "And Ye Shall Be Satisfied." The music gains momentum, highlighting the compositional tendencies of the period, including rich orchestral timbre, complex polyphonic textures, polytonality and other dissonant, atonal harmonic language. Displaying his significant compositional skill, Schuman employs an inspired combination of themes leading to a climax, followed by a free adaptation of Billings' "Halleluyah" music before and a final reference to the "Shout and Rejoice" music.
The second movement, When Jesus Wept, features expanded solos for euphonium and trumpet, with interludes for full band surrounding each solo section. When Jesus Wept uses Billings' music in its original form.
When Jesus wept, the falling tear in mercy flowed beyond all bound; when Jesus mourned, a trembling fear seized all the guilty world around.
The third movement, Chester, is a patriotic hymn first published by Billings in 1770 and revised in 1778. Schuman’s creative treatment derives from both the spirit of the hymn and the marching song, in a technically demanding, fast paced adaption. After presentation the hymn in close to its original state, the movement then returns to the great harmonic complexity from Be Glad Then, America, journeying as a sort of theme and variations form, before resolving in a joyous and grand finale. The movement continues to be one of the most beloved and performed pieces in the band repertoire.
Let tyrants shake their iron rod, And slavery clank her galling chains, We fear them not, we trust in God, New England's God forever reigns. The foe comes on with haughty stride, Our troops advance with martial noise, Their vet'rans flee before our youth, And gen'rals yield to beardless boys.
We are proud to present this monumental work for winds featuring the music of America’s first compositional icon, William Billings.
Today’s Featured Guest Artists
Japanese-American composer Tyler Ono specializes in various musical ields to create more extraordinary experiences. Born and raised in Hawai'i, Tyler grew up in a melting pot of mixed cultures that in luenced his interest in fusing music with other art forms. His diverse musical palette earned him credibility in concert music, ilm scoring, game scoring, producing, and mix engineering. Tyler recently composed music for an animation by Jewel Racasa that won an award for best animation at the Paris International Film Awards.
Tyler studied at the University of Hawai’i Manoa where he received his BM in music composition and has recently inished his Masters in composition at The Chicago College of Performing Arts in Chicago. Tyler is currently studying under composer Daron Hagen and arranging music for the University of Hawai’i Marching Band.
Jewel Racasa is a Filipino-American artist and animator located in Honolulu, Hawai’i. She holds a BA in Animation from the University of Hawai’i School of Digital Arts and aims to recreate her explorations of identity through animation and storytelling. She has won multiple awards including “Best Animation” at the 2021 Paris International Film Awards, “Best Character Animation” and “Best Film” from the Academy for Creative Media Awards in 2022, and “Best Art Direction in Animation” and “Best Cinematography in Animation” awards at the School of Cinematic Arts Awards in 2023.
Drawing inspiration from both classical traditions and contemporary in luences, Annabel Punzel’s works are characterized by her energetic rhythms and whimsical harmonic language. She is greatly in luenced by the French impressionist movement as well as modern folk, rock, and jazz. Her music has been performed at numerous concerts, capturing the attention of audiences with its passionate and distinctive voice. She enjoys exploring other artistic mediums such as painting, woodworking, and drawing but her favorite endeavors have been composing, tutoring music theory at Elmhurst University and music theory and at Spirito Singers.
About the Conductors
Dr. Adam Kehl serves as Director of Bands, Associate Professor of Music at Elmhurst University (Elmhurst, IL) where he conducts the Elmhurst Wind Ensemble, teaches conducting, and provides leadership for all facets the universities comprehensive band program. Previously, Dr. Kehl served as Associate Director of Bands at the University of Hawai’i at Manoa, and as Director of Bands at Elon University in Elon, NC. Originally from the Paci ic Northwest, Dr. Kehl holds Bachelor of Music degrees in Music Education and Percussion Performance from the University of Oregon, a Master of Music in conducting from the University of New Mexico, and a Doctor of Musical Arts in conducting from the University of South Carolina. He previously served as a high school band director in the public schools of California and is highly active as a clinician, adjudicator, and guest conductor for concert and marching bands around the United States.
Dr. Kehl maintains an active research agenda, primarily focusing on the creation of historically accurate critical editions, for the purpose of modern performance, of wind music from the French Revolution. Four of his editions from composers Gossec, Catel and Hyacinthe Jadin are published and available from Maxime’s Music Publishing, with additional editions scheduled in the coming years. He also frequently presents sessions at conferences on conducting gesture development, score study, and student leadership development. Dr. Kehl has completed three musical tours abroad, including tours in China and Italy, and served as an Associate Producer on the USC Wind Ensemble’s critically acclaimed “Bernstein: The Transcriptions for Wind Band” for Naxos Records.
He is an advocate for new music, media integration, creative programming and inter-arts collaboration, and is actively involved in bringing new works to life through commissioning and conducting premieres, including works by Donald Grantham, Kevin Walczyk, David Clay Mettens, Carter Pann, Adrienne Albert, Todd Coleman, Ted King-Smith, David Kirkland Garner, Nick Omiccioli, Aaron Perrine, and Tyler Ono, and has worked with such guests artists as Dr. David Constantine, Dr. Nave Graham, famed Hawaiian singers Willie K and Henry Kapono, Lynn and John Beck, the Elon Dance Department, and Elon University President Dr. Leo Lambert.
Dr. James Hile currently serves as Chair of the Music Department at Elmhurst University. He most recently served as Director of Bands at Elmhurst University and taught in the public schools at Highland Park High School (IL). He served as Director of Bands at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and began his collegiate teaching career as the Assistant Director of Bands at the University of Illinois.
Hile has gained a national reputation as a band arranger and his arrangements and transcriptions have been performed by numerous high school, college and university bands, the United States Army Band, the United States Army Brass Band, the United States Air Force Band, the Interlochen Music Academy Bands, the Dallas Wind Symphony, and the Israel Philharmonic Winds.
Hile has received numerous awards for teaching excellence at both public school and collegiate levels and is also a recipient of the “Citation of Excellence” by the National Band Association. He has been recognized as a Chicagoland Outstanding Music Educator, Illinois Bandmaster of the Year and was recently recognized in Who’s Who in America. He currently maintains an active schedule as a guest conductor, arranger, clinician and adjudicator.
Upcoming Elmhurst University Bands Events
Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Band Spring Concert
May 4, 2025 – 2:00pm in Hammerschmidt Chapel
featuring Gunnery Sargeant Dr. David Constantine, Timpanist from the US “President’s Own” Marine Band
We hope to see you again at an upcoming Elmhurst University Bands Event!
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