THE FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY College of Music presents the
University Wind Ensemble
Patrick Dunnigan,
Conductor
Nick Nadal, Graduate Associate Conductor
Aaron Ovsiew, Graduate Associate Conductor
Wednesday, October 8, 2025
7:30 p.m. | Ruby Diamond Concert Hall
To Ensure An Enjoyable Concert Experience For All…
Please refrain from talking, entering, or exiting during performances. Food and drink are prohibited in all concert halls. Recording or broadcasting of the concert by any means, including the use of digital cameras, cell phones, or other devices is expressly forbidden. Please deactivate all portable electronic devices including watches, cell phones, pagers, hand-held gaming devices or other electronic equipment that may distract the audience or performers.
Recording Notice: This performance may be recorded. Please note that members of the audience may at times be included in this process. By attending this performance you consent to have your image or likeness appear in any live or recorded video or other transmission or reproduction made in conjunction to the performance.
Florida State University provides accommodations for persons with disabilities. Please notify the College of Music at (850) 644-3424 at least five working days prior to a musical event to request accommodation for disability or alternative program format.
PROGRAM
United Artists (2008)
Aaron Ovsiew, graduate associate conductor
Kenneth Fuchs (b. 1956)
Enigma Variations (1899/1978)
Edward Elgar Theme (1857–1934)
Variation I, C.A.E. arr. Earl Slocum
Variation II, W.M.B.
Variation III, R.P.A.
Variation IV, G.R.S.
Variation V, Nimrod
Variation VI, E.D.U.
Postcard (1991)
Frank Ticheli (b. 1958)
Nicholas Nadal, graduate associate conductor
INTERMISSION
Suite from “MASS” for Brass Quintet and Concert Band (1971/2009)
Leonard Bernstein I. Alleluia, Sanctus, Agnus Dei (1918–1990) II. A Simple Song arr. Michael Sweeney III. Offertory, Almighty Father
J’ai été au bal (1999)
Donald Grantham (b. 1947)
Composer Kenneth Fuchs (b. 1956) has written numerous works for band, orchestra, chamber ensembles, and voice. He earned his BM in Composition from the University of Miami and his MM and DMA from The Juilliard School. As a student, Fuchs worked with Vincent Persichetti, Alfred Reed, David del Tredici, David Diamond, and Stanley Wolf. He frequently collaborates with conductor JoAnn Falletta and the London Symphony Orchestra, having recorded five albums on the Naxos label – the last of which won the 2018 Grammy Award for Best Classical Compendium. In 2020, Fuchs collaborated with the United States Coast Guard Band on an album of many of his works for winds. He is currently Professor of Composition at the University of Connecticut, where he frequently works with his colleagues on recording projects and teaches both composition and music education courses.
United Artists (2008), originally composed for orchestra, was commissioned for Lieutenant Colonel Larry H. Lang, Commander and Conductor of the United States Air Force Academy Band in Colorado Springs. The primary musical theme is a four-note motif comprising the intervals of a descending perfect fourth, an ascending major sixth, and an ascending minor second. After three opening chords, this motif is first stated in unison by xylophone and nearly all woodwinds. As the piece continues, the theme is developed melodically, harmonically, and stylistically, providing both a sense of variety and cohesion to the work.
Sir Edward Elgar (1857–1934) stands as one of England’s most significant late-Romantic composers, best remembered for works such as the Pomp and Circumstance Marches, his Cello Concerto, and the Enigma Variations. Though largely self-taught, Elgar achieved international recognition at the turn of the twentieth century for his expressive orchestration and deeply personal musical voice. His music often reflects both nobility and nostalgia, qualities that resonated strongly with audiences in Britain and abroad.
Earl Slocum (1902–1994) was a respected American band conductor, arranger, and educator who spent more than two decades leading the University of North Carolina Bands. A past president of the American Bandmasters Association, he was known for making sensitive and practical transcriptions of orchestral works for wind ensemble. His setting of the Enigma Variations demonstrates both a deep respect for Elgar’s original score and a keen understanding of the colors and strengths of the concert band.
Composed in 1899, the Enigma Variations are based on an original theme with fourteen variations, each depicting one of Elgar’s close friends. While programmatic in concept, the work’s lasting success rests on the vivid contrasts of character and Elgar’s masterful command of instrumental color. Earl Slocum’s transcription for concert band presents a carefully chosen group of these variations, among them the beloved Nimrod, which has become a universal symbol of remembrance and is often performed at solemn state occasions like the funeral of Princess Diana, UK Remembrance Day ceremonies, and President Jimmy Carter’s funeral. Together, these movements offer a compelling glimpse into Elgar’s inner circle and reflect the warmth, humor, and humanity that define his musical voice.
Frank Ticheli (b. 1958) is among the most widely performed American composers for wind band today. A native of Louisiana, he studied at Southern Methodist University and the University of Michigan before teaching composition at Trinity University and later joining the faculty at the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music. His works range from large orchestral scores to chamber pieces, but he is best known for his distinctive
contributions to the concert band repertoire, which blends rhythmic drive, lyrical writing, and imaginative use of timbre. Ensembles at every level perform his music, and he has been recognized with awards from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the National Band Association, and ASCAP.
Postcard (1991) was commissioned by H. Robert Reynolds as a tribute to his mother, Ethel Virginia Curry. Rather than composing a lament, Ticheli crafted a spirited musical snapshot; a celebration of life rather than a meditation on loss. The piece opens with a palindromic theme in flute and clarinet, a nod to the Reynolds family tradition of symmetrical names. This motif becomes a playful engine for the work’s structure, inspiring rhythmic asymmetries and harmonic twists that keep the listener slightly off-balance. Ticheli’s harmonic language resists predictability, favoring unexpected progressions and dynamic contrasts that oscillate between hushed fragments and exuberant full-band gestures. Melodic ideas are constantly reshaped, fragmented, and reassembled, creating a sense of perpetual motion. Compact yet complex, Postcard reveals both the whimsical spirit of its dedicatee and Ticheli’s skill in balancing intellectual craft with vibrant expression.
Leonard Bernstein (1918–1990) was one of the most influential American composers, conductors, and music educators of the 20th century. Born in Lawrence, Massachusetts, he showed a natural musical ability early in life, and began taking piano lessons and composing as a teenager. Bernstein earned his BA in Music from Harvard before completing a degree in conducting with Fritz Reiner at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. At the age of 25, Bernstein earned worldwide praise and fame when he, the newly hired Assistant Conductor of the New York Philharmonic, stepped in for guest conductor Bruno Walter with only a few hours’ notice. After this performance, Bernstein showcased his ability as a conductor and composer across the US and abroad. He served as Music Director of the New York Philharmonic from 1958 to 1969, where he brought their Young People’s Concerts to television for the first time – educating millions of children on the joys and complexities of classical music. As a conductor, he appeared with some of the world’s finest orchestras, including the Vienna Philharmonic, London Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and Berlin Philharmonic. In addition to his fame as a conductor, Bernstein built a strong reputation as a composer of both classical and Broadway music. Some of his famous compositions include Mass: A Theatre Piece for Singers, Players, and Dancers; Candide; West Side Story; and his three symphonies (Jeremiah, Age of Anxiety, and Kaddish).
Throughout his career, Michael Sweeney (b. 1952) has written over 500 compositions and arrangements. Sweeney earned his bachelor’s degree in music education from Indiana University – Bloomington in 1977. While at IU, he also studied composition with Bernard Heiden, John Eaton, and Donald Erb. After graduating, he taught concert, marching, and jazz band in Ohio and Indiana. In 1982, he joined the music publishing company Hal Leonard and worked his way up to the position of Director of Band Publications. His music has won multiple American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) awards, been included in the Teaching Music Through Performance series, and appears on many state repertoire lists. Sweeney is frequently asked to serve as a clinician and conductor for honor bands and festivals.
Leonard Bernstein’s Mass is one of his most ambitious and eclectic creations. Commissioned for the opening of the Kennedy Center in 1971, the work blends the Catholic liturgy with original texts by Bernstein and Stephen Schwartz, resulting in a theatrical collage of musical styles including classical, jazz, rock, gospel, and Broadway. Its premiere stirred controversy, reflecting the cultural tensions of the Vietnam era, but Bernstein insisted the piece was ultimately a statement of faith and reconciliation.
Commissioned jointly by the Canadian Brass and the Eastman Wind Ensemble, Michael Sweeney’s 2007 adaptation distills the sprawling original into a concise concert band medium, selecting movements that showcase the work’s stylistic diversity and emotional range. The jubilant “Alleluia” sets the tone with rhythmic exuberance, while “Sanctus” alternates between brassy proclamations and sweeping ensemble textures. “Offertory” pulses with kinetic energy, and the closing “Almighty Father” offers a moment of serene reflection. Though condensed, the suite retains the theatrical flair and spiritual searching that make Mass one of Bernstein’s most distinctive and daring compositions.
Donald Grantham (b. 1947) is an award-winning American composer. Originally from Duncan, Oklahoma, he received his BM from the University of Oklahoma and his MM and DMA from the University of Southern California. He also studied with composer Nadia Boulanger at the American Conservatory in France. Grantham’s compositions have earned him numerous prizes, specifically, his pieces Fantasy Variations and Southern Harmony each won the American Bandmasters’ Association Sousa/Ostwald Prize and the National Band Association’s Revelli Award. The American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters has described his music as containing, “elegance, sensitivity, lucidity of thought, clarity of expression and fine lyricism.” Grantham co-authored, along with Kent Kennan, The Technique of Orchestration and currently serves as Professor of Composition at the University of Texas at Austin.
J’ai été au bal (1999) was commissioned by the University of Texas at Austin Wind Ensemble, and their director, Jerry Junkin. It was premiered at the 1999 CBDNA National Conference, hosted by UT-Austin. The work celebrates the Cajun music of Louisiana and the jazz music of New Orleans. The title, which translates to “I went to the ball,” is a reference to the piece’s use of two Cajun dancing songs – Allons danser, Colinda (“Let’s Go Dancing, Colinda) and Les flames d’enfer (“The Flames of Hell”). Allons danser, Colinda, which tells the story of a young boy trying to convince Colinda to dance with him, can first be heard in the flute section before being passed to the clarinets. The piece’s middle section evokes the sounds of New Orleans brass bands and the playing of jazz and Dixieland music –featuring the tuba, euphonium, string bass, piano, and percussion. After a fiddle-like introduction by the woodwinds and mallet percussion, a much faster version of Les flames d’enfer, which serves as a call for salvation from hell, can be heard in the clarinets before being transformed across the ensemble and leading to a brass chorale, restating the piece’s opening folk song, Allons danser, Colinda
University Wind Ensemble Personnel
Patrick Dunnigan, Conductor
Nick Nadal and Aaron Ovsiew, Graduate Associate Conductors
Piccolo
Sarah Kimbro
Flute
Moriah Emrich*
Matthieu North
Sophie Palm
Kayla Crider
Oboe
Loanne Masson**
Lorin Zamer**
Peter Arbogast
Lee Howell
English Horn
Loanne Masson
Bassoon
Hunter Fisher*
Alex Rameau
Jake Norona
Genesis Olmeda-Perez
E-Flat Clarinet
Elizabeth Kennedy
B-Flat Clarinet
Eric Olmsted**
Ava Raposo**
Daniel Burrow
Elizabeth Kennedy
Abby Varnadoe
Joseph Eckhart
Rachael Malawey
Isabelle Parsons
Halle Mynard
Bass Clarinet
Caron Braggs
Saxophone
Raymond Wilkerson*
Casey Caulkins, alto
Jennifer Fuentes, alto
Kaiden Klingler, tenor
Olivia Turke, baritone
Trumpet/Cornet
Jordyn Myers**
Nathan Reid**
Grason Peterson
Tyler Bennett
Max McLaughlin
Katherine Brinkman
Horn
Isaac Roman*
Davis Craddock
David Pinero
Wesley Vaden
Emma Brockman
Trombone
Mateo Buitrago*
Sam Mercier
Allen Wroten
Jacob Zussy, bass
Euphonium
Adam Zierden*
Kris Stottlemire
Tuba
Connor Kelley*
Braden Meyer
Teddy Marvel
String Bass
Gavin Smith
Piano
Thong Truong
Harp
Amber Harris
Percussion
Caitlin Magennis*
JJ Baker
Waylon Hansel
Drew Jungslager
Owen Montgomery
Jessica Weinberg
Gabby Overholt
* Principal ** Co-Principal