THE FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY College of Music presents
University Concert Band
Devan Moore, Director
Collin Clark, Graduate Associate Conductor
Keith Griffis, Graduate Associate Conductor and
University Symphonic Band
David Plack, Director
Caleb Miller, Graduate Associate Conductor
Kaleb Switanek, Graduate Associate Conductor
Monday, October 13, 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.
Synergy Rising (2010)
University Concert Band
Ascension (2024)
Beyond the Horizon (2009)
Collin Clark, Graduate Associate Conductor
Ryan Nowlin (b. 1978)
Marie A. Douglas (b. 1987)
Rossano Galante (b. 1967)
Lift Up Your Heads (2022)
Elevation (2024)
K2 (2012)
Calvary of the Clouds (1923)
Keith Griffis, Graduate Associate Conductor
Samuel Coolridge-Taylor (1875–1912)
tr. Shiree X. Williams
Chandler L. Wilson (b. 1984)
Julie Giroux (b. 1961)
Kenneth J. Alford (1881–1945)
INTERMISSION
March and Procession from Bacchus (1876/1966)
Satiric Dances (1975)
Léo Delibes (1836–1891) arr. Osterling
Norman Dello Joio
Allegro pesante (1913–2008)
Adagio mesto
Allegro spumante
Breaking Point (2019)
À La Machaut (2015)
Caleb Miller, Graduate Associate Conductor
Brian Balmages (b. 1975)
Andrew Boss (b. 1988)
Savannah River Holiday (1973)
Kaleb Switanek, Graduate Associate Conductor
Ron Nelson (1929–2023)
Nowlin: Synergy Rising
Ryan Nowlin is a distinguished composer and musician who received Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees from Bowling Greene State University in Ohio. In 2010 Nowlin joined the United States Marine Band as the staff arranger. Now Director and Lt. Colonel, Nowlin’s compositions and conducting experience have encompassed numerous prestigious collaborations and performances. From collaborations with Beyoncé and Kelly Clarkson, to producing nineteen Marine Band albums and performing for President Barrack Obama’s second inauguration countless individuals have experienced Lt. Col. Nowlin’s artistry.
Synergy Rising was commissioned by Wheaton Warrenville South High School in 2010. The commission was to celebrate the opening of a new performance facility. Synergy Rising characterizes the excitement and joy of novel experiences with its swift and fleeting melodies. Listen for the featured clarinet soli and saxophone choir soli demonstrating the beauty and exuberance of awe-inspiring architecture.
Douglas: Ascension
Born and raised in Atlanta, GA, Marie A. Douglas has earned widespread recognition for her ability to seamlessly blend genres and textures in her music. Her music deeply reflects her inner-city roots and eclectic musical background, bringing a sense of authenticity and emotional depth to every composition. Drawing powerful inspiration from the African Diaspora, Douglas’ music fuses elements of hip-hop with Western art music traditions, creating works that resonate with diverse audiences. Her music has been featured in performances across the United States and Canada, and her artistic reach extends beyond the concert hall. Douglas collaborates with a range of ensembles and contributes her creative voice to film scores, hip-hop, and R&B.
In 2024, the Association of Black Women Band Directors led a consortium to commission one of Doulas’ newest works, Ascension. The piece serves as a fanfare that honors the journey African American women band directors and conductors. The musical themes within the piece reflect the emotional highs and lows of striving to achieve at the highest level as one “Ascends” in their craft despite overcoming challenges and adversity.
Galante: Beyond the Horizon
Rossano Galante is an American composer born in Buffalo, NY. Galante started his career in trumpet performance obtaining his bachelor’s degree from the State University of New York, Buffalo. Afterwards he was accepted into the film scoring program at USC where he studied with Jerry Goldsmith – composer of many noteworthy film scores such as Alien, Poltergeist, Total Recall, and Mulan. Galante developed a robust career in film score orchestration where he worked on films including A Quiet Place, The Mummy, Scary Movie 2, and Logan. All the while Galante has maintained a strong presence in the band community with 59 compositions for wind ensemble.
Beyond the Horizon captures a cinematic journey of Earth’s breathtaking landscape. The piece features two distinct melodies which portray the emotions experienced when beset with the breathtaking and dazzling grandeur of the horizon. As you traverse the edge of the horizon the piece introduces the second theme. In a reflection of the sights visited, the piece concludes with a majestic interweaving of the two main themes. Which melody you will be singing on your way out is up to you, but be assured this piece will leave a remnant of its melody with you.
Coolridge-Taylor: Lift Up Your Heads
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor was an English composer and conductor celebrated for his musical talent and cultural impact. Raised in Croydon by a musical family, he began violin lessons early and entered the Royal College of Music at age 15, where he studied composition. After graduating, he became a professor at the Crystal Palace School of Music and conductor of the Croydon Conservatoire Orchestra. His work as a composer and musician eventually caught the attention of Sir Edward Elgar, whose publisher commissioned his Ballade at the 1898 Three Choirs Festival. Coleridge-Taylor went on to tour the United States three times, conducting the U.S. Marine Band at the White House in 1904 and forging ties with African American leaders like W.E.B. Du Bois.
Published in 1892, Lift Up Your Heads was originally written for choir and organ. This piece based on Psalm 24:7–8:
7 Lift up your heads, o ye gates; And be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; And the King of glory shall come in
8 And who is the King of glory?
The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.
Coleridge-Taylor’s Lift Up Your Head was transcribed for wind ensemble by composer, conductor, and educator Shiree X. Williams. Among Dr. Williams’ missions is to transcribe and arrange music for the wind band that introduces musicians to composers who have been historically underrepresented. Lift Up Your Heads is one such piece.
Wilson: Elevation
American composer, conductor, and educator Dr. Chandler L. Wilson currently serves as the Director of Bands at Stetson University in DeLand, FL. His compositions have been performed and premiered across the nation, including the Music for All National Festival in Indianapolis, IN, and at the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic in Chicago, IL. A Florida native, Wilson is a graduate of Florida A&M University, Indianna University of Pennsylvania, and Florida State University, where he also served on faculty from 2020-2024.
Published in 2024, Elevation is meant to elicit the sheer joy experienced in all of the peak moments in life. As the composer writes:
Elevation is a broad word that means so many things, such as altitude, measurement, nobleness, personal status, and much more. This work represents all of these things. Everyone has experienced and will experience some form of elevation several times throughout their life, like graduating from high school, getting a job, getting a promotion at that job, and even owning your own business.
The piece contains many of Wilson’s signature musical features, including exciting fanfares, active percussion parts, and driving rhythmic and harmonic motifs throughout.
Julie Giroux is one of the most prolific wind band composers of this generation with over 170 compositions for wind ensemble. Furthermore, Giroux is an extremely well-rounded composer with works for choir, orchestra, band, and film scoring. She received her formal education from Louisiana State University and Boston University. During her studies she grew under the tutelage of well-known film composers such as John Williams, Bill Conti, and Jerry Goldsmith. Throughout her work she has been a three-time Emmy nominee and recipient of the 1992 Emmy for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Music Direction.
K2 is the name of the deadliest mountain in the world. Located on the border of Pakistan and China, K2 is part of the Karakoram Mountain range. As the second highest mountain peak in the world, K2 stands at 28,251 feet tall. It has earned its title as the deadliest mountain due to its mortality rate for climbers. Having never been successfully climbed in the winter, this Earthly giant claims the lives of 27% of those who attempt to climb its treacherous peak. Where there exists extreme danger some of the most magnificent cliffs and views are found. This piece captures the instability of climbing a mountain through its shifting time signatures and rumbling rhythmic motifs. At times the melody instills the fear of K2’s perilous mountainside, but it also conveys an illustrious beauty of one of Earth’s grandest mountains.
Alford: Cavalry of the Clouds
Major Frederick Joseph Ricketts, who composed under the pen name of Kenneth J. Alford, served as bandmaster of the Second Battalion of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. During this time he composed many of his most well-known marches, including his most iconic march, Colonel Bogey. Officers were generally discouraged from engaging in commercial pursuits outside their duties, prompting Ricketts—then a lieutenant—to publish under a pseudonym. He chose “Kenneth” after his eldest son and “Alford” from his mother’s maiden name. As tensions rose across Europe and World War II loomed, he turned his focus toward boosting morale through music. Alford’s marches reflect a deep sense of patriotism, honoring the resilience and bravery of those preparing to defend Britain.
Cavalry of the Clouds features many of the trademarks of Alford’s most beloved marches. With rousing and interesting rhythms, tuneful and memorable melodies, and sharp dynamic and stylistic contrasts, Cavalry of the Clouds is one of many such marches that made Kenneth J. Alford known as the “British March King.”
Delibes: March and Procession of Bacchus
French composer Clement Philibert Leo Delibes (1836-1891) was widely heralded as one of the world’s finest talents in French dramatic stage works including his 1876 ballet Sylvia, from which March and Procession of Bacchus is extracted. The ballet unfolds a narrative which follows the adventures of protagonist Sylvia, the eponymous nymph, as she is captured by Orion, the evil huntsman, only to be desperately pursued and potentially rescued by love interest, Amyntas. Delibes studied composition at the Paris Conservatory under influential operatic composer Adolphe Adam and took a position at the Theater-Lyrique as an accompanist, building up experience to later accompany the Paris Opera. He is well known for his tenure at the Paris Conservatory as Professor of Composition in 1881.
Arranger Eric Osterling (1926-2005) does a masterful job encapsulating the essence of prolific romantic era compositions in his arrangement for the modern wind band of Delibes original work for orchestra, Marche et Cortege De Bacchus in the third act of Sylvia. The composition opens with a bold fanfare from the trumpets, and answered in full tutti by the rest of the wind ensemble. The listener experiences soft, lyrical sections led by a thoughtful arrangement of woodwind instruments that expose the sustained, prolonged areas of the piece. Similar to much other programmatic music of the time, the composition features stark contrasts in mood from frighteningly frantic affects that build in suspense only to give way to large, broad melodic statements that stretch over many bars. The march concludes with a fiery vivace culminating in heavily orchestrated major chords. These era-specific compositional trends later went on to influence other great composers in the areas of dance such as Tchaikovsky.
Dello Joio: Satiric Dances
Composer Norman Dello Joio (1913-2008) was a prolific composer who wrote works for a variety of musical mediums, including choral works, orchestra, band, solo voice, chamber, piano, and several solo wind instruments. Born to Italian immigrants, he studied the piano with his father at the tender age of 4 with his father and organ with his godfather. Dello Joio’s compositional mentors include formal study with Bernard Wagenaar at the Juilliard School of Music and Paul Hindemith. Dello Joio is most well known for his teaching tenures at Sarah Lawrence College and the Mannes School of Music in New York City. He held an administrative role as the Dean of Fine Arts at Boston University, as well as Professor of Music. Dello Joio music reflects clear influences in the genres of Gregorian chant, Italian opera, and jazz.
Satiric Dances for a Comedy by Aristophanes was commissioned for the celebration of the Bicentennial for the town of Concord, Massachusetts in April of 1975. This work was funded primarily by the Town of Concord itself, with collaboration assistance provided by the Eastern National Park and Monument Association in cooperation with the National Park Service. Dello Joio, then Dean of Boston University’s School for the Arts, agreed to the commission under the pretense that he would be allowed to use source material that he had written as background music for a comedy by Athenian citizen and playwright, Aristophanes. Composed for wind band, the three movement dance suite sets music to Arisphonanes’ literary works.
Allegro Pesante, introduced as the opening movement, sonically captures the satirizations of one ancient Greek philosopher, Socrates, by Aristrophanes as derived from his play Clouds. The character of this movement can be considered to be especially dynamic in its contrasts. From its to an heavy, brassy chords and quick, whip-like woodwind interjections to a more tongue and cheek musical coda, a thunderous boom in the percussion section.
A much slower, more ponderous Adagio mesto features sensitive solos from key instruments such as flute, oboe, and clarinet. The movement itself is characterized by a musical depiction of Aristophanes play Wasps, which follows a son’s attempt to stop his father from serving in a legal system detrimental to his health. Its themes are much melancholier and more introspective in nature from beginning to end, with a vibrant and lush middle section filled with beautiful melodies.
Allegro spumante, or “fast, and sparkling”, is by far the quick tempo marking in the composition. Its swift passages and wide dynamic range bring to life the title of the play in which it is modeled after: Birds. This movement displays a fast-paced musical “flight” that takes off quickly in its start and continues to soar all the way into its conclusion.
Balmages: Breaking Point
Composer Brian Balmages (b. 1975) is an award winning, composer, conductor, producer, and performer. He writes for several performance mediums, which include the wind band and orchestra, with commissions ranging from school groups all the way through to professional orchestras worldwide. Balmages holds degrees from James Madison University (B.M.) and the University of Miami (M.M), studying trumpet with notable teachers such as James Kluesner, Don Tison, and Gilbert Johnson. His most widely recognized contributions to the medium of wind band literature include Love and Light, which was recently awarded the William D. Revelli prize in music composition in 2020 by the National Band Association.
Breaking Point, written as a commission for the Cumberland High School Band in Wisconsin, was not originally titled as aforementioned, or even intended to be composed. “This piece was never meant to be written,” shares Balmages. “The underlying story is that throughout the [writing of that] piece, my father has been extremely sicksuffering from liver and kidney failure… Throughout this entire experience, I have reached my own breaking point. Over and over again. So I fall apart, put myself together, and am broken all over again. And again. This is the piece that I have written for you: Breaking Point.” Breaking Point is characterized by themes of beauty, untamed, as well as intense emotional turmoil. Its solemn, dirge-like opening contrasts with its faster, more agitated middle section, symbolizing the changing emotions of Balmages as he utilizes this music as a vehicle to process the sobering reality of his father’s health.
Breaking Point ultimately achieves its goal of bringing the audience through an auditory experience of pain, anguish, and sorrow. The piece ultimately concludes with a soft Bach-style chorale, which symbolizes his father’s state of peacefulness, content with a life well lived and a readiness for whatever comes next.
Boss: À La Machaut
American composer, pianist, conductor, and educator Andrew Boss (b. 1988) has gained significant recognition in his young career. The recipient of numerous honors and awards, his works have been performed by preeminent ensembles around the world, including the Sydney Conservatorium Wind Ensemble and the Dallas Winds. Audiences, conductors, and performers alike have praised Boss for his ability to create uniquely captivating and imaginative works that engage all who experience his music. Boss holds degrees from Florida Southern College (BM), the Peabody Institute (MM), and the University of Texas at Austin (DMA), and he previously served on the faculty at Florida Atlantic University.
À La Machaut draws its inspiration from the 14th-century works of prolific medieval composer Guillaume de Machaut. Boss opens his piece with material from Puis qu’en oubli (“Since I am forgotten”) before introducing lively percussion and a variety of soloists performing the melody of Douce dame jolie (“Sweet lovely lady”). These two melodies have been harmonically reimagined and take turns receiving the spotlight before they are interwoven at the climax of the work. Boss cleverly integrates fragments of Machaut’s Kyrie from his Messe de Nostre Dame to add a third layer, enriching the texture with both spiritual and secular influences. The result is a vibrant tapestry that bridges centuries, blending medieval counterpoint with modern sonorities to create a work that is both reflective and exhilarating.
Nelson: Savannah River Holiday
Composer Ron Nelson (1929-2023) gained wide recognition as a composer, and conductor of works in band, orchestra, and chorus. “Nelson is the quintessential American composer. He has the ability to move between conservative and newer styles with ease. The fact that he’s a little hard to categorize is what makes him interesting,” writes internationally acclaimed conductor, Leonard Slatkin. A native of Joliet, Illinois, Nelson earned all of his degrees at the University of Rochester in music, and later went on to study at the Paris Conservatory in France under a Fulbright grant in 1955. His famous contributions to wind literature include his Passacaglia (Homage to B-A-C-H), which made history by winning the three major composition prizes - the National Band Association William D. Revelli Prize, the American Bandmasters Association Ostwald Prize, and the Sudler International Prize. Nelson is well known for his tenure as the Professor of Music at Brown University from 1956-1973.
Nelson’s composition Savannah River Holiday was commissioned by the New Rochelle High School Wind Ensemble for the Music Educators National Association (MENC) convention in Anaheim, California in 1973. Its origins trace back to an orchestral overture which premiered on NBC Radio in 1953. Nelson writes a gorgeous composition, with fairly groundbreaking usage of modern harmonies for the time of introduction into the wind ensemble canon. The band transcription continues to carry the heart and soul of the original work for orchestra, with some clever adaptations in new scoring opportunities for winds. The piece is separated into two distinct settings: the first of which can be described as “gay and reckless (allegro vivace)”, with the other being “quiet and reflective (adagio; andante sostenuto)”. The vivace sections are thrilling, with bold musical statements from the brass and demanding technical passages in the woodwinds. Nelson maintains a colorful palette of sounds with the utilization of an expanded percussion section and inclusion of specialty instruments such as the piano, celeste, string bass, and harp. The adagio is refreshingly innovative, with clear jazz influences built into its harmonic structures. Nelson masterfully envelops the listener into ecstasies of lovely woodwind melodies traded with warm brass accompaniments, tastefully complemented with tone colours created by consorts of percussion.
With groundbreaking fusions of classical and jazz American music in its time, Savannah River Holiday closes the program leaving the listener initiated into one of the greatest musical compositions of our mediums musical canon.
Piccolo
Allie Mattice
Flute
Nicki Howard
Lexi Smith
Addison Peltier
Maya Sparks
Queen Byrdsong
Anna Todd
Kayte Warner
Oboe
Abigail Saltares
Mariana Rivera
Emma Brock
Isabella Masson
Bassoon
Benjamin Vela
Robin Moussier
Megan Meese
Aspen Atwood
University Concert Band Personnel
Devan Moore, Director
Collin Clark and Keith Griffis, Graduate Associate Conductors
B-Flat Clarinet
Nathan Edwards
Nate Odom
Chloe Kho
Natalia Morales
Zach Costea
Kate Blackadar
Abigail Flores
Eliza Taylor
Elizabeth Gonzalez
Amanda Stewart
Norah Singletary
Anthony Cieza
Hannah Ramos
Bass Clarinet
William Wagner
Saxophone
Caitlyn Jones, alto
Gracie Snider, alto
Samantha Santiesteban, alto
Logan Wong, alto
Ellen Cohn, tenor
Joshua Spraker, baritone
Trumpet
Makenna Payne
Tristan Lopez
Katherine Hatfield
Evan Workman
Christian Jordan
Edwin Cintron
Horn
Maren Smith
Audra Cantrell
Nolan Beighley
Alex Rodriguez
Alexa Kielbasa
Kate Lansford
Trombone
Ben Hill
Caden Ragsdale
Easton Fuller
Blake Panepinto
Andrew Walker
Mikhael Bradshaw
Marcus Lampkin, bass
Caleb Couchois, bass
Euphonium
Karina Benton
Kyle Yakinchuk
Marcelo Guerra
Ryan Nguyễn
Tuba
Paul Van Damme
Allegra Hreschak
Noah Bryant
Grant Markiewicz
Collier McBride
Piano
Bryden Reeves
Percussion
Timothy Thomas
Alex Aquino
Travis Beeton
Caleb Blakeslee
Ethan Stefanski
Ethan Brink
Ethan Turner
Aiden Pippen
Gabby Overholt
Sami Smith
Owen Montgomery
Waylon Hansel
Cole Martin
University Symphonic Band Personnel
David Plack, Director
Caleb Miller and Kaleb Switanek, Graduate Associate Conductors
Piccolo
Ryleigh Templeton
Flute
Daniel Ascanio-Perez*
Krista Zimmerman
Charis Henry
Celeste Galvez
Sofía Vélez-Santiago
Kathleen Antmann
Oboe
Kyle Nishihori*
Megan Halter*
Richard Wilson (+English horn)
Bassoon
Diego Crisostomo*
Marcus Palermo
Sophia Clement
Robert Kennedy (+ Contra)
Clarinet
Nia Thompson*
Malik Mullino
Mia Gabriella Guerrero
John Rodda
Jacob Lirio
Gianna Iadeluca
Althea Keren Medenilla
Ryan Brabham
Daniel Stevens
Ryan Golbe
Jamari Richards
Bass Clarinet
Gabriel Dos Santos
Contra-Bass Clarinet
Alexei Kovalev
Alto Saxophone
Jack Blumer*
Jakub Zella
Caleb Wolf
Jamari Spears-Screen
Luis Angel
Tenor Saxophone
Lincoln McMullen
Parker Button
Baritone Saxophone
Steven Waterston
Trumpet
Kate Moncada*
Alisyn Jones*
Addie Elliott
Angelo Del Oro
Kai Okamoto
Kye Turner
Mikey Moore
Franki Stressman
Horn
Andrew Keller*
Brandon Bourdeau
Coen Taylor
Thiago Costa
Anna Leach
Trombone
Connor Casey*
Calvin Fein
Micah Hreczkosij
Reagan Lesser
Austin Boudi
Jane Cohen
Sam Cote
Bass Trombone
Shane O’Sullivan
Euphonium
Noah Robertson*
Brendan Dominique
Darius Drullard
Lee Anderson
Tuba
Sebastian Davey Bravo*
Xavier Gauthier
Sophia Farfante
Devin Walmsley
Allie Nutting
String Bass
Jean-Philippe Montas
Piano
Bryden Reeves
Harp
Ava Crook
Percussion
Sami Smith*
Ethan Brink
Chance Douglas
Aidan Lenski
Aiden Pippin
Caitlin Magennis
Will McCoy
Ethan Turner
* Principal