Pacific Wind Bands Vu Nguyen, conductor Viet Cuong, composer-in-residence Brian Bùi, composer and đàn tranh Bích-Vân Nguyễn, soprano Erin Bodnar, guest conductor Sophia Rechel, graduate assistant conductor
Saturday, October 28, 2023 7:30 pm Faye Spanos Concert Hall
18TH PERFORMANCE OF 2023–24 ACADEMIC YEAR
OC TOBER 28, 2023, 7:30 PM Vietnamese Folk Medley (2023) (World Premiere) Brian Bùi, đàn tranh
Autumn Triptych (2023) (World Premiere) Thu ầm Thu vịnh Thu điếu Bích-Vân Nguyễn, soprano
Traditional arr. Brian Bùi ’21 (b. 1999)
Viet Cuong (b. 1990)
John Mackey (b. 1973)
This Cruel Moon (2017) Erin Bodnar, conductor
Yukiko Nishimura (b. 1967)
Merry Go Round (2016) Sophia Rechel, conductor
Variations on a Korean Folk Song (1965)
Deciduous (2022)
John Barnes Chance (1932–1972) Cuong
Viet Cuong’s residency at Pacific is made possible in part by the Robert and Helen Gross Band Program Endowment. Bích-Vân Nguyễn’s appearance and Brian Bùi’s composition are made possible by University of the Pacific’s Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
PROGRAM NOTES Bùi: Vietnamese Folk Medley This work was commissioned by University of the Pacific’s Conservatory of Music. For the composer’s biography see “Artist Biographies.” Note by the composer The medley is a musical form which has long been a part of Vietnamese musical tradition, appearing in many styles ranging from folk song to theater and even royal court music. Vietnamese Folk Medley features popular folk songs from each of the three major regions of Vietnam: The North, Central, and South. “Trống cơm” (The rice drum) is a Northern Vietnamese song typically played at festivals. The song is named after a traditional cylindrical drum with two heads. Performers will smear rice on one of the heads in order to tune the drum, giving it its name. The lyrics are lighthearted, mentioning kids swimming in the river, love, and the titular trống cơm. “Lý tình tang” is a song from the former imperial capital of Hue. One can typically hear this song performed by classical ensembles on boats floating down the languid Perfume River. This melody, as with many traditional Vietnamese tunes, may be sung with different lyrics, although the most popular version today is “Lý mười thương,” roughly meaning “Ten things I love about you.” The lyrics are from the point of view of an admirer who sings of things such as his lover’s shoulder-length hair, dreamy eyes, and the way her ao dai blows in the wind, all of which were considered the most admirable traits of women from the region. These lyrics are interspersed with the refrain “Ố tang ố tang tình tang,” from which the song draws its name. These syllables have no meaning in Vietnamese, instead coming from a solmization system used to represent different tones of the đàn đáy (three -stringed lute): tính tĩnh tình tinh tung tàng tang. “Lý ngựa ô” (The black horse) is a southern song typically played at weddings. The lyrics describe a groom harnessing a black horse to a golden carriage to bring his bride to the palace, firecrackers in the yard, and the bride’s dress. In Vietnam, black horses were rare, so having one for a wedding was special. The solo trombone in this section plays a similar role as the đàn bầu (monochord zither), with both producing sounds through bending overtones.
PROGRAM NOTES Cuong: Autumn Triptych Called “alluring” and “wildly inventive” by the New York Times, the music of American composer Viet Cuong, Pacific’s composer-in-residence, has been performed on six continents by musicians and ensembles such as the New York Philharmonic, Eighth Blackbird, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Sō Percussion, Alarm Will Sound, Atlanta Symphony, Sandbox Percussion, Albany Symphony, PRISM Quartet, and Dallas Winds, among many others. Cuong’s music has been featured in venues such as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and the Kennedy Center, and his works for wind ensemble have amassed several hundreds of performances worldwide. Passionate about bringing these different facets of the contemporary music community together, Cuong recently composed a concerto for Eighth Blackbird with the United States Navy Band. Cuong also enjoys exploring the unexpected and whimsical, and he is often drawn to projects where he can make peculiar combinations and sounds feel enchanting or oddly satisfying. His works thus include a snare drum solo, percussion quartet concerto, and double oboe concerto. He is currently the California Symphony’s Young American Composer-in-Residence and the Pacific Symphony’s composer-in-residence, and he serves as assistant professor of music composition at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Cuong holds degrees from Princeton University, the Curtis Institute of Music, and the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University. Note by the composer Autumn Triptych is a musical setting of three iconic lyric poems by Nguyễn Khuyến (1834–1909), a Vietnamese scholar, teacher, and poet. “Thu điếu” (Fishing in autumn), “Thu vịnh” (Writing on autumn), and “Thu ầm” (Drinking in autumn) form a melancholy collection of verses written in response to the colonization of Vietnam in the late-nineteenth century. I was first introduced to Nguyễn’s poems six years ago when composer P. Q. Phan invited me to compose a vocal piece with a chamber ensemble accompaniment for the Vietnamese American Society for Creative Arts and Music (VASCAM). I sought advice from my father on a text to set, and he recommended one of his favorite poems, Thu điếu. Vietnamese was my first language, and I spoke no English until I was five, but over the years I had all but completely lost my mother tongue. I knew that the song’s melody would need to be shaped by the tonality of the language, so I relied heavily on my
PROGRAM NOTES father to make sure that my setting preserved the language of the original verse. Though my father had no training as a musician, he was indispensable in helping me to hone the piece. The full wind ensemble version of “Thu điếu,” commissioned by the US Army Field Band in 2021, was the last project I completed before his death, and in the years since his passing the song’s melody invariably brings him to mind. His absence was felt all the more keenly as I completed the other two songs for the Triptych this year. In writing the music for “Writing” and “Drinking,” I felt a greater connection to my Vietnamese heritage than perhaps I ever have. Though my brother Nam and I are named in commemoration of our parents’ homeland, it was not a culture we were raised in. A Vietnamese man even once approached me after a concert to say that he had been listening for the sound of Vietnam in my music but had only been able to hear the Blue Ridge Mountains. It is my hope that in these three pieces, the listener might hear some of both, and perhaps in autumn. Autumn Triptych was commissioned by Vu Nguyen, Albert Nguyen, and Danh Pham and their respective wind ensemble programs at University of the Pacific, University of Memphis, and Washington State University. Thank you to Vu, Albert, and Danh for your encouragement, as well as soprano Bích-Vân Nguyễn, whose beautiful voice richly brings these songs to life. TEXT AND TRANSLATIONS
Thu ầm
Drinking in autumn
Năm gian nhà cỏ thắp le te
Five grass-huts that are low-to-theground sort of dwellings Fireflies flicker in the dark alley late evening Around the mid of the hedges, veils of light smoky color are floating Pond ripples glitter under the flashy moonlight
Ngõ tối đêm sâu đóm lập loè Lưng giậu phất phơ màu khói nhạt Làn ao lóng lánh bóng trăng loe Da trời ai nhuộm mà xanh ngắt? Mắt lão không vầy cũng đỏ hoe Rượu tiếng rằng hay, hay chả mấy Độ năm ba chén đã say nhè
Who dye the sky in bright blue? This old man eyes aren’t rubbed but still of red hue My esteemed reputation in handling liquor, not so true Just about three to five shots, already I am incoherently drunk.
PROGRAM NOTES Thu vịnh
Poetry of autumn
Trời thu xanh ngắt mấy tầng cao,
Deep blue sky of autumn reaches several levels high, Sparse miniature bamboo sticks sway in the gentle breeze. Blueish water appears like a layer of smoke cover, Scantily barred window readily lets in the moonlight.
Cần trúc lơ phơ gió hắt hiu. Nước biếc trông như tầng khói phủ, Song thưa để mặc bóng trăng vào. Mấy chùm trước giậu hoa năm ngoái, Một tiếng trên không ngỗng nước nào? Nhân hứng cũng vừa toan cất bút, Nghĩ ra lại thẹn với ông Đào.
Several clusters of last year flowers hang around the front hedge, A single honk of a goose echoes in the air, from which country is it now? With inspiration, I am about to put my pen to paper, But then I think of Mr. Đào, I feel inadequate.
Thu điếu
Fishing in autumn
Ao thu lạnh lẽo nước trong veo
The fall pond chillingly cold, the water crystal clear A fishing boat, tiny it appears Rolling waves through the mist, ripple a little Yellow leaves in the wind, quietly glide fast From a deep blue sky hang rows of clouds On a bamboo path, no one around Resting on knees, holding the pole for a long time without bites Somewhere the fishes are, tugging under the duckweed sites.
Một chiếc thuyền câu bé tẻo teo Sóng nước theo làn hơi gợn tí Lá vàng trước gió sẽ đưa vèo Từng mây lơ lửng trời xanh ngắt Ngõ trúc quanh co khách vắng teo Tựa gối ôm cần lâu chẳng được Cá đâu đớp động dưới chân bèo —Nguyễn Khuyến (1834–1909)
—trans. Lộc Lê tự Lộc Hồ Dê
PROGRAM NOTES Mackey: This Cruel Moon John Mackey has written for orchestras (Brooklyn Philharmonic, New York Youth Symphony), theater (Dallas Theater Center), and extensively for dance (Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Parsons Dance Company, and New York City Ballet), but the majority of his work for the past decade has been for band, and his band catalog now receives annual performances numbering in the thousands. Recent commissions include works for the BBC Singers and the Dallas Wind Symphony; military, high school, middle school, and university bands across America and Japan; and concertos for Joseph Alessi (principal trombone, New York Philharmonic), Christopher Martin (principal trumpet, New York Philharmonic), and Julian Bliss (international clarinet soloist). This Cruel Moon is the song of the beautiful and immortal nymph Kalypso, who finds Odysseus near death, washed up on the shore of the island where she lives all alone. She nurses him back to health, and sings as she moves back and forth with a golden shuttle at her loom. Odysseus shares her bed; seven years pass. The tapestry she began when she nursed him becomes a record of their love. But one day Odysseus remembers his home. He tells Kalypso he wants to leave her, to return to his wife and son. He scoffs at all she has given him. Kalypso is heartbroken. And yet, that night, Kalypso again paces at her loom. She unravels her tapestry and weaves it into a sail for Odysseus. In the morning, she shows Odysseus a raft, equipped with the sail she has made and stocked with bread and wine, and calls up a gentle and steady wind to carry him home. Shattered, she watches him go; he does not look back.
PROGRAM NOTES Nishimura: Merry Go Round Yukiko Nishimura, a composer and pianist was born in Kyoto, Japan, and graduated from Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music in 1990. In 1991, she began private study with Dr. Alfred Reed at the University of Miami School of Music and in 1993 she continued her studies with Dr. Richard Danielpour at Manhattan School of Music. Since 1996, she has showcased her original compositions in concerts throughout Japan, while her work was featured in venues like the New York Public Library’s Donnell Library Center and Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall. Nishimura has received numerous commissions and has composed for piano, solo marimba and marimba with other instruments (including English horn, saxophone, and trumpet), chamber music, and music for string instruments and orchestra. Her piece Merry Go Round is a whimsical work for concert band that depicts the joy of riding on a merry-go-round or carousel. The main melody is delightful and memorable, supported by vivid orchestrational colors that are unique and fresh. Chance: Variations on a Korean Folk Song John Barnes Chance, born in Beaumont, Texas, began piano lessons at a young age and also played percussion. He received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Texas at Austin, where he studied composition with Clifton Williams. After college Chance briefly performed with the Austin Symphony Orchestra as a timpanist before becoming a percussionist and arranger with the Eighth United States Army Band, stationed in Seoul, South Korea, during the Korean War. Upon his discharge he received a grant from the Ford Foundation’s Young Composers Project, leading to his placement as resident composer in the Greensboro, North Carolina, public schools. There he produced seven works for school ensembles, including his classic Incantation and Dance. He went on to become a professor at the University of Kentucky after winning the American Bandmasters Association’s Ostwald award for his Variations on a Korean Folk Song. Variations on a Korean Folk Song is based on the Korean folk song “Arirang,” which the composer heard while serving in the Eighth US Army Band, stationed in Seoul. The folk song tells the story of a man who is forced to leave his significant other despite her pleas to accompany him. Chance’s setting of “Arirang” is a theme followed by five variations. The beginning of the piece features the clarinet section introducing the theme as a slow serene melody. Each variation is named according to the tempo marking: Vivace, Larghetto, Allegro con brio, Sostenuto, and Con Islancio.
PROGRAM NOTES Cuong: Deciduous Note by the composer For a long time after my father passed away, I felt like I had “lost my leaves.” In the ways that leaves harness light to create energy for trees and plants, I felt like I had so little left to harness creatively. Many days I feared those leaves would never grow back. After struggling for months to write, I finally found some healing while creating Deciduous. This involved revisiting chord progressions that brought me solace as a child and activating them in textures that I have enjoyed exploring as an adult. The piece cycles through these chord progressions, building to a moment where it’s stripped of everything and must find a way to renew itself. While I continue to struggle with this loss, I have come to understand that healing is not as much of a linear process as it is a cyclical journey, where, without fail, every leafless winter is followed by a spring.
ARTIST BIOGRAPHIES A proud University of the Pacific alumnus, Brian Bùi received a Bachelor of Arts degree in composition in 2021. During his undergraduate studies at Pacific, he composed and arranged works for student ensembles and organizations such as Mu Phi Epsilon, Pacific Stocktones, A String Quartet, and Pacific Heavy Ensemble. Through the enchanting sounds of the đàn tranh, Bùi shares the beauty of Vietnamese traditional music with the world. Combining the sounds of his heritage with elements of Latin, jazz, and Western classical music, Bùi’s compositions are a reflection of his diverse and multicultural upbringing in Stockton. Starting out on violin and piano at a young age, it was not until his teenage years that he began his journey into Vietnamese traditional music. In a search to connect with his Vietnamese roots, he was drawn to the đàn tranh, a seventeen-stringed zither. As a performer, Brian has played the đàn tranh for audiences in Vietnam and the United States at events such as the Stockton Multicultural festival, Yerba Buena Gardens Festival, and the US Embassy in Hanoi. In addition to performing, he has held workshops and lectures about Vietnamese traditional music and invites people of all backgrounds to listen to and appreciate the genre. Erin Bodnar is an associate professor of music and director of bands at the University of North Florida (UNF). She conducts the Wind Symphony and Concert Band, teaches conducting courses, and coordinates the UNF Conducting Symposium. Her leadership has led to remarkable performances, including the UNF Wind Symphony’s appearance at the World Association of Symphonic Bands and Ensembles in Buñol, Spain, in July 2019, and the UNF NuMIX’s performance at the College Band Directors National Association Southern Division Conference in February 2022. Prior to her role at UNF, she served as the director of bands at Graceland University, where the Symphonic Band earned recognition at the Iowa Bandmasters Association Conference.
ARTIST BIOGRAPHIES Bodnar is a guest conductor and clinician with a global presence that includes engagements in Argentina, Thailand, Indonesia, and across the United States and Canada. She has contributed to A Composer’s Insight: Thoughts, Analysis and Commentary on Contemporary Masterpieces for Wind Band and the GIA Publications Teaching Music Through Performance series. Beyond her academic pursuits, Bodnar is a dedicated runner and fitness instructor, having completed numerous marathons, including six Boston marathons, ten 50 km races, and one 100 km race. Singer-actress-songwriter, producer, television host Bích-Vân Nguyễn is one of the most versatile and sought-after Vietnamese American artists. She performs in opera, musical theater, and stage productions headlining concerts around the world at prestigious venues such as the Kennedy Center, Rainbow Room (Rockefeller Center), Segerstrom Center for the Arts, Musco Center for the Arts, Carpenter Performing Arts Center, and Quan Ngua Stadium (Vietnam), as well as in South Korea and Australia. Her notable roles include Muse (lead) in the Off-Broadway musical A World Without Harmony, Mai (lead) in the world premiere of the opera What The Horse Eats, Lead in the world premiere of the monodrama Count To Ten, Mẹ Mõ and Sùng Bà in the opera Tale of Lady Thi Kinh, Cleopatra in Giulio Cesare, Tuptim in The King and I, Marian in The Music Man, and Cathy in The Last Five Years, among others. Bích-Vân Nguyễn produces and hosts her television musical show Gác Nhỏ THE NOOK Acoustic while appearing in countless television and radio interviews and talk shows, including being a guest coach/celebrity judge on SBTN VOICE. She has also recorded fourteen albums and can be seen and heard in numerous other productions. Previously trained at the National Music Conservatory (Vietnam) and Bob Cole Conservatory of Music (California), she holds a master’s degree in musical theater and an advanced certificate in vocal pedagogy from New York University.
ARTIST BIOGRAPHIES Vu Nguyen, conductor, is an associate professor of music and director of bands at University of the Pacific. He conducts the Symphonic Wind Ensemble and Concert Band, and he teaches courses in conducting and music education. Nguyen maintains an active schedule as a clinician and has served as guest conductor with military bands as well as honor bands across the country. Ensembles under his direction have performed at state music educator conferences, at the Midwest Clinic, and at the College Band Directors National Association Conference. A native of the San Francisco Bay Area, Nguyen holds degrees in conducting from the University of Washington and the University of Oregon, and he earned a Bachelor of Music degree in music education from the University of the Pacific. Prior to his appointment at Pacific, he served in similar roles at the University of Connecticut, University of Indianapolis, and Washington University in St. Louis in addition to being a visiting conductor with the Indiana University Concert Band. He began his teaching career in the San Ramon Valley Unified School District. In addition to his academic career, Nguyen recently retired as an officer in the Air National Guard (ANG) where he was the commander and conductor of the ANG Band of the West Coast. Sophia Rechel is currently pursuing a master of music degree in music education at University of the Pacific. As a graduate assistant, she assists with courses in music education and works with undergraduates in the classroom and fieldwork to develop and refine their teaching practices. She works closely with Ruth Brittin (music education) and Vu Nguyen (wind band and conducting) while continuing to hone her clarinet playing as a student of Patricia Shands. Her undergraduate degree is in music performance and music education from the University of Arizona, where she studied with clarinetists Jerry Kirkbride and Jackie Glazier.
ARTIST BIOGRAPHIES Rechel is a dedicated music educator who has taught elementary music and beginning band for four years, first in Tucson, Arizona, and then in Amador County, California. She is working hard to develop a fine arts program to make music education more accessible to young musicians in her community. In addition to her teaching and graduate assistant responsibilities, Rechel is an active musician who plays in community ensembles and occasionally with the Folsom Lake Symphony.
PACIFIC WIND BANDS The Pacific Wind Bands at University of the Pacific include students who represent music majors, minors, and non-majors from across Pacific. The ensemble performs at least four concerts each academic year. It provides students the opportunity to play a broad range of music for winds, brass, percussion, and keyboards drawn from a repertoire that honors the rich history of the past and looks to the future, ranging from chamber to full wind band instrumentation. Recent premieres and collaborations with composers include Viet Cuong, Kevin Day, Catherine Likhuta, Giovanni Santos, Alex Shapiro, Ingrid Stölzel, and James Syler. Flutes Grace Coon Riko Hirata Jessica Jenkins Bobby Singh Jasmine Valentine Victoria Wang Oboes Glenn Adcock Walker Austin Apollo Parish Mitchell Emily Zamudio Clarinets Damien Burgos Kyle Chang Audrey Ewing Kaitlyn Ferreira Shane Gardner Maggie Juarez Sophia Rechel Raquel Reginato Joseph Schwarz Andrew Seaver Bassoons Nadege Tenorio Jordan Wier
Saxophones Hannah Estrella Tristan McMichael Marcus Rudes Mateo Ruiz Horns Mary Denney Edgar Leyva Jasmin Lopez Don Parker Skylar Warren Trumpets Parker Deems Keagan Low Alayna Ontai Kamron Qasimi Yukina Shimokawa Kylie Ward Aiden Webbe Trombones Bronson Burfield Jayden Laumeister Matthew Miramontes Seth Neves Miguel Palma
Euphoniums Victor Alcaraz William Giancaterino Tuba Alejandro Villalobos Bass Joshua Gutierrez Percussion Robin Bisho Casey Kim Matthew Kulm Robert McCarl Mallory Norman Aiden Valdez Jenna Williamson Emily Winsatt Piano Magdalene Myint Harp Lauren Sharkey
PACIFIC WIND BANDS Pacific Faculty Coaches Brittany Trotter, flutes Kyle Bruckmann, oboes Patricia Shands, clarinets Ricardo Martinez, saxophones Nicolasa Kuster, bassoons Leonard Ott, trumpets Sadie Glass, horns Bruce Chrisp, low brass Jonathan Latta, percussion Sonia Leong, piano Jonathan Latta, ensembles program director
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Coming soon . . . Nov. 3, 12:30 pm, Recital Hall Conservatory Concert Hour Nov. 6, 7:30 pm, Recital Hall Guest Artist Recital Elisa Blatchford, flute Nov. 7, 7:30 pm, Recital Hall Guest Artist Recital Scottie Wright, saxophone Linli Wang, piano Nov. 10, 7:30 pm, X-Space/Library Guest Artist TriOculaire+ Ensemble Linda Bouchard’s “Live structures” View a digital version of this program at issuu.com/MusicatPacific.
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