Photo courtesy of Marjorie Lehr
The Sacramento Symphonic Winds opens its 18th season in a brand new venue at the El Camino High School Center for the Arts.
A new era for Sacramento Symphonic Winds
Bug’s Life, Romeo Must Die). The piece plays upon the slowly creeping “trio” melody in Sousa’s famous “The Thunderer” march. Hearing the movement is an opportunity to appreciate a deceptively complex genre. “Hearshen really ruminates on one melodic fragment from where the change of key occurs in ‘The Thunderer,’ and brings out its similarity to The 60-strong ensemble the slow movement in Mahler’s 3rd Symphony,” debuts its 18th season at a Smith explains. “He’s doing this on purpose to make a comparison he’s hearing in his head. It brand new venue takes someone with a good ear to hear it and appreciate it.” The evening also features music by other by GrEGG WAGEr American classical composers, including Frank Techeli, Norman Dello Joio and Robert Litton. Originally, the players who form the core of You probably know John Philip Sousa. In 1987, the Sacramento Symphonic Winds morphed out Congress designated the late American composer’s of other ensembles, some of which eventually tune, “Stars and Stripes Forever,” as the country’s disbanded and fused back together. official national march anthem. Sousa’s composiThe 18th season promises several collaborations are among some the most well-known of the tions with other organizations, including Rio early 20th century and a fixture on July Fourth. Americano and Placer high schools, but most While march music is often accompanied by a notable are the four concerts at the new venue. parade and fireworks, hearing it performed indoors can The new space should give the Sacramento still provide the hoopla and razzle-dazzle. Symphonic Winds plenty of room to experiment On Sunday, the Sacramento Symphonic Winds with programming and commissioning new works. opens its 18th season with a program that includes The winter concert in December is titled “From a familiar Sousa march, but also seven other highly Words, Music” with instrumental arrangements of introspective works. The semi-professional ensemble familiar songs, and the spring concert in March is also play a brand new venue this year: the El Camino High School Center for the Arts, a 500-seat community called “A Universe of Sounds.” The final concert in May features music by mostly female composcenter that opened last December. ers, called “Her-story.” “We’re thrilled to finally be performing in a real “Because we’re not a pops group,” Smith says, concert hall and not a hotel ballroom,” says Timothy “our mission keeps us programming new works Smith, who begins his fourth season as the group’s along with appreciation of older, lesser known music and artistic director after a 22-year career as a works.” □ music professor at California State University, East Bay. The baton was passed to him by founding conductor Lester Lehr, who retired in 2016 and performs in the band as a trombonist. Among the eight pieces in the opening program, titled “American Tapestries,” the most curious is the second movement of an elaborate symphony by veteran film orchestrator Ira Hearshen (Rush Hour, A 26 | SN&R | 10.10.19
check out the sacramento symphonic Winds’ opening concert, “american tapestries,” 2:30 p.m. sunday, oct. 13. tickets are $10-$15. children through eighth grade get in free. for show info, visit sacwinds. org or call (916) 489-2576. Gregg Wager is a local composer, music critic and author.