40th annual 40th annual
WindEnsemble WindEnsemble
est. 1985 Honors Honors
Donald Gee & Anthony Pursell conductors
Donald Gee & Anthony Pursell conductors
with alumnus conductor
Evan McCormick Evan McCormick
Magale Recital Hall
Magale Recital Hall
June 13, 2025 * 11:00 a.m.
June 13, 2025 * 11:00 a.m.
WindEnsembleHonors WindEnsembleHonors a history
From Mr. Brent
The Northwestern State University “Wind Ensemble Honors Program” was established in June 1985 to promote excellence in music performance for deserving high school musicians. As a “summer band camp”, students were invited to attend based on their high school music achievements and/or their band director’s recommendation. An audition process determined chair placement within the ensemble once the students arrived on campus.
Over the years, with the assistance of Carrie Clark Hitt, the WEHP expanded to include a Thursday night “small ensemble” concert, which often allowed students to perform solos they had prepared earlier in the school year, as well as recreation events.
Bill Brent was the NSU Director of Bands at the time the WEHP was created, and other staff members included Mr. Donald Gee, Director of Bands at Ouachita Parish High School, and Mr. Scotty Walker, Director of Bands at Lafayette High School
The WEHP was also a laboratory setting for NSU music education students, as it provided them with the opportunity to work with and teach outstanding high school musicians and to serve as dormitory counselors in the evenings.
The NSU Wind Ensemble Honors Program celebrates 40 years of summer music excellence this year. During the 2020 global pandemic, the camp was offered online.
Sample of Notable Compositions Performed
Malcolm Arnold:
Peterloo Overture
Tam O’Shanter Overture
Four Scottish Dances
Prelude, Siciliano & Rondo
Samuel Barber
Commando March
Leonard Bernstein
Candide Suite
John Barnes Chance
Incantation & Dance
Elegy
Norman Dello Joio
Variants on a Medieval Tune
Satiric Dances
Claude Debussy
The Engulfed Cathedral
Morton Gould
Yankee Doodle
American Salute
Percy Grainger
Colonial Song
Shepherd’s Hey
Irish Tune from County Derry
Spoon River
Children’s March
Molly on the Shore
Themes from ‘Green Bushes’ Handel in the Strand
Gustav Holst
Mars, from ‘The Planets’ First Suite in E-flat
Jupiter, from ‘The Planets’
Charles Ives
Variations on ‘America’
Joseph Wilcox Jenkins
American Overture
Aram Khatchaturian
Aegina & Bacchanalia
LMEA All-State Prep Day (Free)
WindEnsembleHonors WindEnsembleHonors a history
From Mr. Gee
After finishing a busy school year, I was on my campus loading my 1974 Monte Carlo with several teenagers heading for the inaugural Honors Wind Ensemble Camp at NSU, Natchitoches, La
Student anxieties didn’t seem to have the depth of a fall or winter audition, except for one factor that was THE main topic of our travel chat. The chair placement audition included students from other states…ie, Texas! Oh! …and minor scales…all forms!
Ultimately, all fears were allayed. New friends were made, and minor scales are really nothing to worry about. Great music was prepared and performed with other well-trained players, and memories that were made seemed to last a lifetime. Some who were eligible in ‘86 returned the following year. As the years have rolled by, the ideals of this University-sponsored camp have sustained the concepts that have endured since that first summer..
Few activities such as this have existed for four decades. Sincere, effective pursuits of quality experiences are the foundation of this camp’s ideals, its evolution, its leadership, and its support
Peter Mennin
Canzona
Ron Nelson
Rocky Point Holiday
Roger Nixon
Fiesta del Pacifico
Karl Orff
Carmina Burana
Alfred Reed
Alleluia! Laudamus Te
Armenian Dances, I
Dmitri Shostakovich
Festive Overture
Folk Dances
Claude T. Smith
God of Our Fathers
Joyance
Eternal Father, Strong to Save
Jack Stamp
Gavorkna Fanfare
Randall Standridge
Symphony #1
Fisher Tull
Sketches on a Tudor Psalm
Guiseppe Verdi
La Forza del Destino
Clifton Williams
Symphonic Dance #3 ‘Fiesta’
John Williams
Midway March
John Zdechlik
Celebration
Chorale & Shaker Dance
Program Program
Program Notes ProgramNotes
American Salute
Originally written for orchestra, “American Salute” has become a favorite of the concert band repertoire. Using the familiar tune “When Johnny Comes Marching Home” as the sole melodic resource, Morton Gould demonstrates his skill in thematic development, creating a brilliant fantasy on a single tune.
Written in 1942 in the early days of World War II, it was composed at the request of a government radio program producer who wanted a “salute to America.” The composer insisted that he had no idea that the work was destined to become a classic: “It was years before I knew it was a classic setting. What amazes me is that critics say it is a minor masterpiece, a gem. To me, it was just a setting. I was doing a million of those things.” A million may be an exaggeration, but not by much. The pace of Gould’s schedule in those days was astounding. By his own account, he composed and scored “American Salute” in less than eight hours, starting at 6 p.m. the evening before it was due (with copyists standing by), and finishing at 2 a.m. Although the ink couldn’t have been dry, the score and parts were on the stand in time for rehearsal the next morning and ready for broadcast that evening.
Cry of the Last Unicorn
A unicorn stands over its mother, whom hunters have mortally speared. The unicorn realizes it is the last of its kind as it mourns its mother. The unicorn senses the same fate. Discovered! The unicorn runs, chased by the hunters. At the end of the wild chase, the unicorn is speared by the hunters who want its mystical horn. The horses of the forest, worshipping the unicorn, gather and trample the hunters, killing all. The horses gather in a reverent circle around the unicorn as it passes away.
Perthshire Majesty
If you look up the derivation of the name “David Gregory,” you will find that it means beloved watchman. I can not imagine a more accurate name for a person who has devoted himself to serving as a guardian and inspirer of people in all stages of life. Although I have only known Dr. David Gregory for roughly one year, he is the type of person whom I feel I have known my whole life. Furthermore, I have witnessed, through David’s unique qualities in friendship and musicianship, his unequivocal compassion for those who wish to advance music and the quality of its education.
When David and the Tara Winds’ membership commissioned me to compose a piece for their ensemble, I knew that the greatest challenge would be to create music that equaled the genuine warmth exhibited by the musicians I had gotten to know. When I found out that David’s ancestry lead back to County Perthshire in Scotland, the style was set.
Easter Monday on the White House Lawn
Since 1878, American presidents and their families have celebrated Easter Monday by hosting an ‘egg roll’ party. Held on the South Lawn, it is one of the oldest annual events in White House history. Some historians note that First Lady Dolley Madison originally suggested the idea of a public egg roll, while others tell stories of informal egg-rolling parties at the White House dating back to President Lincoln’s administration. Beginning in the 1870s, Washingtonians from all social levels celebrated Easter Monday on the west grounds of the U.S. Capitol. Children rolled brilliantly dyed hardboiled eggs down the terraced lawn.
Soon a concern for the landscape led to a bill that banned the rolling of eggs on Capitol grounds. In 1876, President Ulysses S. Grant signed the bill into law. The new edict went unchallenged in 1877, as rain cancelled all the day’s activities, but egg rollers who came in 1878 were ejected by Capitol Hill police.
In 1878, Easter Monday celebrants who were not allowed to roll eggs on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol headed up Pennsylvania Avenue to the White House. The children knew about the low hills on the South Lawn, and hoped their egg rolling games would be permitted there. President Rutherford B. Hayes instructed his guards to let the youngsters through the gates. It proved to be a very popular change of venue. By Easter Monday 1880, an article in the Evening Star reported that eager egg rollers had taken “absolute possession of the grounds south of the White House.”
John Philip Sousa wrote “Easter Monday on the White House Lawn” in 1911 as part of his suite “Tales of a Traveler.” This delightful piece is performed by the “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band. It’s a lively, humorous novelty and is not considered a march.
Alleluia! Laudamus Te
Composed by Alfred Reed, one of the nation’s most prolific and frequently performed composers, Alleluia Laudamus Te is a hymn of praise without words, with the band serving as a single massive choir and, at times, broken down into individual sections, each performing as a separate choir. The music is based on three main themes: the first is a massive chorale in the brass, the second is a long, flowing line in the horns and woodwinds, and the third is a quasi-fanfare figure first heard in the trumpets and then spreading throughout the other sections of the orchestra as it is developed.
Personnel Personnel
listedalphabetically
FLUTE
Duc Bui, Morgan City
Nylah Carrie, East Beauregard
Eliana Sandoval, Sunnyvale
Patrick Umanzor, Klein Oak
Sumayra Veal, Prairieville
OBOE
Jaden Atkins, DeRidder
Travis Denson, Baton Rouge Magnet
Duston Sherwin, West Monroe
BASSOON
Tanner Nitchin, Dutchtown
William Schutz, Doyle
CLARINET
Camryn Cato, Pittsburg
Connor Edmond, Dutchtown
Abigail Hazelton, Pine Prairie
Colin Ludwig, Parkway
Chase McLeod, Caddo Parish Magnet
Chloe Nguyen, Spring Woods
Reilly Nida, Lafayette
Julian Rebollar, St. Amant
Kenneth Smith, Atlanta
BASS CLARINET
Kaden Billiot, Terrebonne
Xavier Hobson, Haughton
Dacari Mazone, HM King
Riley O’Connor, Round Rock
SAXOPHONES
Alexis Bauder, Ponder
Aryan Edlund, Sabine
Ethan Ford, Walnut Grove
David Guidry, Dutchtown
Jeremiah Milstead, Benton
Nicholas Rossi, Calallen
Max Tisdell, Dutchtown
Roman Williams, Parkway
TRUMPET
Trinity Adams, Atlanta
Raul Arce, Spring Woods
Thomas Bridgmon, S Carolina Gov School of Arts
Andrew Derden, Williams
Kaden Finnerty, Parkway
Olivia Gomez, Benton
Cindy Lara, Spring Woods
Santiago Molina, Spring Woods
Kyle Rodrigue, Ellender Memorial
Harrison Walker, Parkway
FRENCH HORN
Ximena Castro, Walnut Grove
Katelyn Mack, Parkway
Michael McCarty, St. Amant
Austin Munchmeyer, Walnut Grove
Chloe Nassar, St. Amant
TROMBONE
Will Bridgmon, South Aiken (SC)
Vance Collins, DeRidder
Liam Donaghy, New Diana
Hunter, Benton
CJ Vega, Little Elm
EUPHONIUM
William Baldwin, Benton
Moises Hernandez, Spring Woods
Jonas Johnson, Lafayette
Jackson Teague, Pleasant Grove
Ricardo Trochez, Parkway
TUBA
Tagen Chenier, Terrebonne
Alex Cortez, Sulphur Springs
Ethan Jackson, Pickering
PERCUSSION
Ryan Ehrenfried, Benton
Jonathan Garcia, Spring Woods
Logan Murray, Mandeville
Reagan Nichols, Pittcburg
Matthew Nolan, West Monroe
Roman Ruffin, Patterson
ORGAN
Dr Greg Handel
Inaugural Year
(1985) (1985)
Personnel Personnel
listed alphabetically
Daniel Barber
Kristy Bateman
Jack Bebell
Brook Boodie
Doug Booty
Jack Bradley
Scott Brewster
Michael Dugas
Derek Dyer
Angela Eli
DeLynn Eubanks
Tracy L. Frazier
Stacy Fuller
Jason Gee
Mahlin Musgrave
Robert L. Patlan
Anthony Rainwater
Nancy Ramirez
Rogelio Rendon
Patricia Reynosa
Rich Schaffer
come experience the Spirit of Northwestern come experience the Spirit of Northwestern
Jeff Campbell
Tim Connor
Mary Pat Crook
Jeff P. Dalton, III
Amy Deckard
Doug Dement
Robert DeVille
Don Gandy
Brian Hurst
Rangi Lim
Pat McPhearson
Doug Mains
Terrell Mizell
Anthony Moorehead
Justin Sharp
Kim Stelly
Laura Thorn
Ginger Tomko
Mike Townsend
Max Werkenthin
Michelle Williams
