FACULTY & STAFF
Jay S. Gephart.....................................................................................................Director and AI G. Wright Chair
Matthew R. Conaway......................................Professor, Director of “All-American” Marching Band
Dr. Pamela J. Nave................................................................Associate Professor, Director of Percussion
Adam Bodony..........................................................................Associate Professor, Director of Orchestras
Bethany Robinson...............................................Clinical Assistant Professor, Director of Jazz Bands
Jarrard Harris..............................................................................................................Clinical Assistant Professor
Dr. David M. Blon.......................................................................................................Clinical Assistant Professor
Dr. Lucas H. Petersen.............................................................................................Clinical Assistant Professor
Douglas R. Fletcher.............................................................................................................Director of Operations
Amy Brandfonbrener................................................................................................Chamber Music Instructor
Esther Kirgiss........................................................................................................Director of External Relations
Caitlin Cotten........................................................................Manager of Recruitment & Student Success
Humza Nasir..............................................................................................................................Multimedia Designer
Susan Lipscomb.............................................................................................Senior Administrative Assistant
Kim Delks.........................................................................................................................................Business Assistant
Adisyn Nichols..................................................................................................................Student Office Assistant
Elora Ifeguni............................................................................................................................Graphic Design Intern
Udochukwu Akorah...................................................................................................Social Media Ambassador
PROGRAM
VARISTY BAND
Douglas R. Fletcher, conductor
Alleluia! Laudamus Te (1973).....................................................................................Alfred Reed (1921-2005)
Dr. Pamela J. Nave, guest conductor
Symphonic Suite (1957)........................................................................................Clifton Williams (1923-1976)
I. Intrada
II. Chorale
III. March
IV. Antique Dance
V. Jubilee
The Klaxon (1930)........................................................................................................Henry Fillmore (1881-1956) ed. Fredrick Fennell (1914-2004)
April (2005)............................................................................................................................Aaron Perrine (b. 1979)
Aaron Perrine, guest conductor
Dances of a Shimmering Spirit (2020)..............................................................Robert Sheldon (b. 1954)
SYMPHONIC
BAND
Matthew R. Conaway, conductor
Hanover Festival (1999).....................................................................................................Philip Sparke (b. 1951)
Twirling Aimlessly (2022).....................................................................................................Jack Frerer (b. 1995)
Only Light (2014).................................................................................................................Aaron Perrine (b. 1979)
Aaron Perrine, guest conductor
“One-Winged Angel” from Final Fantasy VII (1997)..................................Nobuo Uematsu (b. 1959) arr. Yasumasa Sato (b. 1968)
Angels In The Architecture (2008)..............................................................................Frank Ticheli (b. 1958)
Esther Kirgiss, vocalist
Douglas R. Fletcher, organist
The Melody Shop (1910)........................................................................................................Karl King (1891-1971) ed. Andrew Glover (b. 1961)
PICCOLO
Ethan Pugh
FLUTE
Daph Boulac
Myla Cantrell
Sinjin Facchetti
Emily Fox
Adela Fuentes
Skylar Giffel
Emma Kostal
Kaylin Matthews
Alexandra Revivo
Alyssa Rizzardo
Katherine Schmelz
Sara Timmins
OBOE
Brittney Buchanan
Carly Burnet
Audrey Schuster
Luke Warren
ENGLISH HORN
Luke Warren
CLARINET
Avery Bartholomew
Alia Cherry
Amanda Dopps
Camden Fein
Noelle Hernandez
Inara Lair
Chloe Loboda
Alice Mayer
Kaydence Miller
Mary Niemeyer
Joshua Sanders
Norma Santiago Martinez
Sophia Smith
BASS CLARINET
Yousif Ahmed
Lexi Classen
VARSITY BAND
ALTO SAXOPHONE
Nathan Abba
Antonio Arroyo
Brett Herrin
Claire Kaiser
Connor McGuire
Alanna Taylor
TENOR SAXOPHONE
Kellen Cason
Aidan Garlinger
Helen Koch
BARITONE SAXOPHONE
Carson Hearn
Jonathan Suresh
TRUMPET
Ethan Andrews
Jonathan Berg
Carolyn Casey
Rhett Deckard
Aidan Doyle
Dylan Eng
Hailey Graham
Ryan Guadagno
Casey Huhnke
Christopher Hycki
John Limberakis
Brooke Majchrowski
Keighra Michele
Ross Miller
Hannah Moss
Daniel Schomer
Logan Snyder
Benjamin Whitney
HORN
Fritz Aude
Delaney Blankenbuehler-Lee
Nicki Gieseke
Adele Kline
Jeremy Levine
Chloe McGuire
Owen Schlaudroff
TROMBONE
Megan Davies
William Dolan
Seth Fuhrman
Carson Krenz
Jolie Lai
Maria Simmons
Ethan Williams
Luke Yoder
EUPHONIUM
Daniel Groves
Tyler Lah
Anthony Mansour
Ian Ristad
TJ Sandor
Alexandra Wawrzyk
TUBA
Rich Ebner
Dan Islas
Trenton Langerman
Jacob Larrison
Eli Meyer
Esther Surburg
HARP
Ms. Melissa Gallant
PERCUSSION
Ethan Chace
John Gong
Jacob Grimm*
Evan Heath
Everett Nally
Rylen Shanholtz
Jayden Wijeyakulasuriya
PICCOLO
Stephanie Rose
FLUTE
Kaitlyn Calland
Ian Stewart
Priya Adiga
Sasha Ilijevski
Makayla Apter-Quinn
Kalyana Kottapalli
OBOE
Amber Shen
Kat Murkes
BASSOON
Porter Stone
Christopher Gillespie
CLARINET
Daniel Shimizu
Lucas Wang
Emri Lindley
Sara Przybylski
Newt Fey
Alyssa Niuh
Kyle Ashamallah
Andrew Linerode
John Danison
Seth Berg
Sydney Chan
Braden Mekeel
BASS CLARINET
Mauricio Gonzalez
Leo Sun
SYMPHONIC BAND
ALTO SAXOPHONE
Kate Williams
Theo Do
Sanil Shetty
Joel Greig
Cameron Bryden
TENOR SAXOPHONE
Heran Miao
BARITONE SAXOPHONE
Drew Jansen
TRUMPET
Hallie Hertzler
Nadav Shalinsky
Kayla Jahnke
Keira Olds
Joshua Lear
Gasahn Chanikornpradit
Nathan Garrett
Andrew Lehner
Carter Ledbetter
George Clark
HORN
Trevor Stoyer
Charis Liu
Kaylee Gnivecki
Sharuya Bansal
Ian Ostermann
Nate Brodie
TROMBONE
Noah Desserich
Marc Miller
Carson Crays
Aaron Bernsten
Daniel Barnes
BASS TROMBONE
John Fioti
EUPHONIUM
Jebediah Lottes
Nicole Krishna
Gabe Lerner
Matthew Helms
TUBA
Daniel Li
Leah Hosler
Nathaniel Young
Owen Dunbar
Ethan Ellis
PERCUSSION
Alli Jugg
Cam Allen
Devon Anderson
Ibrahim Dabo Harden
Grant Jackson
Arthur Prudius
Hamsikasree Vedavinayagam
Leon Wang
PROGRAM NOTES
ALLELUIA! LAUDAMUS TE - REED
Composed in 1973 by Alfred Reed, Alleluia! Laudamus Te was commissioned by the concert band at Malone College in Canton, Ohio. It was composed for the Third Annual Band Festival, where it received its premiere with the composer conducting. It acts as a “celebration hymn without words,” structured in an arch form that balances massive brass chorales, flowing melodic lines in woodwinds, and a rhythmic lively central fanfare section. The piece makes use of the organ in the final moments.
SYMPHONIC SUITE – WILLIAMS
Symphonic Suite was composed by Clifton Williams in 1957 written in five movements: Intrada, Chorale, March, Antique Dance, Jubilee. The five movements are related through the use of a principal theme. Symphonic Suite is considered to be a cornerstone of wind band literature and received the prestigious Ostwald Award of the American Bandmasters Association in 1957.
THE KLAXON – FILLMORE/FENNELL
The Klaxon, composed by Henry Fillmore, was premiered at the Cincinnati Automobile Show in reference to the name of a loud horn added as an accessory to the 1920s automobiles. Fredrick Fennell completed his edited version of the march in 1984. Fennell is quoted to say that “Henry Fillmore was one of America’s happiest musicians and one of its most successful and prolific composers. The music he wrote projected a jovial and earthy personality. His marches rank very high among our best and have been staple items in band repertory.”
APRIL – PERRINE
April was written by our guest composer for the 2026 Showcase series of concerts, Mr. Aaron Perrine. April is a flowing work of gentle harmony and musical imagery. Subtle mallet parts along with a piano part add to the atmosphere of this almost dreamlike work.
DANCES OF A SHIMMERING SPIRIT – SHELDON
Dances of a Shimmering Spirit was commissioned by the Ashland High School Band, Ashland, Ohio. The piece is dedicated to the memory of Christina Lattanzi, a flute player in the band who also played piano in the school’s jazz band. Descriptions of her spirit, energy and bubbly personality provided the inspiration for the piece. Robert Sheldon states, “This piece has an attitude! A bit jazzy, a little sassy, and a touch of glitz and glam certainly set this piece apart. Fast-paced rhythmic riffs in a minor key alternate with soaring melodies in a major key. A thoughtful and expressive lyrical section provides contrast.”
HANOVER FESTIVAL - SPARKE
The Hanover Wind Symphony of New Jersey was founded in 1984 by its conductor Peter Boor. Boor commissioned this piece to celebrate the band’s fifteenth birthday. The first performance took place on October 27, 1999.
The piece begins with a solemn brass fanfare. Woodwinds join in and the music subsides into an expressive chorale. A climax is reached and the fanfare returns. Trumpets introduce an explosive vivo section, characterized by an energetic theme from the horns and low clarinets. A bridge passage with strong brass chords leads to a playful section that introduces a legato central theme under woodwind figures. This is taken up by the full band. The playful music returns and the original horn tune is reintroduced. Finally, the opening fanfare returns, this time accompanied by music from the vivo section, until a fast and furious coda closes the work.
- Program note by the composer
TWIRLING AIMLESSLY - FRERER
Twirling Aimlessly is a short celebration of wind instruments and the musical materials they regularly encounter. The title is taken from a poem by Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz – “A spiral twirling aimlessly, seeking a rest you will never find” – which also served as inspiration for the organization (or disorganization) of the piece.
Frerer’s compositional voice is strikingly different from the other composers on tonight’s concert. His harmonic language carries echoes of Mozart and Beethoven, but with a distinctly 21st-Century flair. The instructions to the musicians include terms like:
“Over-Caffeinated”
“ominous”
“polite”
“piece begins to fall apart :( ”
“enjoy this awkwardness”
“unapologetically baroque”
“blissful”
“Go! Go! Go!”
“lowest, chunkiest note possible!”
Enjoy!
ONLY LIGHT - PERRINE
The melodic material for Only Light originally came from Beneath a Canvas of Green, a recently composed large-scale work of mine written for wind ensemble. At the time, I was not quite comfortable with how this music fit within the larger work (it passed by much too quickly), and I knew it was something I would eventually like to revisit.
In the fall of 2012, one of my best friend’s mother lost her battle with cancer. A year later, while thinking of ideas for what was eventually to be Only Light, I found myself thinking of him and his family quite often. At about this same time, I was on social media late one night -- procrastinating rather than composing -- and discovered a post written by another friend, written in reference to his wife. Here is an excerpt:
A timeline. Oh, the dark places I’ve dwelt this morning. The “hows,” “what ifs,” and “whys” pouring over me. But, I digress. There is no timeline at this time. There is only, “we aren’t done with you yet.” There is, “we’ve got more things to try.” There is, in a word, hope. I need me some of that. Toni has pointed out that there are times that I can find the dark cloud behind any silver lining. (Had you only known me before I met you, young lady. Now that Tim could really find darkness where there was only light.) The medical team is set to battle on.
In an instant, I was reminded of how delicate life is and how things can change at a moment’s notice. Reflecting upon these events inspired me to expand upon and ultimately finish this previously composed music. Only Light is meant to convey a sense of hope and healing.
- Program note by the composer
ONE-WINGED ANGEL - UEMATSU
Nobuo Uematsu is a Japanese composer and keyboardist best known for his contributions to the Final Fantasy video game series by Square Enix.
A self-taught musician, he began playing the piano at the age of twelve, with English singer-songwriter Elton John as one of his biggest influences in pursuing a musical career.
Uematsu joined Square in 1986, where he first met Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi. The two later
worked together on many games at the company, most notably in the Final Fantasy series. After nearly two decades with Square, Uematsu left in 2004 to create his own production company and music label, Dog Ear Records. He has since composed music as a freelancer for other games, including ones developed by Square Enix and Sakaguchi’s studio Mistwalker.
Uematsu was also the keyboardist in The Black Mages in the 2000s, which played various hard rock versions of his Final Fantasy compositions. He has since performed with the Earthbound Papas, which he formed as the successor to The Black Mages in 2011. Uematsu has made several listings in Britain’s Classic FM Hall of Fame, with the station referring to him as the Beethoven of game music.
This composition, “One-Winged Angel” is the powerful and intimidating theme written for Sephiroth, the principal antagonist of Final Fantasy VII and one of the most famous villains in all of gaming.
ANGELS IN THE ARCHITECTURE - TICHELI
Angels in the Architecture was commissioned by Kingsway International and received its premiere performance at the Sydney Opera House on July 6, 2008, by a massed band of young musicians from Australia and the United States, conducted by Mathew George. The work unfolds as a dramatic conflict between the two extremes of human existence -- one divine, the other evil. The work’s title is inspired by the Sydney Opera House itself, with its halo-shaped acoustical ornaments hanging directly above the performance stage.
Angels in the Architecture begins with a single voice singing a 19th-century Shaker song:
I am an angel of Light I have soared from above I am cloth’d with Mother’s love. I have come, I have come. To protect my chosen band And lead them to the promised land.
This “angel” – represented by the singer – frames the work, surrounding it with a protective wall of light and establishing the divine. Other representations of light, played by instruments rather than sung, include a traditional Hebrew song of peace (“Hevenu Shalom Aleichem”) and the well-known 16th-century Genevan Psalter, Old Hundredth. These three borrowed songs, despite their varied religious origins, are meant to transcend any one religion, representing the more universal human ideals of peace, hope, and love. An original chorale, appearing twice in the work, represents my own personal expression of these aspirations.
Just as Charles Ives did more than a century ago, Angels in the Architecture poses the unanswered question of existence. It ends as it began: the angel reappears sings the same comforting words. But deep below, a final shadow reappears -- distantly, ominously.
- Program note by the composer
THE MELODY SHOP - KING
The Melody Shop was one of King’s earliest published marches, written when the composer was nineteen years old. Composed in the virtuosic style of the circus march, the baritone part has long been notorious for its dizzying and extremely difficult final strain. One popular legend explaining this challenging part involves a chance meeting in a Canton, Ohio, barbershop between King and a stranger. The stranger was also a baritone player and he struck up a conversation with King, not knowing the composer’s identity. The stranger referred to King as “that guy who writes those dinky, little marches.” The story goes that this was all the urging King needed to make The Melody Shop baritone part one of the most famous in all band literature. Tonight’s performance features not only our outstanding euphonium section, but also a special strain by our talented percussion section.
GUEST COMPOSER & CONDUCTOR
Aaron Perrine creates vividly colorful and rhythmically infused layers of music, inspired by the soundscapes and unparalleled allure of the natural world. He is a two-time winner of the American Bandmasters Association Sousa/Ostwald Award for his compositions: Only Light in 2015 and Pale Blue on Deep in 2013. Another one of his compositions—Temperance—won the 2017 CBDNA Young Band Composition Contest. His music for winds has been featured at ABA Conventions, CBDNA National and Regional Conferences, TMEA, The Midwest Clinic, The Western International Band Clinic, and at numerous all-state concerts and state conferences.
Perrine’s works for solo instruments with winds have garnered much attention in recent years. Drifting, for euphonium and wind ensemble, was awarded the 2023 ITEA Harvey Phillips Award for Excellence in Composition. In 2018, Perrine’s saxophone concerto—It Has to Be Beautiful—was premiered by Kenneth Tse with the Symphonic Wind Orchestra of Croatian Armed Forces at the World Saxophone Congress in Zagreb, Croatia. In 2024, Tse performed the concerto at the International Saxophone Symposium with the United States Navy Concert Band, conducted by Captain Kenneth Collins. Later that year, Carolyn Braus and the United States Air Force Concert Band performed It Has to Be Beautiful numerous times on tour.
A native of Minnesota, Perrine’s education includes a doctorate from the University of Iowa, a master’s degree from the University of Minnesota and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Minnesota, Morris. He was elected to the membership of the prestigious American Bandmasters Association in 2024. For more information, please visit www.aaronperrine.com.
On April 29th, the Purdue community will rally together as we celebrate the 13th annual Purdue Day of Giving!
Nearly 40% of the Purdue Bands & Orchestras annual budget comes from the generosity of our alumni and friends. Purdue Day of Giving makes your gifts go even further by helping us win additional bonus funds throughout the day. By participating in hourly giving challenges and unique social media contests all day long, you can win thousands of bonus dollars for the department.
Follow along on the Purdue Bands & Orchestras Facebook page for the entire 24-hour event to participate and see the results of hourly challenges in real time.
Every gift of $10+ counts toward the Purdue Bands & Orchestras total number of gifts during various hourly challenges. You can make an even bigger impact by dividing a larger gift into multiple $10 gifts during strategic hourly challenges.
Visit https://dayofgiving.purdue.edu/organizations/purdue-bands-and-orchestras on April 29th to donate to Purdue Bands & Orchestras on Purdue Day of Giving.
UPCOMING CONCERTS
APRIL
19 | Spring Showcase IV | 2:00 PM | Elliott Hall of Music
Featuring McCutcheon HS Band, Purdue Concert Band, and Purdue Wind Ensemble
19 | Percussion Ensemble | 7:30 PM | Elliott Hall of Music
21 | Chamber Recital I | 7:00 PM | St. John’s Episcopal Church
22 | Chamber Recital II | 7:00 PM | St. John’s Episcopal Church
23 | Chamber Recital III | 7:00 PM | St. John’s Episcopal Church
MAY
1 | Orchestras | 7:00 PM | Long Center for the Performing Arts
Featuring Concert Orchestra and Philharmonic Orchestra with Concerto Competition Winners
2 | Orchestras | 7:00 PM | Long Center for the Performing Arts
Featuring University Orchestra and Symphony Orchestra
3 | Jazz on the Hill | 11:00 AM | Slayter Center of Performing Arts
Featuring Marshall Gilkes and all Purdue Jazz Ensembles
EVENTS
CALENDAR
Visit our website - www.purdue.edu/bands/events - for the most up-to-date concert information.
CONCERT SPONSOR
Today’s concert is in part sponsored by Visit LafayetteWest Lafayette, your guide for all things local! Explore the vibrant culture and community that make this region a unique destination! Check out their website to discover the attractions and experiences that Lafayette-West Lafayette has to offer.
SUPPORT PURDUE BANDS & ORCHESTRAS
Scan the code or visit www.purdue.edu/bands/donate to support Purdue Bands & Orchestras today. Your generosity directly contributes to our students’ success through ensemble travel, scholarships, new instruments, and more! We would not be the program we are today without the ongoing support from alumni, family, and friends.
THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS
Scan the code or visit www.purdue.edu/bands/sponsorship to become a Purdue Bands & Orchestras corporate sponsor today! We offer a variety of sponsorship opportunities and enjoy creating ways to support your organization in return. When you become a corporate sponsor, you become part of the Bands & Orchestras family.