2/27/2022 Emory Chamber Winds/Emory Brass Choir concert program

2021–2022

MUSIC@ EMORY

This concert is presented by the Schwartz Center for Performing Arts.

404.727.5050 | schwartz.emory.edu | boxoffice@emory.edu

Audience Information Please turn off all electronic devices.

Proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test result is required for all patrons attending this event. Full details are available at schwartz.emory.edu/FAQ Face masks covering the nose and mouth are required at all times in the Schwartz Center.

The concert hall capacity has been reduced in order to allow distance between seated parties. Please be mindful of distancing.

Photographs and Recordings

Digital capture or recording of this concert is not permitted.

Ushers

The Schwartz Center welcomes a volunteer usher corps of approximately 60 members each year. Visit schwartz.emory.edu/volunteer or call 404.727.6640 for ushering opportunities.

Accessibility

The Schwartz Center is committed to providing performances and facilities accessible to all. Please direct accommodation requests to the Schwartz Center Box Office at 404.727.5050, or by email at boxoffice@emory.edu.

Design and Photography Credits

Cover and Program Design: Lisa Baron | Cover Photo: Mark Teague

Acknowledgment

The Schwartz Center gratefully acknowledges the generous ongoing support of Donna and Marvin Schwartz.

2021–2022

MUSIC@ EMORY Contrasts Emory Chamber Winds Emory Brass Choir Featuring Musicians from the Emory Wind Ensemble

Tyler Ehrlich, conductor Sunday, February 27, 2022, 4:00 p.m.

Emerson Concert Hall Schwartz Center for Performing Arts

Emory Chamber Winds Program Octet for Wind Instruments III. Finale

Igor Stravinsky (1882–1971)

Oliver Caplan (b. 1982)

Krummholz Variations

Emory Brass Choir Program Giovanni Gabrieli (1557–1612)

Sonata pian’ e forte

Anthony Plog (b. 1947)

Music for Brass Octet

To encourage physical distancing and avoid crowding in the lobbies and restrooms, you may exit the concert hall as needed between pieces. An usher will assist in returning you to your seat at an appropriate time.

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Program Notes Octet for Wind Instrument (1924/1952) Igor Stravinsky’s Octet for Wind Instruments (commonly known simply as the “Octet”) was written at a time in which the composer was beginning to experiment with more formal writing, a practice that would come to be known as neo-Classicism. Stravinsky himself detested the term, calling it “a much abused expression meaning absolutely nothing.” The essence of neo-Classicism is writing that is modern-sounding in its approach to harmony, rhythm, and counterpoint, yet is composed following the basic forms and ideals of the Classical period. Regardless of Stravinsky’s personal opinions on the semantics of the style, it was clear that he was employing a more formal and structured method in his compositions, and like it or not, he was a neo-Classicist. Just a decade before he had burst onto the scene with his three nationalistic ballet scores, the last of which—Rite of Spring—had caused a near-riot at its premiere. Yet here Stravinsky was, already abdicating the style that had brought him to fame, and plunging into a new style: a style that never seemed to catch the public’s fancy in the way his lush Romantic scores had.

The score was begun at Biarritz, France, in late 1922, and was completed in Paris on May 20, 1923. The original was published by Edition Russe de Musique in 1924; a later revised version (edited by Albert Spalding) is still published by Boosey and Hawkes. The manuscript resides in the Stiftung Rychenberg Winterthur. The premiere performance took place at the “Concerts Koussevitsky” in the Paris Opera House on October 18, 1923, with the composer conducting. Stravinsky decided to conduct the premiere performance partly due to the bad taste in his mouth from his experience with the premiere of Symphonies of Wind Instruments (in which he was unhappy with the way that Serge Koussevitzky interpreted the work), and partly because he did not want to risk another conductor “interpreting” a work for which—according to Stravinsky—there was no interpretation.

Discussing the Octet shortly after its first performance, Stravinsky said: Form, in my music, derives from counterpoint. I consider counterpoint as the only means though which the attention of the composer is concentrated on purely musical questions.

Its elements also lend themselves perfectly to an architectural construction.

—Program note by Nikk Pilato 5

Krummholz Variations (2016) Oliver Caplan is a Boston-based composer of romantically tinged music for all combinations of instruments and voices. He grew up in the Bronx, attending Stuyvesant High School, where he played piccolo in the band. He left New York in 2000 for Dartmouth College, where the rich outdoor environment and mix of musical personalities (like the Dartmouth College Marching Band) inspired his interest in composition. He went on to graduate study at the Boston Conservatory. Caplan’s music has been performed throughout the United States. He has received commissions from the Columbia University Wind Ensemble, the Hopkins Center at Dartmouth College, the Juventas New Music Ensemble (where he is now artistic director), the Sinfonietta of Riverdale, the Sun Valley Chamber Winds, and the Atlanta Chamber Players, among many others. He has received numerous awards and fellowships, including the American Prize in composition and annual ASCAP awards.

About the work, Caplain writes: Krummholz Variations is a tone poem that recalls aspects of life in the alpine zone, expressed through a set of short, connected variations: Dawn, Marmots, Alpine Meadow, Ptarmigan, The Summit, Headwaters, Cloudburst and Dusk. Krummholz, German for “crooked wood,” are twisted trees that serve as gateways to the alpine zone and mountaintop sentinels.

These stunted trees are shaped through constant exposure to severe weather and treasured for their unique deformities.

High altitude landscapes are a paradigm for beauty in the face of harshness, filled with moments of joy and serenity that blossom amidst extremes.

A consortium of 13 ensembles commissioned Krummholz Variations as a companion piece for Igor Stravinsky’s beloved Octet. The Stravinsky composition, a seminal work in the wind-brass chamber repertoire, deploys an unusual instrumentation (flute, clarinet, two bassoons, two trumpets, and two trombones). There was a need for additional music that could readily be programmed alongside it.

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Sonata pian’ e forte (1597) Giovanni Gabrieli began and ended his compositional journey in his home of Venice, Italy.

After traveling to Munich, Germany, to study with Renaissance composer Orlando de Lassus, Gabreli was hired as principal organist and composer at St. Mark’s Basilica. His skill later brought the composer to Scuola Grande di San Rocco where he performed the organ until his death in the summer of 1612.

Gabreli’s focus on vocal and instrumental sacred music encompassed all of his compositions with each fully utilizing powerful sonorities.

Sonata pian’ e forte, one of Gabreli’s most famous compositions, was originally composed for a cornetto, a viola da braccio, and six trombones.

As the title suggests, this sonata is recognized as one of the first pieces of music to notate loudness and dynamics in print. This antiphonal style composition divides the ensemble into two choirs that were often separated within the cathedral to create diverse effects of volume and distance. Written during his time in Venice, Sonata pian’ e forte was likely premiered in St. Mark’s Basilica during a worship service. The architectural details of the cathedral exemplified the work’s Venetian polychoral style.

Music for Brass Octet (1987) Anthony Plog began his musical career with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at 19 years old playing trumpet. With his expertise in brass performance, Plog began his compositional journey by writing for brass instrumentation. Plog’s diverse range of performance, composition, and coaching has paved the way for his current roles of, in his words, “composer, conductor, and teacher.” Writing for operas, chamber music, and symphonic ensembles, his music has been played in more than 30 countries. His works often describe poignant topics such as environmental crises, recovering from sex trafficking, and drug abuse. Plog has taught at the University of Southern California, the Music Academy of the West, Indiana University, Schola Cantorum (Switzerland), the Malmo Music Academy (Sweden), and the Freiburg Musik Hochschule (Germany).

Plog’s Music for Brass Octet is written in three continuous movements.

It features intricate rhythmic interplay, dense harmony, and virtuosic playing. It is a cornerstone work in the canon of brass choir repertoire.

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Emory Wind Ensemble The Emory Wind Ensemble (EWE) is dedicated to performing wind band and chamber literature of the highest caliber while nurturing individual artistic excellence within an ensemble setting.

Concert programming comprises a wide variety of styles, forms, and genres from several centuries of compositional practice, designed to provide a comprehensive exposure to the masterpieces for winds and percussion from the Renaissance period through the modern era.

The EWE performs two concerts each semester, regularly participates in world premieres of new music, tours the United States and abroad, and is a national leader in the commissioning of new music, including works

by Warren Benson, Bruce Broughton, Jennifer Higdon, Libby Larsen, John Mackey, Jonathan Newman, Joseph Schwantner, and many others.

The EWE’s recent collaborations include performances with the Emory University Chorus; the Emory Dance Company; Emory’s Mary Emerson Professor of Piano William Ransom; Chris Martin, principal trumpet of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra; Stuart Stephenson, principal trumpet of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra; Joe Alessi, principal trombone of the New York Philharmonic; Adam Frey, international euphonium solo artist; and Grammy Award–winning solo clarinetist Richard Stoltzman, among many others.

The EWE has performed concert tours of Munich, Salzburg, Innsbruck, Lucerne, Graz, Prague, Vienna, and Greece. Additionally, the EWE has performed at the Georgia Music Educators Association (GMEA) State Convention in Savannah, Georgia; the Southern Division College Band Directors National Association Conference (CBDNA); and for various events on the Emory campus, including the inauguration of James Wagner as president of Emory University. The EWE was recognized in 2017 as a “Top 10” program among its peers by CBDNA and featured at the 2017 CBDNA National Conference “Small Band Showcase.” The EWE is recorded on the NAXOS music label.

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Tyler Ehrlich, conductor Tyler Ehrlich (he/him) is an educator, musician, and conductor based in Atlanta, Georgia.

Ehrlich serves as director of bands at Decatur High School, where he conducts three concert bands, directs the marching band, and teaches an International Baccalaureate music course.

In addition to teaching at the secondary level, Ehrlich conducts the Emory University Wind Ensemble and serves as associate conductor of the Atlanta Wind Symphony.

Prior to joining the faculty at Decatur High School, Ehrlich taught band and music technology, and served as the fine arts department chair at Centennial High School (Georgia). While teaching at Centennial, all three concert bands received superior ratings for the first time in the school’s 20year history. Additionally, the program received its first national performance invitation as a guest ensemble for the 2020 Music For All National Chamber Music Festival. Ehrlich has received the National Band Association Citation of Excellence for his work with the Atlanta Wind Symphony. He has conducted the group at its performance at the 75th annual Midwest Clinic in 2021, and the 2020 Georgia Music Educators InService Conference.

Ehrlich has presented on music technology and pedagogy at the Midwest Clinic, the World Association of Symphonic Bands and Ensembles International Conference, the College Band Directors National Association National Conference, and the Georgia Music Educators In-Service Conference. He has served as a guest conductor, clinician, and adjudicator throughout the state of Georgia. Ehrlich has a master of music degree from the University of Georgia, and a bachelor of arts degree summa cum laude from Cornell University. His undergraduate thesis involved developing music software for Google Glass, the now defunct wearable technology.

Ehrlich lives with his partner, Brent Allman, a PhD student at Emory University, and their dog, Milo.

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Emory Chamber Winds Flute Sarah Abraham

Palm Beach Gardens,FL Biology/Chemistry

Clarinet Eli Parrish Bremen, GA

Music Composition/ Environmental Sciences

Bassoon Nathan Muz Trisha Sengupta

Cambridge, MA Saratoga, CA

Mathematics NBB/Human Health

Los Angeles, CA Great Falls, VA

Political Science/Music Music/Political Science/Business

Maryville, TN Cary, NC

Business Quantitative Sciences/Music

Trumpet Joseph Rosenbaum Austin Watkinson

Trombone Graham Crain Max Inman

Emory Brass Choir Trumpet Joseph Rosenbaum Austin Watkinson Nolan Baxendell Andrew Mahoney

Los Angeles, CA Great Falls, VA Norfolk, Va Collegeville, PA

Political Science/Music Music/Political Science/Business Undecided Graduate Student

Maryville, TN Cary, NC Brooklyn, NY Redmond, WA

Business Quantitative Sciences/Music Quantitative Sciences/Philosophy Business/Music

Trombone Graham Crain Max Inman Beili Chou Shiven Sinha

Euphonium Josh Peacock South Bend, IN Christopher Labaza Cary, NC Kerry Zhu Omaha, NE

Physics/Computer Science Creative Writing Computer Science

Tuba Kendall Hauerwas

North Attleboro, MA

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Economics/Mathematics/History

Emory Wind and Percussion Faculty Laura Ardan, clarinet • Emily Brebach, oboe • Jason Eklund, horn s Adam Frey, euphonium Anthony Georgeson, bassoon • Marci Gurnow, clarinet • Michael Kurth, bass • Michael Moore, tuba • Ed Nicholson, trombone s Gary Paulo, saxophone Scott Pollard, percussion

Jaclyn Rainey, horn • Sasha Shatalova Prior, oboe Christina Smith, flute • Stuart Stephenson, trumpet • Amy Trotz, horn H Shelly Unger, bassoon Mark Yancich, percussion • Jim Zellers, flute s Nathan Zgonc, trombone • • Atlanta Symphony Orchestra s Atlanta Opera Orchestra H Atlanta Ballet Orchestra

Department of Music Administration Stephen Crist, Chair Bradley Howard, Director of Undergraduate Studies Paul Bhasin, Director of Undergraduate Research Martha Shockey, Senior Secretary Kathy Summers, Academic Department Administrator Sasha Shatalova Prior, Program Coordinator Julia Hudgins, Academic Services Coordinator

Music at Emory The Department of Music at Emory University provides an exciting and innovative environment for developing knowledge and skills as a performer, composer, and scholar. Led by a faculty of more than 60 nationally and internationally recognized artists and researchers, undergraduate and graduate students experience a rich diversity of performance and academic opportunities. Undergraduate students in the department earn a BA in music with a specialization in performance, composition, or research, many of whom simultaneously earn a second degree in another department. True to the spirit of Emory, a liberal arts college in the heart of a research university, the faculty and ensembles also welcome the participation of nonmajor students from across the Emory campus. Become a part of Music at Emory by giving to the Friends of Music. A gift provides crucial support to all of the activities. To learn more, visit music. emory.edu or call 404.727.1401.

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Music at Emory Music at Emory brings together students, faculty, and world-class artists to create an exciting and innovative season of performances, lectures, workshops, and master classes. With more than 150 events each year across multiple Emory venues, audiences experience a wide variety of musical offerings.

As you explore Music at Emory, we hope you enjoy this variety by sampling an assortment of work from our student ensembles, community youth ensembles, artists in residence, professional faculty, up-and-coming prodigies, and virtuosos from around the world.

404.727.5050 music.emory.edu