ENSEMBLE SERIES
NICHOLAS ENRICO WILLIAMS CONDUCTOR
TUESDAY, APRIL 23 at 7:30 p.m.
HODGSON HALL UGA PERFORMING ARTS CENTER 230 RIVER RD, ATHENS, GA
Tuesday, April 23, 2024 at 7:30 p.m.
Hugh Hodgson Concert Hall
UGA Performing Arts Center
University of Georgia Wind Ensemble
Nicholas Enrico Williams, conductor
R. Scott Mullen, Doctoral Conducting Associate
Caroline W. Pfisterer, Doctoral Conducting Associate
Gilbert P. Villagrana, Doctoral Conducting Associate
Anthony Morris, Master’s Conducting Associate
Grace Huang, piano soloist
Pete Jutras, piano soloist
Liza Stepanova, piano soloist
Daijing Ren, piano soloist
Catherine Likhuta, Composer-in-Residence
An Opening Fanfare
World Premiere (Wind Ensemble Version)
First Suite in E-flat
I. Chaconne
II. Intermezzo
III. March
Gilbert P. Villagrana, Doctoral Conducting Associate
Suite Dreams
Caroline W. Pfisterer, Doctoral Conducting Associate
Partita No. 1 in B-flat Major, BMV 825
Gigue
J.S. Dances
Daijing Ren, piano soloist
R. Scott Mullen, Doctoral Conducting Associate
INTERMISSION
Three Preludes
I. Allegro ben ritmato e deciso
Grace Huang, piano soloist
II. Andante con moto e poco rubato
Pete Jutras, piano soloist
III. Allegro ben ritmato e deciso
Liza Stepanova, piano soloist
Three Preludes
I. Allegro ben ritmato e deciso
II. Andante con moto e poco rubato
III. Allegro ben ritmato e deciso
Bury and Rise
Jacob Evarts Gustav Holst
ed. Colin Matthews
Steven Bryant
Johann Sebastian Bach
Donald Grantham
George Gershwin
George Gershwin
arr. Nicholas Enrico Williams
Anthony Morris, Master’s Conducting Associate
Catherine Likhuta Consortium Premiere
An Opening Fanfare (2024) (2’30”)
Jacob Evarts (b. 2003)
An Opening Fanfare for 4 Horns and Wind Ensemble was originally composed for the 2024 Southeast Horn Workshop, featuring the UGA British Brass Band, the 2024 SEHW Featured Artists Richard Deane and Victoria Knudtson, and UGA horn professors Jean Martin-Williams and James Naigus. This new re-envisioning of the work for Wind Ensemble remains faithful to the original version for brass band, while also utilizing the extra color palette the wind band offers.
Program note by composer
Jacob Evarts is a composer, hornist, and current junior at the University of Georgia, pursuing a BM in Music Composition. He has been composing since the age of ten. His music has been performed by various groups nationwide, such as the US Naval Academy Band and the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra. His portfolio also includes compositions for commercial music, having scored several short films and promotional material for the University of Georgia. When not composing, Evarts plays horn in UGA large ensembles and mellophone in the Georgia Redcoat Marching Band.
First Suite in E-flat (1909/1922/1984) (10’45’’)
Gustav Holst (1874-1934) ed. Colin Matthews
Although completed in 1909, First Suite in E-flat didn’t receive its official premiere until eleven years later on June 23rd, 1920, by an ensemble of 165 musicians at the Royal Military School of Music at Kneller Hall. However, the work was originally conceived to be performed by ensembles significantly smaller than the one at Kneller Hall. At the time, the hundreds of British military bands of the day had no standardized instrumentation, and as a result no significant literature had been previously written for the band medium; most British bands up to then performed arrangements of popular orchestral pieces. In order to ensure the suite would be accessible to as many bands as possible, Holst ingeniously scored the work so that it could be played by a minimum of nineteen musicians, with sixteen additional parts that could be added or removed without compromising the integrity of the work. There are three movements in the suite: Chaconne, Intermezzo, and March. Holst writes, “As each movement is founded on the same phrase, it is requested that the suite be played right through without a break.” Indeed, the first three notes of the Chaconne are E-flat, F and C, and the first three notes of the melody when it first appears in the Intermezzo are E-flat, F, and C. In the third movement, March, Holst inverts the motive: The first note heard in the brilliant opening brass medley is an E-flat, but instead of rising, it descends to a D, and then a G; the exact opposite of the first two movements.
Program note adapted from The Wind Repertory Project
Gustav Holst was a British composer and educator. He received degrees from the Royal College of Music in London, where he met fellow composer Ralph Vaughan Williams, and the two would become lifelong friends. Holst later became interested in Hindu mysticism and spirituality, interests that would later shape the course of his compositional output. Before Holst became a well-known composer, he relied on income from playing the trombone in the Carl Rosa Opera Company and in the White Viennese Band, a popular orchestra specializing in “light music.” In
1905, Holst became Director of Music at the St Paul’s Girls’ School in Hammersmith, London, and in 1907, he also became director of music at Morley College, retaining both positions until his death in 1934. Holst’s compositions for wind band, although only a small portion of his total output, have made him a cornerstone figure of the genre.
Suite Dreams (2007) (8’45’’)
Steven Bryant (b. 1972)
Suite Dreams is the fourth work in Bryant’s Parody Suite, a collection of loving tributes to wind band classics. Bryant uses the word “parody” without irony. He did not seek to belittle or ridicule the original piece; rather he sought to “remix” the original pieces “as filtered through (his) hazy memory of playing these works when (he) was a student.” The source material of Suite Dreams is Gustav Holst’s First Suite for Military Band, specifically Holst’s inverted chaconne theme of the first movement. Suite Dreams takes the form of a fantasia, where rhythmic, harmonic, and melodic elements of Hoist’s theme float through Bryant’s compositional textures.
Program note adapted from The Wind Repertory Project
Steven Bryant studied composition with John Corigliano at The Juilliard School, Cindy McTee at the University of North Texas, and William Francis McBeth at Ouachita University. The son of a professional trumpeter and music educator, he strongly values music education, and his creative output includes a number of works for young and developing musicians. Bryant has composed a varied catalog of music, including works for wind ensembles, orchestras, electronic and electroacoustic creations, chamber music, and music for the web. He was also a Distinguished Visiting Professor of Composition at the University of North Carolina Greensboro for the 2014-2015 academic year. He resides in Durham, N.C., with his wife, conductor Verena Mösenbichler-Bryant.
JS Dances (2003) (8’)
Donald Grantham (b. 1947)
JS Dances is a free fantasy on “Menuet II” and “Gigue” from J.S. Bach’s Partita I (Clavierübung, part 1). After a brief, slow introduction, the piece is relentlessly “fast and reckless” to the end, with the gigue character predominating. Both of Bach’s dances appear in more or less their original forms, complemented by other material that develops and elaborates upon some of the many interesting aspects of Bach’s two dances.
Program note by composer
Donald Grantham received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Oklahoma, and a master’s degree from the University of Southern California. Grantham went on to study at the American Conservatory in France with Nadia Boulanger. Grantham is highly regarded as one of the most accomplished and influential composers for winds working today. He is the recipient of numerous awards and prizes in composition, including the Prix Lili Boulanger, the Nissim/ ASCAP Orchestral Composition Prize, First Prize in the Concordia Chamber Symphony’s Awards to American Composers, a Guggenheim Fellowship, three grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, three First Prizes in the NBA/William Revelli Competition, two First Prizes in the ABA/ Ostwald Competition, and First Prize in the National Opera Association’s Biennial Composition
Competition. Grantham is the Frank C. Erwin Centennial Professor in Music at the University of Texas at Austin Butler School of Music, where he teaches composition.
Three Preludes (1927/2015) (6’15’’)
George Gershwin (1898-1937) arr. Nicholas Enrico Williams
Three Preludes are short piano pieces that Gershwin first performed at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York City in 1926. His original intent was to compose a series of twenty-four piano preludes, but the number was reduced to seven in manuscript form, five in public performance, and finally three when they were published in 1926. The works are dedicated to Gershwin’s friend and musical advisor Bill Daly.
Program note adapted from The Wind Repertory Project
George Gershwin was born in Brooklyn, New York on September 26, 1898, was the second son of Russian immigrants. As a boy, George was anything but studious, and it came as a wonderful surprise to his family that he had secretly been learning to play the piano. In 1924, when George teamed up with his older brother Ira, “the Gershwins” became the dominant Broadway songwriters, creating infectious rhythm numbers and poignant ballads, fashioning the words to fit the melodies with a “glove-like” fidelity. This extraordinary combination created a succession of musical comedies, including Lady, Be Good! (1924), Oh, Kay! (1926), Funny Face (1927), Strike Up The Band (1927 and 1930), Girl Crazy (1930), and Of Thee I Sing (1931), the first musical comedy to win a Pulitzer Prize. Over the years, Gershwin songs have also been used in numerous films, including Shall We Dance (1937), A Damsel in Distress (1937), and An American In Paris (1951).
Bury and Rise (2023) (14’45”)
Catherine Likhuta (b. 1981)
In February 2022, the world was shocked by Russia’s barbaric invasion of Ukraine. My 60-yearold disabled mother lived in Kyiv at the time and did not survive the attack on the city. Later, I was approached by Dallas Winds with a commission request for a piece which would celebrate the stoic heroism of the Ukrainian resistance. I quickly realized that my brain has repressed many or most traumatic memories of these past few months. The start of the full-scale war and many of the subsequent developments felt absolutely surreal. Perhaps, it is only through music that I can express what I need to say about these events. There are no words to describe how important this commission is to me.
The piece will feature the key elements of Ukrainian folk music and its gutsy, almost tribal, yet wonderfully optimistic spirit. The capabilities of wind band fit perfectly with Ukrainian musical traditions -- from the band’s angular rhythms to its brilliant runs on woodwinds going up against heroic brass and colorful percussion. Furthermore, there are numerous possibilities to imitate traditional Ukrainian instruments with the core band arsenal: piccolo and flute can sound just like sopilka, horn makes an excellent trembita, and harp is a great substitute for bandura.
The title of the piece, Bury and Rise, is a loose translation of a line from the iconic poem Zapovit (“Testament”, 1861) by Taras Shevchenko, arguably the most important artist for the Ukrainian identity. Shevchenko asks to bury him when he passes and then rise to defend the homeland. That is exactly what Ukrainians have done. Bury and Rise will be an ambitious project celebrating their spirit, their never-ending optimism against all odds, and -- as a news reporter recently put it — their stamina as the fastest renewable energy source.
Program note by composer
The music of Catherine Likhuta exhibits high emotional charge, a programmatic nature, and rhythmic complexity. Catherine’s works have been performed throughout North America, Europe and Australia by many prominent soloists and ensembles, such as Paul Dean, Peter Luff, The Australian Voices, U.S. Army Field Band Horns, Cornell University Wind Ensemble and Wind Symphony, Queensland Conservatorium Wind Orchestra, and the Orchestra of the National Radio of Ukraine. Her pieces have been played at several international events, including two international horn symposia and the World Saxophone Congress. Her concertino for five horns entitled Hard to Argue became the winner of the International Horn Society Composition Contest, virtuoso division. Likhuta holds a bachelor’s degree in jazz piano from Kyiv Glière Music College and a five-year post-graduate degree in composition from the Tchaikovsky National Music Academy of Ukraine (Kyiv Conservatory).
GUEST ARTIST BIOGRAPHIES
Grace Huang is Lecturer in Piano and Piano Pedagogy at the University of Georgia where she teaches pedagogy, applied and class piano, and coordinates the class piano program. She is also an independent studio owner in Athens.
Praised for her “lovely and vivacious” playing (Fort Worth Star-Telegram), Huang has performed throughout the U.S. and abroad as soloist, chamber musician, and collaborative pianist, with recent performances taking place in Tampa, Cleveland, Charleston, Taiwan, and Austria. Her recordings on Tyler Kline’s “Orchard” (Neuma Records, 2022) received praise in Fanfare Magazine, Jazz Weekly, and others.
In demand as a teacher, her students have received numerous honors and acceptances to music programs across the country. She is an active adjudicator and clinician at the local, state and national levels and has presented at the MTNA National Conference, National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy, College Music Society, and National Group Piano and Piano Pedagogy Forum. Huang also initiated the “Play On, Athens!” public piano project while a member of the Athens Cultural Affairs Commission.
Prior to joining the UGA piano faculty, Huang was on the piano faculty at the Cleveland Institute of Music and Millikin University. She holds degrees in performance from Vanderbilt University and the University of Minnesota and is a Nationally Certified Teacher of Music.
Peter Jutras, Ph.D., NCTM, is the Director of the Hugh Hodgson School of Music at the University of Georgia in Athens, GA, where he is also the Despy Karlas Professor of Piano and a Piano Pedagogy Specialist. He is a frequent presenter at conferences across the country and around the world, and he has lectured and taught at major conferences and events in Asia, Africa, Europe, and throughout North America.
For eleven years, he served as the Editor-in-Chief of Clavier Companion and Keyboard Companion, leading those publications through significant changes including a merger and the launch of a digital edition. He has published articles and research in The Journal of Research in Music Education, The Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, The International Journal of Music Education, and Scientia Paedagogica Experimentalis, among others. He is a leading expert on adult music study and the benefits of adult music participation, and he speaks frequently on broad issues facing music educators and the future of the piano teaching profession. Jutras edited the 2024 book Inspired Piano Teaching by Marvin Blickenstaff, published by the Frances Clark Center Press.
In 2015, he launched an innovative program of distance piano education that connects UGA graduate students with Moi Girls’ School in Eldoret, Kenya, providing online piano lessons for girls at the school in addition to onsite workshops and teaching that provide experience for college students. This ongoing program has reached hundreds of students and expanded to include a range of instruments and ensembles; in March of 2024 Jutras led a team of over twenty UGA faculty and staff on a 10-day teaching trip to Kenya.
A Nationally Certified Teacher of Music, Jutras holds degrees from the Eastman School of Music, Southern Methodist University, and the University of North Texas.
Daijing Ren, born in China, studied piano with her parents from a young age. She received her undergraduate degree from the Tianjin Conservatory. Won the Youth Group Honor Award (Third Prize) in 2016 Russia St. Petersburg International Musician Competition, and the First Prize of Professional Youth Group in The 8th Hong Kong International Piano Invitation Competition. In 2021, she entered the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University in the United States, where she studied piano performance with Prof. Emile Naoumoff and harpsichord performance with Prof. Jonathan Oddie. In August 2023, she came to the University of Georgia to study for the Doctor of Musical Arts in piano performance and work as the pianist in UGA Wind Ensemble as well as piano instructor in the community music school of UGA.
Praised by The New York Times for her “thoughtful musicality” and “fleet-fingered panache,” Liza Stepanova has performed at the Berlin Philharmonie, the Weill and Zankel recital halls at Carnegie Hall; Alice Tully, Merkin, David Geffen, and Steinway halls in New York City and at the Kennedy Center. She has appeared as a soloist with conductors James DePreist and Nicholas McGegan and live on WQXR New York, WFMT Chicago, and WETA Washington.
2019-2020 concert highlights include invitations to the Bowdoin Music Festival and Prague Piano Festival, solo recitals at USF Steinway Piano Series and East Carolina University Piano Series, and chamber music tours with the Lysander Piano Trio, winner of the Concert Artists
Guild Competition, in Canada, Mexico, and across the US at Spivey Hall in Atlanta, the Crescent City Festival in New Orleans, Norton Museum in Palm Beach, and more. Stepanova is one of the founders of the Chamber Music Athens festival in Georgia and has been actively involved in performance, teaching and administration of the annual event. At the 2020 CMA, she will give the world premiere of a new substantial chamber music work by Lowell Liebermann, which was commissioned especially for her with her ensemble, the Yargo Trio.
Stepanova’s debut solo album Tones & Colors: Music and Visual Art (CAG Records, 2018), recorded with Grammy-winning producer Adam Abeshouse, was featured on Performance Today, in the BBC Music Magazine, and in recital at New York City’s National Sawdust. Her most recent project E Pluribus Unum (Navona Records, 2020) features piano music by contemporary immigrant composers, including three world-premiere recordings. Previous recordings with her numerous ensembles and partners include The Garden: Vocal Chamber Music by Tom Cipullo (Albany Records, 2018), praised by the American Record Guide for the “excellent performances … by the composer’s ‘dream team of interpreters’” and Lysander Piano Trio’s After A Dream (CAG Records, 2014), lauded by The New York Times for its “polished and spirited interpretations.”
Stepanova has performed as a soloist and chamber musician at international festivals at Castleton, La Jolla, Music@Menlo, Mostly Mozart, Copenhagen (Denmark), and Davos (Switzerland), where she had opportunities to collaborate with leading artists including violinist Cho-Liang Lin, violist James Dunham, clarinetist Charles Neidich, soprano Lucy Shelton, mezzo-soprano Susanne Mentzer and members of the Berlin Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, and the Atlanta Symphony. Deeply committed to new music, she has premiered works by Jennifer Higdon and Libby Larsen and worked with composers William Bolcom, Gabriela Lena Frank, and John Harbison. Liza Stepanova studied art song collaboration with Wolfram Rieger in Berlin and was invited by the late Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau to perform in several of his master classes including the Hugo-Wolf-Tage festival in Austria. Since 2010, Stepanova has been on the faculty at SongFest at The Colburn School in Los Angeles and also served as the festival’s Associate Artistic Director and Piano Program Director for two years.
Stepanova holds degrees from the “Hanns Eisler” Academy in Berlin, Germany (BM) and The Juilliard School (MM, DMA) where she studied with Joseph Kalichstein, Seymour Lipkin, Jerome Lowenthal, and George Sava. Following teaching positions at Juilliard and Smith College, Stepanova is currently an associate professor of piano at the University of Georgia. Her UGA students have been invited to the Aspen, Bowdoin, Chautauqua, Piano Texas, and Salzburg Mozarteum summer programs, have been admitted to elite graduate programs, and consistently win competitions and awards.
Nicholas Enrico Williams is a Professor of Music and serves as the Director of Bands at the University of Georgia, where he coordinates one of the country’s largest and most comprehensive university band programs, conducts the University of Georgia Wind Ensemble, and oversees the graduate wind band conducting area. Prior to his time in Athens, he was the Director of Wind Bands at the University of Melbourne Conservatorium of Music (Melbourne, Australia). Before venturing to Australia, Dr. Williams flourished for sixteen years as the Assistant Director of Wind Studies, the Conductor of the Wind Ensemble, Brass Band, and Concert Band, as well as the Director of Athletic Bands at the University of North Texas. For a decade, he was the Conductor of the Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra Wind Symphony and continues to be a frequent guest conductor of the Dallas Winds (formerly Dallas Wind Symphony), one of America’s few professional civic wind bands. Professor Williams earned the Bachelor of Music (music education), MM (performance-conducting), and DMA (conducting) degrees from the University of North Texas.
As an advocate of chamber music, Professor Williams was the founder and conductor of the East Plano Brass and was the principal guest conductor for the Harmoniemusik chamber ensemble. In the wind band world, he has been a guest conductor with the United States Navy Band; World Youth Wind Symphony at the Interlochen Arts Camp; United States Army Field Band; Royal Australian Defence Force Bands; United States Air Force Band; Dallas Winds; Lone Star Wind Orchestra; at the annual Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic in Chicago, Illinois; the College Band Directors National Association national and regional conferences; the Texas Bandmasters Association Convention; and the Texas Music Educators Association Annual Clinic/Convention in San Antonio, Texas.
Dr. Williams is active in Australia, Canada, Europe, Southeast Asia, and the United States as a conductor, clinician, adjudicator, consultant, and arranger; his arrangements and transcriptions for wind band, percussion ensembles, drum corps, and school pageantry ensembles are performed by outstanding organizations throughout the world. A member of the Recording Academy (GRAMMYs), he is a sought-after recording session producer, associate producer, editor, and conductor, having been involved with numerous CDs and DVDs on the Klavier, Mark Records, and GIA labels, as well as UNT projects, including the 2019 worldwide release of “FIESTAS” by the University of North Texas Wind Ensemble. In addition to his work in the recording arts, he has written several conductor study guides published in the multivolume series of Teaching Music Through Performance in Band. He is a primary consultant of Women of Influence in Contemporary Music and is an honorary member of Sigma Alpha Iota International Music Fraternity for women. His professional affiliations include the Georgia Music Educators Association, Australian Band and Orchestra Directors Association, Texas Music Educators Association, Texas Bandmasters Association, College Band Directors National Association, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, and Phi Beta Mu, an international bandmasters fraternity.
Anthony Morris is currently pursuing a Master of Music in Wind Conducting at the University of Georgia where he studies with Dr. Nicholas Williams and Dr. Jaclyn Hartenberger and serves as a Master’s Conducting Associate for the UGA Bands. Mr. Morris received a Bachelor of Music in Music Education with a dual concentration in Instrumental and Choral education with Cum Laude distinction from Kennesaw State University. Prior to graduate study, Mr. Morris served
as the Director of Bands & Choirs at Wildwood Middle High School where he was responsible for the instruction and administration of the middle & high school concert bands, marching band, music theory, and choir program.
Mr. Morris has appeared as a guest conductor with the United States Army Band “Pershing’s Own” and was named a Conducting Fellow for the H. Robert Reynolds Conducting Institute at the 76th Annual Midwest Clinic in Chicago, Illinois. His passion for music education has led him to create the Relative Pitch Podcast which discusses modern issues regarding music education and helps pave the way for much-needed change to make a more diverse, enriching, and equitable music community. Through these endeavors, Mr. Morris and Relative Pitch Podcast presented sessions entitled “Community Building: Meet Them Where They Are” at the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic, “Changing of the Guard: Shifting Perspectives of Education” at the College Band Directors National Association National Conference, and “Pushing for Change From the Inside: Bringing Equity to Middle and High School Bands” at the annual Georgia Music Educators Association In-Service Conference.
Professional affiliations include Collegiate Band Directors National Association, National Association for Music Educators, Georgia Music Educator Association, Florida Music Educator Association, Florida Bandmasters Association, and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia.
R. Scott Mullen is a conductor and music educator, pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts at the University of Georgia. Scott serves as a Graduate Assistant for UGA Bands in conducting, teaching, and administrative duties with the Wind Ensemble, Wind Symphony, Symphonic Band, and the Redcoat Marching Band. Prior to UGA, Scott was a Graduate Assistant at the University of Central Florida, in Orlando (Master of Arts, 2023). At UCF, he worked with the concert bands, hosted chamber wind concerts, worked with undergraduate music education students, and helped teach and lead the Marching Knights and Jammin’ Knights pep bands. Scott also received his undergraduate degree from UCF (Bachelor of Music Education, 2016), serving as Drum Major and as a trombonist in ensembles.
Scott was a teacher in Orange County Public Schools, most recently as Director of Bands, Chorus, and Orchestra at Wedgefield School. Scott has maintained activities as an educator, and clinician with band programs in Florida and Georgia. His professional affiliations include the National Association for Music Education, the Georgia Bandmasters Association, The Florida Bandmasters Association, The College Band Directors National Association, Kappa Kappa Psi Band Fraternity, and Pi Kappa Lambda Music Honor Society.
Scott’s conducting mentors include Scott Lubaroff, Tremon Kizer, Kelly Miller, Scott Tobias, Nicholas Williams, and Jaclyn Hartenberger.
Caroline W. Pfisterer is joining the University of Georgia after quite an adventurous journey around the world. After graduating magna cum laude from Southeastern Louisiana University with her Bachelor’s degree in Music Education, Caroline moved to Tuscaloosa, Alabama to obtain her Master’s in Music Education at the University of Alabama. In both of her degrees, Caroline was awarded Most Outstanding Student by the faculty and staff by both universities upon her completion.
Caroline taught briefly in St. Tammany Parish at Mandeville High School, before trading her swamp boots to work with a mouse down in Florida. Her work with Walt Disney’s Performing Arts in Orlando led her to start an international travel journey teaching in schools in Mainland China. During this time, Caroline was voted one of the top ten most sought-after teachers in China and was awarded first in overall parent satisfaction. After returning to the U.S., Caroline was hired as the Director of Bands at Mt. Bethel Christian Academy working on curriculum development from grades K-12. Caroline has been passionate about youth activism and has worked alongside with Legacy Youth Leadership which provided her work as a public speaker in places such as Yale, Princeton, Penn State, Harvard, and Model UN conferences throughout the United States. Caroline has taught Elementary music, and middle/high school bands in states such as Louisiana, Arkansas, Florida, and Georgia.
Caroline has joined the Hugh Hodgson School of Music at the University of Georgia as a Doctoral Conducting Associate. She is currently pursuing a D.M.A in Wind Conducting where she studies with Dr. Nicholas Williams and Dr. Jaclyn Hartenberger.
Gilbert P. Villagrana is currently serving as a Doctoral Conducting Associate for the University of Georgia Bands. Originally from Texas, he earned his Bachelor of Music in Music Education from the University of North Texas. Recently, he completed his Master of Music in Trumpet Performance at the University of Georgia. Before joining the University of Georgia, Gilbert served with distinction in the United States Marine Corps stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, NC. During his enlistment, he showcased his musical prowess as a trumpet instrumentalist with the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing Band. His diverse roles also included serving as an assistant enlisted conductor, a leader of small ensemble units, and as principal trumpet.
Gilbert’s dedication to his craft is evident through his extensive training with notable mentors such as Philip Smith, Allen Vizzutti, Dr. Jason Bergman, and John Holt. As a performer, Gilbert has excelled, achieving recognition as a finalist in the Military Band excerpt division at The National Trumpet Competition for multiple years. His musical journey has led him to perform with prestigious ensembles including the Quantico Marine Corps Band, University of North Texas Symphonic Band, and as principal trumpet in the University of Georgia Symphony Orchestra.
Beyond his musical pursuits, Gilbert has been deeply involved in the world of marching arts since 2012, both as a skilled performer and an adept educator. Within the University of Georgia Redcoat Marching Band, he plays an active role as a dedicated staff member, helping contribute to the musical and visual demands of the organization. Currently, he lends his expertise to the acclaimed Carolina Crown Drum and Bugle Corps, where he serves as a brass technician, contributing to the corps’ brass performance awards.
UGA WIND ENSEMBLE
Nicholas Enrico Williams, Conductor
PICCOLO
David Ma
FLUTE
Emily Elmore
Heesoo Jeong
Sam Malave
Madeline Shell
Shana Stone
OBOE
Emma Gordon
Kristi Kiene
Amanda Withrow
ENGLISH HORN
Xander Herman
CLARINET
Lily Kate Akins
Ryan Hanling
^Bailey Hume
Emily Johnston
^Duncan Jourdan
Jeffrey Li
Daniel Park
Jaden Skelton
BASS CLARINET
Riley Hartman
Taylor Spires
BASSOON
Daniel Johnson
^Ethan Surles
CONTRABASSOON
Dillon Causby
SAXOPHONE
^Michael Chapa
^Joseph Himmelberg
Carter Naughton
Brennan Sweet
TRUMPET
^Andrew Morris
Michael Mank
Jack Rozza
Will Tomaszewski
James Vaughn
HORN
^Jordan Chase
Jacob Evarts
^Robert Anthony
Parrish
Jake Wadsworth
Sam Wells
TROMBONE
^David Cain
Joshua Hadaway
Trey Heaton
^Dalton Hooper
BASS TROMBONE
Jonas Ventresca
EUPHONIUM
Tianxiang Gu
Jackson Hund
TUBA
Robert Boone
^Matthew Motley
STRING BASS
Michael Farrick
Leonardo Lopes
HARP
Evelyn Raphael
PIANO
Daijing Ren
PERCUSSION
Nico Alvarez
Camden Briggs
Rubianne Fraelle
Carrington Lauck
Jackson Riffle
Meme Walton
*Members of the University of Georgia Wind Ensemble are listed alphabetically to acknowledge each performer’s unique contribution to our shared artistic endeavors.
^Graduating member appearing in their final ensemble performance with UGA Bands
Nicholas Enrico Williams
Jaclyn Hartenberger
Brett Bawcum
Michael C. Robinson
Rob Akridge
Mia Athanas
R. Scott Mullen
Jeremy Smith
Gilbert Villagrana
Caroline W. Pfisterer
Anthony Morris
Michael Chapa
Joseph Johnson
Michelle Moeller
Rocky Raffle
Director of Bands
Associate Director of Bands
Assistant Director of Bands/Director of Athletic Bands
Professor/Conductor of Symphonic Band
Assistant Director of Athletic Bands/Band Festivals Director
Assistant Director of Athletic Bands
Doctoral Conducting Associate
Doctoral Conducting Associate
Doctoral Conducting Associate
Doctoral Conducting Associate
Master’s Conducting Associate
Athletic Bands Graduate Assistant
Graduate Assistant
Graduate Assistant
Large Ensemble Office Manager
Follow UGA Bands on Social Media: @ugabands
INSTRUMENTAL FACULTY
Angela Jones-Reus
Reid Messich
Amy Pollard
D. Ray McClellan
Brandon Quarles
Phil Smith
Brandon Craswell
Jean Martin-Williams
Peter J. Jutras
Adrian P. Childs
Brandon Craswell
Amy Pollard
Edith Hollander
James Sewell
Shaun Baer
Paul Griffith
Eric Dluzniewski
Scott Higgins
Tony Graves
Dan Phipps
James Naigus
Flute Oboe Bassoon Clarinet Saxophone Trumpet Trumpet Horn Horn Trombone Euphonium/Tuba Percussion Percussion Double Bass Harp Piano
Joshua Bynum
Matthew Shipes
Timothy K. Adams, Jr.
Kimberly Toscano Adams
Milton Masciadri
Monica Hargrave
HUGH HODGSON SCHOOL OF MUSIC
Liza Stepanova Director
Associate Director for Graduate Studies
Associate Director for Undergraduate Studies
Associate Director for Performance
Assistant to the Director
Production and Events Manager
Director of Public Relations
Academic Professional, Sound Recording
Academic Professional, Sound Recording Lead Piano Technician Piano Technician
Sectioning Officer
university of georgia symphony orchestra and combined choirs over 300 student musicians grant us peace
friday, april 26 at 7:30 p.m. hodgson concert hall uga performing arts center
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For large gifts or concert underwriting, please contact Melissa Roberts at: 706-254-2111 or roberts@uga.edu
Thank
your
SUN 5/12
3 p.m.
Ramsey Hall, UGA, 230 River Road
CELEBRATING INTERNATIONAL MUSICAL EXCELLENCE RIGHT HERE IN ATHENS!
“History of Tango”
A celebration of the history of tango, including fiery and colorful chamber works by Luigi Boccherini and Manuel De Falla plus original compositions by JP Jofre.
Guest Artists: JP Jofre, bandoneon, Itamar Zorman, violin
TUES 5/14 “From Opera To Hip-Hop: A Celebration Of American Voices”
7:30 p.m.
Morton Theatre
195 Washington St. Donations accepted at venue.
A celebration of African-American musical excellence across styles and genres at the historic Morton Theatre in downtown Athens. This concert is free.
Guest artists: Joshua Stewart, tenor; Squallé & Lemuel LaRoche
7:30 p.m.
THURS 5/16 “Dispersions In Watercolor”New Multi-Disciplinary Music At The Georgia Museum Of Art
Georgia Museum of Art
90 Carlton St.
At the heart of modern chamber music is the creation of new music. Includes three world premieres. This concert is free.
Guest artist: Amy Yang, piano
FRI 5/17 An Evening in Paris
7:30 p.m.
Day Chapel at the State Botanical Garden of Georgia
2450 S. Milledge Ave.
The centerpiece of the first half of the program is Debussy’s sensuous and rarely heard Sonata for Flute, Viola, and Harp. Also included Bizet, Saint-Saëns and Poulenc. Seating is limited.
Guest artists: Amy Yang, piano, Itamar Zorman, violin
Melissa Reardon, viola, Elizabeth Remy-Johnson, harp
SUN 5/19 The Art of the String Quartet
7:30 p.m.
First Baptist Church
255 Pulaski St.
Includes the passionate String Quartet in D minor by Jean Sibelius and a short work by acclaimed Jamaican-British composer Eleanor Alberga, plus Schubert Quintet.
Guest artists: Borromeo String Quartet
TUES 5/21 Chamber Music Athens Gala Finale
7:30 p.m.
Ramsey Hall, UGA PAC
230 River Road
Guests lead an ensemble of UGA faculty and students in Bach’s exuberant Brandenburg Concerto No. 3., plus Tchaikovsky’s virtuosic string sextet Souvenir de Florence.
Guest artists: Borromeo String Quartet
Internationally acclaimed guest musicians join UGA Faculty, students, and the Athens Hip Hop Harmonic for a series of six concerts in venues throughout Athens. Visit chambermusicathens.com for details and tickets!
