TUESDAY, APRIL 2 at 7:30 p.m.
UGA PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
230 RIVER RD, ATHENS, GA
Tuesday, April 2, 2024 at 7:30 p.m.
Hugh Hodgson Concert Hall
UGA Performing Arts Center
University of Georgia Wind Ensemble
Nicholas Enrico Williams, conductor
Jeremy Smith, doctoral conducting associate
Amy Pollard, bassoon soloist
Second Suite in F
I. March
Concerto for Bassoon
I. Maestoso
II. Allegro Molto
Recuerdos Perdidos
Sinfonietta
I. Introduction and Rondo
II. Pastoral Nocturne
III. Dance Variations
Amy Pollard, bassoon soloist
World Premiere
Gustav Holst
ed. Colin Matthews
Ellen Taaffe Zwilich
trans. Tim Hill
Sierra Wojtczack
Ingolf Dahl
Brandon Craswell, Philip A, Smith, Gilbert Villagrana, off-stage trumpets
Startin’ Sumthin’
Jeremy Smith, Doctoral Conducting Associate PROGRAM
Jeff Scott
trans. Trevor Butts
Gustav Holst (1874-1934) ed. Colin Matthews
Written in 1911 (though not premiered until 1922), Second Suite in F introduces and develops seven tuneful folk melodies over four movements. The introductory march begins with Glorishears — a Morris-dance tune realized in the style of a British town brass band. A euphonium soloist sings out the sweeping melody of Swansea Town before clarinets and saxophones dance to Claudy Banks. A recapitulation of Glorishears concludes the opening movement.
Program note by David Stanley
Gustav Holst was a British composer and educator. Holst learned piano at an early age, but was stricken with a nerve condition that affected the movement of his right hand, forcing him to give up the piano for the trombone. He received his degrees from The Royal College of Music in London, where he met fellow composer (and lifelong friend) Ralph Vaughan Williams and 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 for 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 of the genre.
Startin’ Sumthin’ (2012/2022) (5’10”)
Jeff Scott (b.1967) trans. Trevor Butts
Startin’ Sumthin’ is a swing-era-influenced work that could have been heard in juke joints all around the country that people would get up and dance to. When approached to compose a piece for a wind quartet, Scott wanted to break out of the standard “basic canon or Hindemith style” way of composing for a wind quintet. Scott took this opportunity to introduce wind quartets to this time period of jazz because to him, this style of jazz is easier to absorb for the musicians and audiences alike. The style of Startin’ Sumthin’ would be most consistent with the music by Billy May and Count Basie in the big band era.
Program note by the composer
Jeff Scott started the French horn at age 14, receiving an anonymous gift scholarship to go to the Brooklyn College Preparatory Division. An even greater gift came from his first teacher, Carolyn Clark, who taught the young Mr. Scott for free during his high school years, giving him the opportunity to study music when resources were not available. He received his bachelor’s degree from Manhattan School of Music and master’s degree from SUNY at Stony Brook. He has been a member of the Alvin Ailey and Dance Theater of Harlem orchestras since 1995 and has performed numerous times under the direction of Wynton Marsalis with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra. Jeff Scott was the French hornist in the internationally acclaimed wind quintet, Imani Winds.
To my delight, I have found that the bassoon is a remarkable solo instrument with a wide range of expressive power. An artist-virtuoso can perform just about anything on the bassoon, from fluid, vocal, signing lines to wildly virtuosic fast passages. Perhaps more than any other instrument, the bassoon is able to suggest a single line breaking into multiple voices, even at breakneck speed. Concerto for Bassoon calls on all of these abilities, plus the ability to respond to the orchestra (the bassoon even has a significant relationship to the percussion). But, above all, I have tried to write more than an instrumental exercise, but through the bassoon, to make a highly personal musical statement.
Program note by the composer
Ellen Taaffe Zwilich began her studies as a violinist, earning a Bachelor of Music from Florida State University in 1960. She moved to New York City to play with the American Symphony Orchestra under Leopold Stokowski. She later enrolled at Juilliard, eventually (in 1975) becoming the first woman to earn the degree of Doctor of Musical Arts in composition. She first came to prominence when Pierre Boulez programmed her Symposium for Orchestra with the Juilliard Symphony Orchestra in 1975. Zwilich’s compositional style is marked by an obsession with “the idea of generating an entire work – large-scale structure, melodic and harmonic language, and developmental processes – from its initial motives.” In 2009, she became the chair of the BMI Student Composer Awards following Milton Babbitt and William Schuman. To date she has received six honorary doctorates.
Recuerdos Perdidos (2024) (7’)
Sierra Wojtczack (b.1999)
Recuerdos Perdidos (Lost Memories) captures the recollection of near-death experiences witnessed by the grandfather character in Alejandro Casona’s fictional play La Dama del Alba. These recollections are important because they cause the grandfather to realize the true nature of the character La Peregrina, who is death personified and has visited his village multiple times. This work is part of a larger series of compositions that explore the interactions between La Peregrina and different characters of La Dama del Alba. Written for the University of Georgia Wind Ensemble as the 2023–24 Student Composer in Residence. Many thanks to the UGA composition area, Dr. Nicholas Williams, and the UGA Wind Ensemble for making this piece possible! Finally, heartfelt thanks to my high school Spanish teacher Gladys Llanes for introducing me to La Dama del Alba, a work that continues to inspire me many years later. Program note by the composer
Sierra Wojtczack (pronounced Voy-check) is a composer and cellist from Long Island, New York. Their music is often described as playful, inquisitive, and whimsical. Recent thematic interests include appreciating the mundane and incorporating games/play into music. Sierra’s acoustic and electronic works have been selected for performance at various events including SPLICE Institute, Operation Opera, Tennessee Valley Music Festival, ‘She Scores’ Concert Series, Art Song Lab, and various Society of Composers Inc. Conferences. Highlights
from 2023 include performances of their micro-opera “Hero’s Awakening” and being selected as Large Ensemble Student Composer in Residence at the University of Georgia. This year, they are excited to premiere with the UGA Wind Ensemble and participate in the Valencia International Performance Academy and Festival in Valencia, Spain. Sierra holds degrees in music composition from Bowling Green State University and State University of New York at Fredonia. While at BGSU, they held positions in music theory/aural skills as a teaching assistant and adjunct instructor. Sierra is currently pursuing a DMA in composition at the University of Georgia, where they hold an interdisciplinary arts research assistantship.
When I received a commission to write a work for band, there were many things to be considered. First of all, I wanted it to be a piece full of size, a long piece, a substantial piece - a piece that, without apologies for its medium, would take its place alongside symphonic works of any other kind. But, in addition, I hoped to make it a ‘light’ piece, something in a serenade style, serenade tone, and perhaps even form. This was the starting point. You will remember that in many classical serenades the music begins and ends with movements which are idealized marches, as if the musicians were to come to the performance and then, at the end, walk off again. From Haydn’s and Mozart’s march-enclosed divertimenti to Beethoven’s Serenade for Flute, Violin and Viola (and beyond), this was a strong tradition, and it was this tradition which motivated at least the details of the beginning and ending of the Sinfonietta (a work in serenade tone but with symphonic proportions, hence the title). The quiet beginning, the backstage trumpets, and at the very end an extremely quiet ending with backstage trumpets — this is the form of the work.
Born in Hamburg, Germany, to Swedish parents, Ingolf Dahl embarked on his formal musical education at the Cologne Hochschule für Musik under Philipp Jarnach from 1930 to 1932. Fleeing Nazi oppression, he sought refuge in Switzerland and continued his studies at the University of Zürich with Volkmar Andreae and Walter Frey. Dahl’s diverse career began as a conductor and coach at the Zürich Stadttheater. After becoming a U.S. citizen in 1943, Dahl joined the faculty of the University of Southern California in Los Angeles in 1945, where he taught until his death. Dahl’s significant contributions earned him numerous honors, including Guggenheim Fellowships, Huntington Hartford Fellowships, the USC Excellence in Teaching Award, and the ASCAP Stravinsky Award. His diverse repertoire is preserved on recordings across various labels, including Boston Records, Capstone, Centaur, Chandos, CRI, Crystal, Klavier, Nimbus, and Summit.
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.
Jeremy Smith is a third-year Doctoral Conducting Associate at the University of Georgia and is in the conducting studio of Dr. Nicholas Williams, with additional mentorship by Dr. Jaclyn Hartenberger. Jeremy is a native of Atlanta, Georgia, and a proud product of the DeKalb County School District, where he graduated from Southwest DeKalb High School. He attended Florida A&M University and obtained a Bachelor of Science in Music Education. Jeremy later received his Master’s in Music Education from Norfolk State University while serving as a graduate assistant
with the band program. In this capacity, he co-conducted the symphonic wind ensemble, assisted with the marching band, and aided in the recruitment efforts for the band program. Most recently, Jeremy completed his Education Specialist degree (EdS) in Music Education from Piedmont College (Demorest, GA).
Jeremy started his teaching career as an elementary band director in the DeKalb County School District. He later served as the Orchestra and Assistant Band Director at Stephenson Middle School and served as the Assistant Band Director at Stephenson High School for three years. As Assistant Band Director at Stephenson High School, he assisted with the wind ensemble, conducted the symphonic band and trumpet choir, served as the primary drill writer for the marching band, and taught the beginning band class.
Jeremy is a member of the College Band Directors Association (CBDNA), National Association for Music Educators (NAFME), the Georgia Music Educators Association (GMEA), Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity of America, and Alpha Phi Omega National Service Fraternity.
Amy Pollard is the Professor of Bassoon and Associate Director for Performance at the Hugh Hodgson School of Music at the University of Georgia. She formerly served as Lecturer of Bassoon at Baylor University and has also been on faculty at the University of Dayton and the Cincinnati School for the Creative and Performing Arts. During the summer she has been on the faculty of the Interlochen Arts Center Advanced Bassoon Institute, the UGA Study Abroad program in Alessandria, Italy, the Saarburg Music Festival in Saarburg, Germany, and the Atlanta Chamber Music Festival. She has taught master classes at conservatories and universities throughout the United States and internationally as well as serving as a guest artist for numerous double reed festivals and clinics.
Pollard holds positions as principal bassoon with the Atlanta Ballet Orchestra and second bassoon with the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra. She is an active freelance performer and frequently performs with orchestras throughout the Southeast and beyond. Pollard also serves on the administrative board for the Meg Quigley Vivaldi Competition and Symposium as part of the Competition Committee.
Pollard has presented solo recitals at venues across the country and internationally and has performed as a soloist with the University of Georgia Symphony Orchestra, Wind Ensemble, and Wind Symphony as well as with the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music Chamber Players. An avid chamber musician, she has performed at venues throughout the country and also in Ireland, Belgium, Argentina, Italy, and Germany, and Thailand with such groups as the Georgia Woodwind Quintet, the Baylor University Woodwind Quintet, the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra Woodwind Quintet, and the University of Cincinnati CollegeConservatory of Music Chamber Players. Her bassoon-percussion duo, Col Legno and her bassoon duo, Dueaux, have performed recitals and presented master classes at numerous venues throughout the country.
Pollard’s debut solo album, Ruminations: Bassoon Works of Eugène Bozza, and the Georgia Woodwind Quintet’s CD Chroma were both released by Mark Records and are available on iTunes.
Pollard received her Doctor of Musical Arts and Master of Music degrees from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and a Bachelor of Music degree from Louisiana State University, studying with William Winstead and William Ludwig.
In addition to our primary Support and Scholarship Funds, many specialized areas of interest, including our Bands programs, have support and scholarship funds you can contribute to directly. You can now learn more about all the ways and areas you can support the Hugh Hodgson School of Music. Scan the QR code or visit music.uga.edu/giving-andalumni to the support the Hugh Hodgson School of Music area of your choice.
For large gifts or concert underwriting, please contact Melissa Roberts at: 706-254-2111 or roberts@uga.edu
Thank you for your continued support of the UGA Hugh Hodgson School of Music.
PICCOLO
Heesoo Jeong
FLUTE
Emily Elmore
David Ma
Madeline Shell
Shana Stone
OBOE
Kristi Kiene
Michelle Moeller
Amanda Withrow
ENGLISH HORN
Emma Gordon
CLARINET
Lily Kate Akins
Ryan Hanling
Bailey Hume
Emily Johnston
Duncan Jourdan
Jeffrey Li
Daniel Park
Jaden Skelton
BASSOON
Hsin Cheng
Daniel Johnson
CONTRABASSOON
Dillon Causby
SAXOPHONE
Michael Chapa
Carter Naighton
Brennan Sweet
Christopher Victor
TRUMPET
Marco Cubillas
Michael Mank
Andrew Morris
Jack Rozza
Will Tomaszewski
James Vaughn
Gilbert Villagrana
HORN
Jordan Chase
Jacob Evarts
Joseph Johnson
Jake Wadsworth
Sam Wells
TROMBONE
David Cain
Trey Heaton
Dalton Hooper
BASS TROMBONE
Jonas Ventresca
EUPHONIUM
Tianxiang Gu
Jackson Hund
TUBA
Robert Boone
Matthew Motley
STRING BASS
Michael Farrick
Leonardo Lopes
PIANO
Daijing Ren
PERCUSSION
Nico Alvarez
Camden Briggs
Rubianne Fraelle
Carrington Lauck
Jackson Riffle
Meme Walton
Nicholas Enrico Williams, ConductorNicholas 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
Angela Jones-Reus
Reid Messich
Amy Pollard
D. Ray McClellan
Brandon Quarles
Phil Smith
Brandon Craswell
Jean Martin-Williams
Flute Oboe Bassoon Clarinet Saxophone Trumpet Trumpet Horn
James Naigus
Joshua Bynum
Matthew Shipes
Timothy K. Adams, Jr.
Kimberly Toscano Adams
Milton Masciadri
Monica Hargrave
Liza Stepanova
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
Trombone
Euphonium/Tuba
Percussion
Percussion
Double Bass Harp Piano Piano
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
UPCOMING PERFORMANCES
WED 4/3
5:30 p.m.
Ramsey Hall, UGA PAC
FREE CONCERT NO TICKETS REQUIRED
THURS 4/4
5:30 p.m.
Ramsey Hall, UGA PAC
FREE CONCERT NO TICKETS REQUIRED
THURS 4/4
7:30 p.m.
Hodgson Hall
$3 - students with a valid UGA ID
$15 - adults
The bands performs music of a variety of styles, including swing, be-bop, Latin, and contemporary jazz. Concerts often feature Duke Ellington, Thad Jones, Frank Foster, Oliver Nelson and more.
LEVON AND FRIENDS Music of Argentina
FRI 4/5
7:30 p.m. Ramsey Hall, UGA PAC
FREE CONCERT NO TICKETS REQUIRED
MON 4/8
7:30 p.m.
Hodgson Hall, UGA PAC
FREE CONCERT NO TICKETS REQUIRED
WED 4/10
7:30 p.m.
Hodgson Hall, UGA PAC
FREE CONCERT NO TICKETS REQUIRED
VIOLIN
Levon Ambartsumian, violin, Guest Artist Oliver Yatsugafu (pictured), violin; Shakhida Azimkhodjaeva, viola; David Starkweather, Cello, Leonardo Lorenco Lopes, double bass
AN EVENING OF ANTONÍN DVOŘÁK
The program includes works by Czech composer Antonín Dvořák including the Carnivale overture, American Suite, and his Symphony No. 9 “From the New World.”
(Formerly listed as “French Masterpieces.”)
LATIN AMERICAN MUSIC ENSEMBLE presents “Años de soledad”
VIOLIN
DON GILLESPIE MEMORIAL CONCERT Contemporary Chamber Ensebmle
This ensemble, conducted by Iris Marcipar, will feature music from the northwest parts of Argentina that speak to a yearning for connection. This concert celebrates the life of UGA HHSOM Alum Don C. Gillespie, who worked for music publisher C. F. Peters for 31 years and championed 20th Century composers.
CHINESE MUSIC ENSEMBLE
VIOLIN
Featuring guest artists Spring Yang, Huang Rong Fu, and Ying Chen as well instruments such as the erhu, guzheng, pipa, and the yangqin. Conducted by Vicki Lu.
VIOLIN
TUESDAY, APRIL 23 at 7:30 p.m.
HODGSON HALL
UGA
university of georgia symphony orchestra and combined choirs over 300 student musicians grant us peace
dona nobis pacem
composed by
friday, april 26 at 7:30 p.m.
hodgson concert hall
uga performing arts center
