UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA WIND ENSEMBLE
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2024 at 7:30 p.m.
HODGSON CONCERT HALL
UNDINGS S
Thursday, September 19, 2024 at 7:30 p.m.
Hodgson Concert Hall
UGA Performing Arts Center
University of Georgia Wind Ensemble
Nicholas Enrico Williams, Conductor
Mark Davidson, Trombone Soloist
R. Scott Mullen, Doctoral Conducting Associate
Rocky Point Holiday
To the Bells of Berlin Cathedral
PROGRAM
Nelson
Julie Giroux
Finish Line
Trombone Concerto, “Sonorous”
I. Rhapsodic
II. Mysterious
III. Awaken
In memory of Bruce John Leek
Cindy McTee
Quinn Mason
trans. Nicholas E. Williams
Mark Davidson, Principal Trombonist - Utah Symphony | Wind Version Premiere
Luminance
R. Scott Mullen, Doctoral Conducting Associate | Consortium Premiere
George Washington Bicentennial March
Shuying Li
John Philip Sousa
Ron
Rocky Point Holiday (1969) (5’30”)
Ron Nelson (1929-2023)
Rocky Point Holiday was commissioned by Frank Bencriscutto and the University of Minnesota. Bencriscutto had heard Nelson’s orchestral work Savannah River Holiday and decided he wanted something virtuosic to take with him on a planned tour to Russia. When asked about the limitations of the band, Bencriscutto told him there were none. “I’m going to write a tremendously difficult piece,” Nelson warned him. “That’s fine,” replied Bencriscutto, and thus, Rocky Point Holiday was born. Nelson said, “This was a pivotal moment in my notion of wind ensemble scoring, in which I focused on orchestrating in an extremely transparent way.”
Ron Nelson was an American composer, known for his many works for choir and instrumental ensembles. He became a church organist at thirteen, but began composing at the age of six. He attended the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester, and with a Fulbright Grant, in 1955, he studied in France at the Ecole Normale de Musique and at the Paris Conservatory. The following year, he joined the faculty at Brown University, where he taught until his retirement in 1993. He received commissions from the National Symphony Orchestra, the United States Air Force Band and Chorus, Aspen Music Festival, and the Brevard Music Center, and was the recipient of the American Bandmasters Association Ostwald Prize, the Sudler International Prize, and the Medal of Honor of the John Philip Sousa Foundation.
To the Bells of Berlin Cathedral (2024) (8’25”)
Julie Giroux (b. 1961)
To the Bells of Berlin Cathedral has several very personal facets to it. It is the first music I have composed after the death of my mother. This music may not have been specifically written for her, but there is no putting a wall up between my feelings of loss and my artistic expressions. It just can’t be done. Another facet is, I told this story to my good friend, Bruce Leek. He loved it and it brought tears to his eyes as well as mine. He may have been a little gruff on the outside, but he wasn’t on the inside. That was also to be my last conversation with Bruce before he died. For several months, I could not compose at all. It was just too much. In many ways, it still is. The beautiful story between an author and a little girl, brought me back to composing. I will never forget the way it felt, composing these notes. And just like the little girl, I too learned that: “Everything you love is very likely to be lost, but in the end, love will return in a different way.”
Program note by the composer
Julie Giroux is an American composer of works for orchestra, chorus, chamber ensembles, and a significant body of music for wind ensemble. She studied at Louisiana State University and Boston University, and was a student of Jerry Goldsmith, Bill Conti, and John Williams. With over 100 film, television, and video game credits, Giroux collaborated with dozens of film composers, producers, and celebrities including Samuel Goldwyn, Martin Scorsese, Clint Eastwood, Madonna, Liza Minnelli, Celene Dion, Paula Abdul, Michael Jackson, Paul Newman, Harry Connick Jr. and many others. Projects she has worked on have been nominated for Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and Golden Globe awards. She has won individual Emmy Awards in the field of “Outstanding Individual Achievement in Music Direction.” When she won her first Emmy Award, she was the first woman and the youngest person to ever win that award. She has won it three times.
Finish Line (2006) (7’)
Cindy McTee (b. 1953)
I decided to use the work of Futurist artist Giacomo Balla as a point of departure for the creation of Finish Line, and chose several paintings suggesting the transformation of landscape by the passage of a speeding automobile. The title of one work in particular, Abstract Speed + Sound, suggests that Balla sought to render on canvas the whirling noise of the automobile itself. In Finish Line, the use of repeated fragments (ostinatos), a steady pulse, and a spirited tempo attempt to portray the swirling gestures and mechanized agitation of Balla’s paintings. Multiple points of view (characteristic of Futurist art) are represented by the simultaneous presentation of two tempos at the beginning and end of the work, and also by a seamless, temporal transformation process analogous to gear shifting, where the speed, or RPM, of the engine modulates smoothly to a new frequency.
Program note by the composer
Cindy McTee is an American composer and educator. Ms. McTee holds degrees from Pacific Lutheran University, the Yale School of Music, and the University of Iowa. She also completed one year of study in Poland with Krzysztof Penderecki at the Academy of Music in Krakow. Originally hailed by critics as a composer whose music reflects a “charging, churning celebration of the musical and cultural energy of modern-day America,” Cindy McTee “brings to the world of concert music a fresh and imaginative voice.” Ms. McTee has received numerous awards for her music, most significantly a “Creative Connections Award” from Meet The Composer, two awards from
the American Academy of Arts and Letters, a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Fulbright Fellowship, and a Composers Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Trombone Concerto, “Sonorous” (2023) (20’)
Quinn Mason (b. 1996)
trans. Nicholas E. Williams
When Mr. Davidson and I began talking about this piece nearly three years ago (over BBQ in Texas), the first thing he mentioned was that he desired a new piece of music in which the trombone’s singing quality was emphasized. Inspired by this, and his suggestion of the nickname ‘Sonorous’, I set off to work. The concerto is set in three movements. The first, Rhapsodic, is primarily focused on this singing quality that Mr. Davidson requested. In it, a pastoral theme is introduced by the trombone which is played in dialogue with the ensemble.
The middle theme is slower and more of flowing, sustained and expressive. Throughout this movement one will hear the ensemble and trombone in conversation, sometimes lively and spirited, other times serious or innocent.
Program note by the composer
Quinn Mason is an American composer and conductor. Mr. Mason studied composition at Southern Methodist University’s Meadows School of the Arts with Dr. Lane Harder. He previously studied at Richland College with Dr. Jordan Kuspa, Texas Christian University with Dr. Blaise Ferrandino, and with the University of Texas at Dallas’ Dr. Winston Stone. He has also worked with distinguished composers David Maslanka, Jake Heggie, Libby Larsen, Robert Xavier Rodriguez, and David Dzubay. His orchestral music has received numerous performances in the United States by the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Utah Symphony Orchestra, and many others. Quinn Mason is an artist represented by CADENZA ARTISTS INTERNATIONAL LLC. www.CadenzaArtists.com.
Luminance (2023) (12’)
Shuying Li (b. 1989)
Luminance explores the interplay between light and darkness both musically and thematically. Inspired by the concept of “luminance,” this work seeks to evoke a sense of radiance and brilliance through its music. At its core, Luminance addresses issues
relevant to contemporary society. By exploring themes of hope and despair, inclusion and exclusion, and power and powerlessness, the piece seeks to provide a platform for reflection and conversation. Through its use of evocative tonalities and dynamic contrasts, “Luminance” aims to invite audiences to find strength in moments of darkness and embrace the light within themselves.
Program note by the composer
Shuying Li is a Chinese-American pianist, composer and conductor. She began her musical education in her native China at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, and in her sophomore year she won a scholarship to continue her studies at the Hartt School in Connecticut. She also holds doctoral and master’s degrees from the University of Michigan. Her composition teachers include Michael Daugherty, Evan Chambers, Ye Guohui, Robert Carl, and Larry Alan Smith. Additionally, Shuying has worked with Joseph Schwantner, Martin Bresnick, Christopher Theofanidis, and Steven Mackey. Dr. Li taught and directed the Composition and Music Theory Program at Gonzaga University before joining the faculty at California State University, Sacramento, in the fall of 2022.
George Washington Bicentennial March (1932) (3’50’’)
John Philip Sousa (1854-1932)
John Philip Sousa remained active as both a composer and conductor to the very end of his life. A special commission was formed in Washington, D.C., in 1930 to coordinate the upcoming national celebration of the 200th anniversary of George Washington’s birth, and Sousa was engaged to compose a special march for the occasion. He completed the score to George Washington Bicentennial March in June of that year, and while on tour with his Sousa Band in November, he made a stop in Washington, D.C., to conduct a preview of the new march with the United States Marine Band, for President Herbert Hoover and his guests in front of the White House.
John Philip Sousa was a renowned American composer and conductor, celebrated for his contributions to the genre of military and patriotic band music. Often referred to as “The March King,” Sousa composed numerous iconic marches, including “The Stars and Stripes Forever,” “Semper Fidelis,” and “The Washington Post March,” which have become enduring staples of American music. His innovative arrangements and dynamic performances, particularly with his own Sousa Band, helped popularize the symphonic band format in the United States. Sousa’s work not only defined the sound of American marches but also left a lasting legacy in the world of concert band music.
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.
Professor Williams has been a guest conductor with the Opole (Poland) Philharmonic Orchestra; the United States Army Band “Pershing’s Own”; United States Navy Band; United States Army Field Band; United States Air Force Band; Royal Australian Defence Force Bands; World Youth Wind Symphony at the Interlochen Arts Camp; 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.
Mark Davidson began playing the trombone at age 11 within the Plano, Texas, school district music programs before attending the University of North Texas, where he received a Bachelor’s of Music Education in 2006. During his studies, Mark was a student of Jan Kagarice and Tony Baker, and received the Most Outstanding Undergraduate Award while studying at UNT. After graduation, he went on to attend The Juilliard School and studied with Joseph Alessi, Principal Trombone of the New York Philharmonic. During this time, Mark also attended the Pacific Music Festival in Sapporo, Japan and was the winner of the International Trombone Association’s Lewis Van Haney Tenor Trombone Competition. After his training at The Juilliard School, Mark held posts with the San Antonio Symphony as 2nd Trombonist, the Cincinnati Symphony as acting 2nd trombonist, and the Baltimore Symphony as Acting Principal Trombonist. Mark was appointed Principal Trombone of the Utah Symphony Orchestra by Maestro Thierry Fischer in 2015, after previously being appointed as Associate Principal/ 2nd Trombone of the USO in 2013. Mark Davidson currently also serves on the faculty at the University of Utah. As a clinician for S.E. Shires, he has also presented masterclasses and recitals throughout the country as well in Europe and Australia. With a strong passion for the advancement of music education and music performance in Utah, Mark founded the Mountain West Trombone Workshop in 2015, an annual
event that brings trombonists from around the country to Utah with the mission of engaging, transforming and inspiring trombonists of all ages.
R. Scott Mullen is a conductor and music educator, pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts at the University of Georgia. Scott serves as a Doctoral Conducting Associate 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, Florida. At UCF, he worked with concert bands, hosted chamber wind concerts, mentored undergraduate music education students, and helped teach the Marching Knights and Jammin’ Knights pep bands. Scott also received a Bachelor of Music Education degree from UCF in 2016, having performed and recorded as a trombonist.
Scott was previously 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, Nicholas Williams, and Jaclyn Hartenberger, and Jack A. Eaddy.
Nicholas Enrico Williams, Conductor
R. Scott Mullen, Doctoral Conducting Associate
FLUTE
Emily Elmore
Rachel Lee
David Ma
Alexia Toma
OBOE
Marissa Ankeny
Gracee Meyers
Brenna Sexton
Amanda Withrow
CLARINET
Lily Kate Akins
Tan Charintranont
Tim Fitzgerald
Riley Hartman
Emily Johnston
Elise Larson
Jonathan Mack
Yash Mahadkar
Claudia Reve Romero
Jaden Skelton
Taylor Spires
BASSOON
Hsin Cheng
J.T. Holdbrooks
Drew Kruszynski
Natasha Pizarro-Guerrero
SAXOPHONE
Owen Cotton
Carter Naughton
Yun Qu Tan
Christopher Victor
TRUMPET
Will Cuneo
Colin Kennedy
Victor Pires
Jack Rozza
Ben Stocksdale
Will Tomaszewski
HORN
Baylee Cook
Marianna Schwark
Makenzie Shields
Anleah Walker
Joshua Wood
TROMBONE
Tripp Drennan
Victor Guevara
Joshua Hadaway
Zachary Nelson
José Vasquez
EUPHONIUM
Tianxiang Gu
Andrew Haynes
TUBA
Jack Neja
Jacob Norris
STRING BASS
Michael Farrick
PIANO
Daijing Ren
PERCUSSION
Hsiao Huang
Reece Moseley
Grayson Pruitt
Thomas Pruitt
Jackson Riffle
Meme Walton
Dane Warren
*Members of the University of Georgia Wind Ensemble are listed alphabetically to acknowledge each performer’s unique contribution to our shared artistic endeavors.
UNIVERSITY
Nicholas Enrico Williams
Jack A. Eaddy
Brett Bawcum
Michael C. Robinson
Mia Athanas
Marcus Morris
R. Scott Mullen
Gilbert Villagrana
Caroline Wright Pfisterer
Justin White
David McPherson
Rocky Raffle
Michelle Moeller
Joseph Johnson
Director of Bands
Associate Director of Bands
Associate Director of Bands/Director of Athletic Bands
Professor/Conductor of Symphonic Band
Assistant Director of Athletic Bands
Assistant Director of Athletic Bands/Band Festivals Director
Doctoral Conducting Associate
Doctoral Conducting Associate
Doctoral Conducting Associate
Doctoral Conducting Associate
Athletic Bands Graduate Assistant
Large Ensemble Office Manager
Graduate Assistant
Graduate Assistant
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
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
Horn Trombone
Euphonium/Tuba
Percussion
Percussion
Double Bass
Harp
Piano
Daniel Bara
Emily Gertsch
Brandon Craswell
Amy Pollard
Edith Hollander
James Sewell
Shaun Baer
Paul Griffith
Eric Dluzniewski
Scott Higgins
Tony Graves
Jared Tubbs
Interim 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
HUGH HODGSON SCHOOL OF MUSIC
Scholarships and Graduate assistantships funded by donations to the Thursday Scholarship Fund make it possible for students to learn and pursue their passions at the Hugh Hodgson School of Music. Please consider a taxdeductible gift to the Thursday Scholarship Fund so we may continue to support our students and make their education possible. Scan the QR code now or reach out to Melissa Roberts at roberts@uga.edu or 706-254-2111.
SUPPORT INDIVIDUAL AREAS OF THE SCHOOL OF MUSIC
In addition to our primary Support and Scholarship Funds, many specialized areas of interest, including our orchestra and choral 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-and-alumni to the support the Hugh Hodgson School of Music area of your choice.
JOIN THE DIRECTOR’S CIRCLE
Gifts of all amounts are greatly appreciated. However, annual giving at the $1,500 level and higher provides membership in the Director’s Circle, our Hugh Hodgson School of Music Honor Roll. Director’s Circle members are invited to exclusive events and performances throughout the academic year.
For large gifts, please contact Melissa Roberts at roberts@uga.edu or 706-254-2111.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT OF THE UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA HUGH HODGSON SCHOOL OF MUSIC.
WED 9/25
3:30 p.m.
Ramsey Concert Hall FREE CONCERT
WED 9/25
7:30 p.m.
Hodgson Concert Hall FREE CONCERT
WED 10/2
7:30 p.m.
Ramsey Concert Hall FREE CONCERT
THURS 10/3
7:30 p.m.
Hodgson Concert Hall
REPERTORY SINGERS
Shelby Laird & Joshua Wagner, conductors
TUES 10/8
7:30 p.m.
Hodgson Concert Hall FREE CONCERT
WED 10/9
6 p.m.
Edge Recital Hall FREE CONCERT
WED 10/9
7:30 p.m.
Ramsey Concert Hall FREE CONCERT
WIND SYMPHONY & SYMPHONIC BAND
Introducing Jack Eaddy, Jr, associate director of bands conducting Wind Symphony.
GUEST ARTIST LECTURE RECITAL EVREN KUTLAY
Piano performance, ethnomusicology, and post-colonial studies.
UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
THE POWER OF TRANSFORMATION: HINDEMITH, WAGNER, AND MENDELSSOHN
Includes Hindemith’s “Symphonic Metamorphosis on Themes of Carl Maria von Weber”and more.
UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA MEN’S AND WOMEN’S GLEE CLUBS
Introducing Jack Eaddy, Jr, associate director of bands conducting Wind Symphony.
GUEST ARTIST RECITAL BETH WEISE, TUBA
Edge is located in the Hugh Hodgson School of Music, 250 River Road, Athens GA
FACULTY ARTIST SERIES
Amici dei Fiati (Friends of Winds)
Angela Jones-Reus, flute, D.Ray McClellan, clarinet
Erica McClellan, piano & Gabriella McClellan, cello