Firefly (2008)
The Hearthstone (2016)
Quidditch (2001)
PROGRAM
Shenandoah
Firefly (2008) (6’00”)
Ryan George (1978)
PROGRAM NOTES
The idea for Firefly was born one night as I watched my four-year-old become mesmerized by a firefly that had wandered into our front yard. When I asked her what she thought of the “firefly” she looked at me with a puzzled look and said with a corrective tone, “Dad, that is not a firefly... that’s Tinkerbell, and she’s come to take me with her on an adventure!”
Firefly is dedicated to my daughters Sophia and Nyla, who ignite my imagination and bring awe and wonder into my life every day.
I’m amazed at how children use their imaginations to transform the ordinary and normal into the extraordinary and fantastic. Just about anything they come across can be used to spark their fantasies and usher their minds into unseen worlds. A stick on the ground becomes a wand with magical powers or a sword to fight off bad guys. A collection of rocks turns into buried treasure, and a blanket stretched over two chairs becomes a cave to hide in. And things found in nature -- birds, waterfalls, flowers, and even insects -- can take on mythic identities when viewed through the eyes of a child.
Ryan George currently resides in Austin, Texas where he is active as an arranger and composer. His work, ranging from music for the concert stage to music for marching ensembles, is performed regularly throughout North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia.
Ryan’s work has been performed by some of the nation’s elite programs at state, region, and national venues. His roster of clients include perennial Bands of America (Music for All) regional champions, regional finalist, and Grand National finalist. Some of his clients have included Leander HS (Leander
Scott Mullen, Doctoral Conducting Associate
Gilbert Villagrana, Doctoral Conducting Associate
Ryan George
Julie Giroux
John Williams arr. Lavender
Ryan George
Nicholas Enrico Williams, guest conductor
Caroline Wright, Doctoral Conducting Associate
(2019) Omar Thomas
Traveler (2003) David Maslanka
TX), James Bowie HS (Austin TX), Round Rock HS (Round Rock TX), Cedar Ridge HS (Round Rock TX), and the 2018 UIL 6A State Champion Vista Ridge HS (Cedar Park TX). Within the realm of drum corps Ryan is returning for his 8th year as the brass arranger/composer of the Boston Crusaders from Boston, MA. He held the same role with the Academy from Tempe, AZ from 2011-2013.
The Hearthstone (2016) (7’15”)
Julie Giroux (1961)
In every life there should be a person who keeps us warm, keeps us fed and keeps us safe. Like a stone from a hearth they have been heated over and over, tested in the hottest of fires and come out more stronger, more resilient and tougher than before, ready to be tested once more. I liken those types of people to hearthstones; reflective, warm, strong and capable of keeping a hearth together. Hearthstones come in all shapes and sizes and are called a variety of things but for quite a few of us, we just call them Dad. This music is for all the good fathers in the world.
Julie GirouxJulie 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. Much of her early work was composing and orchestrating for film and television, and she has worked as an arranger for Reba McIntyre, Madonna, and Michael Jackson.
Quidditch (2001) (2’30”)
John Williams (1932)
Most famously known from the award-winning book series, Harry Potter, Quidditch is a fictional sport invented by author J.K. Rowling. Matches are played on a large oval pitch with three ring-shaped goals on each side, featuring two teams of seven players on flying broomsticks. Quidditch begins with a ceremonial trumpet and low brass fanfare fitting of setting the stage for excitement akin to traditional athletic events. Listeners are later then given the opportunity to hear the “Williamsesque” soaring lines of the horn voices taking over the melody that is passed along throughout the multiple brass voices. This piece features a multitude of virtuosic articulated passages, exciting dynamic phrases, and melodic motifs that offer audiences a captivating glimpse into the enchanting wizarding world.
Gilbert VillagranaJohn Williams is a renowned American composer with a career spanning five decades. Shortly after moving to Los Angeles with his family in 1948, Williams would study piano and composition at the University of California, and after a short time serving in the Air Force would return to New York to attend The Juilliard School of Music. He’s known for his exceptional work in both film and concert music. Williams has served as music director for the Boston Pops Orchestra and has strong ties with major orchestras like the Boston Symphony, New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, and Los Angeles Philharmonic. He’s received numerous accolades, including the National Medal of Arts, Kennedy Center Honor, Olympic Order, and multiple Academy, Grammy, Emmy, and Golden Globe Awards.
Williams has composed music for over a hundred films, collaborating extensively with director Steven Spielberg on classics such as “Schindler’s List,” “E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial,” and “Jurassic Park.” He’s also known for his iconic scores for “Star Wars” and “Harry Potter” films. In addition to his film work, Williams has composed symphonies and concertos and has contributed to television themes. He’s an esteemed figure in the world of music and holds honorary degrees from numerous universities. John Williams remains a distinguished and influential voice in American music, with a legacy that continues to resonate worldwide.
Shenandoah (2019) (8’00”)
Omar Thomas (1984)
Shenandoah is one of the most well-known and beloved Americana folk songs. Originally a river song detailing the lives and journeys of fur traders canoeing down the Missouri River, the symbolism of this culturally-significant melody has been expanded to include its geographic namesake – an area of the eastern United States that encompasses West Virginia and a good portion of the western part of Virginia – and various parks, rivers, counties, and academic institutions found within.
Back in May of 2018, after hearing a lovely duo arrangement of Shenandoah while adjudicating a music competition in Minneapolis, I asked myself, after hearing so many versions of this iconic and historic song, how would I set it differently? I thought about it and thought about it and thought about it, and before I realized it, I had composed and assembled just about all of this arrangement in my head by assigning bass notes to the melody and filling in the harmony in my head afterwards. I would intermittently check myself on the piano to make sure what I was imagining worked and ended up changing almost nothing at all from what I’d heard in my mind’s ear.
This arrangement recalls the beauty of Shenandoah Valley, not bathed in golden sunlight, but blanketed by low-hanging clouds and experiencing intermittent periods of heavy rainfall (created with a combination of percussion textures, generated both on instruments and from the body). There are a few musical moments where the sun attempts to pierce through the clouds, but ultimately the rains win out. This arrangement of Shenandoah is at times mysterious, somewhat ominous, constantly introspective, and deeply soulful.
Omar ThomasBorn to Guyanese parents in Brooklyn, New York in 1984, Omar Thomas moved to Boston in 2006 to pursue a Master of Music in Jazz Composition at the New England Conservatory of Music after studying Music Education at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. He is the protégé of lauded composers and educators Ken Schaphorst and Frank Carlberg and has studied under multiple Grammy-winning composer and bandleader Maria Schneider. Omar’s music has been performed in concert halls the world over.
Traveler (2003) (13’05”)
David Maslanka (1943 – 2017)Traveler was commissioned in 2003 by the University of Texas at Arlington Band Alumni Association, the Delta Sigma chapter of Kapa Kappa Psi and the Gamma Nu chapter of Tau Beta Sigma, in honor of the career contributions of Ray C. Lichtenwalter (b. 1940), retiring director of bands at UT Arlington. Ray has been a close friend and champion of my music for many years, and it was a great pleasure for me to write this piece for his final concert.
The idea for Traveler came from the feeling of a big life movement as I contemplated my friend’s retirement. Traveler begins with an assertive statement of the chorale melody Nicht so traurig, nicth so sehr (Not so sad, not so much). The chorale was not chosen for its title, although in retrospect it seems quite appropriate. The last part of a life need not be sad. It is the accumulation of all that has gone before, and a powerful projection into the future -- the potential for a tremendous gift of life and joy. And so, the music begins with energy and movement, depicting an engaged life in full stride. At the halfway point, a meditative quiet settles in. Life’s battles are largely done; the soul is preparing for its next big step.
In our hearts, our minds, our souls
We travel from life to life to life
In time and eternity.
David MaslankaDavid Maslanka was an American composer who attended the Oberlin College Conservatory where he studied composition with Joseph Wood, and spent a year at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria. He also did graduate work in composition at Michigan State University with H. Owen Reed.
Over the past four decades, David Maslanka has become one of America’s most original and celebrated musical voices. He has published dozens of works for wind ensemble, orchestra, choir, percussion ensembles, chamber ensembles, solo instrument, and solo voice. However, he is especially well-known for his wind ensemble works. Of his nine symphonies, seven are written for wind ensemble, and an additional forty-one works include among them the profound “short symphony” Give Us This Day, and the amusing Rollo Takes a Walk. Year after year, Maslanka’s music is programmed by professional, collegiate, and secondary school wind ensembles around the world.
FLUTE
Dylan Abbott – Kennesaw, GA
Isabella Cabrel-Watson – Marietta, GA
Samuel Malavé – Wellington, FL
Madeline Shell – Acworth, GA
Connor Thorne – Milton, GA
Alexia Toma – Dacula, GA
Lauren Wiggins – Mount Pleasant, SC
OBOE
Nora Avery – Stone Mountain, GA
Chloe Chun – Cumming, GA
Emily Grabowski – Evans, GA
Alice McNett – Harrisonburg, VA
Brenna Sexton – Marietta, GA
CLARINET
Lily Kate Akins – Brunswick, GA
Ethan Campbell – Johns Creek, GA
Riley Hartman – Woodstock, GA
Rohan Kansal – Suwanee, GA
Morgan Loper – Thomasville, GA
Tyler Nichols – Kennesaw, GA
Claire Telfor – Hudsonville, MI
BASSOON
Dillon Causby – Milton, GA
Caleb Jackson – Macon, GA
Ethan Johnson – Milton, GA
SAXOPHONE
Owen Cotton – Fairfax, VA
Aidan Eclavea – Martinez, GA
Carter Naughton – Falls Church, VA
Christopher Victor – Hortense, GA
TRUMPET
Sophia Bobo – McDonough GA
Cameran Butryn – Watkinsville, GA
Jackson Camp – Athens, GA
Palmer Hartley – Dawsonville, GA
Noah Hicks – Dallas GA
Colin Kennedy – Alpharetta, GA
Jack Rozza – Marietta, GA
HORN
Anna DeYoung – Canton, GA
Peter Dixon – Duluth, GA
Jacob Evarts – Locust Grove, GA
Patrick Malone – Acworth, GA
Makenzie Shields – Jasper, IN
TROMBONE
Trip Drennan – Atlanta, GA
William Emde – Chamblee, GA
Joshua Hadaway – Lawrenceville, GA
Eric Looney – Watkinsville, GA
Zachary Nelson – Blue Ridge, GA
EUPHONIUM
Andrew Hayes – Peachtree City GA
Skylar Smith – Rincon, GA
Jacob Torbert – St. Simons Island, GA
TUBA
Andrew Hayes – Peachtree City GA
Skylar Smith – Rincon, GA
Jacob Torbert – St. Simons Island, GA
STRING BASS
Bianca Wilson – Annapolis, MD
Swathi Ramaswamy - Marietta, GA
PERCUSSION
Will Collins – Kennesaw, GA
Tanner Falin – Statesboro, GA
Michelle Jiang – Johns Creek, GA
Reece Moseley – Winder, GA
Jake Norwood – Jackson, GA
Austin Waters – Buford, GA
PIANO
Calvin Stovall – Taylorsville, GA
Nicholas Enrico Williams
Jaclyn Hartenberger
Brett Bawcum
Michael C. Robinson
Rob Akridge
Mia Athanas
R. Scott Mullen
Jeremy Smith
Gilbert Villagrana
Caroline Wright
Anthony Morris
Michael Chapa
Joseph Johnson
Michelle Moeller
Rocky Raffle
Angela Jones-Reus
Reid Messich
Amy Pollard
D. Ray McClellan
Brandon Quarles
Phil Smith
Brandon Craswell
Jean Martin-Williams
James Naigus
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
Director of Bands
Associate Director of Bands
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Doctoral Conducting Associate
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INSTRUMENTAL FACULTY
Flute Oboe
Bassoon
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Saxophone Trumpet Trumpet Horn Horn
Joshua Bynum
Matthew Shipes
Timothy K. Adams, Jr.
Kimberly Toscano Adams
Milton Masciadri
Monica Hargrave
Liza Stepanova
Trombone
Euphonium/Tuba Percussion Percussion
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Evgeny Rivkin Director
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UPCOMING PERFORMANCES
FRI 9/29
6 p.m.
Edge Concert Hall
HHSOM Building
FREE CONCERT NO TICKETS REQUIRED
MON 10/2
7:30 p.m.
Hodgson Concert Hall
FREE CONCERT NO TICKETS REQUIRED
THURS 10/5
7:30 p.m.
Hodgson Concert Hall
GUEST ARTISTS
LINDA
MAJA CHATTERTON
RADOVANLIJA
MON 10/9
6 p.m.
Edge Concert Hall
HHSOM Building FREE CONCERT NO TICKETS REQUIRED
MON 10/16
7:30 p.m.
Hodgson Concert Hall
TUES 10/17
7:30 p.m.
Edge Concert Hall
HHSOM Building FREE CONCERT NO TICKETS REQUIRED
GUITAR
SYMPHONIC BAND
THURSDAY SCHOLARSHIP SERIES
MATTHEW
FACULTY CHAMBER RECITAL
SHIPES
TUBA
FACULTY RECITAL SERIES
JAMES
FLUTE HORN
NAIGUS
FACULTY CHAMBER RECITAL
BRANDON
QUARLES
SAXOPHONE
