UIC Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Band Virtual Concert

REPERTOIRE

Tracks from Mammoth Cave (2011)

Hiroaki Kataoka (b.1983)

Wind Ensemble Brass

Strange Humors (adaptable version) (1998, 2020)

John Mackey (b. 1973)

Symphonic Band

Unlikely Gig (2020)

Jose Ortiz

Sound Team members: Ephraim Champion, Liliana Cruz, Jose Ortiz, Juan Peinado, Rachel Perez, Willy Solis Wind Ensemble Virtual Track

Morning Together (2020)

Emily Zingraf

Unexpected Guest(2020)

Gabe Flemenbaum

Spring Storm (2020)

Akash Pillai

Sound Team members: Gabe Flemenbaum, Kattya Orozco, Akash Pillai, Jazmine Ralford, Andres Tapia, Joanne Yu, Emily Zingraf Symphonic Band Virtual Track

REPERTOIRE (cont.)

Action Brass (2007)

Brian Sadler (1982) Wind Ensemble Brass

Seldom the Sun, Octet XXII (1939)

Alec Wilder (1907–1980)

It’s Silk - Feel It! Octet XIV (1940)

Alec Wilder (1907–1980)

Wind Ensemble Mixed Chamber Ensemble

Haunted Basement (2020)

Kattya Orozco

Rainy Forest (2020)

Andres Tapia

Sound Team members: Gabe Flemenbaum, Kattya Orozco, Akash Pillai, Jazmine Ralford, Andres Tapia, Joanne Yu, Emily Zingraf Symphonic Band Virtual Track

Baba Yetu, from the Video Game Civilization IV (2005)

Symphonic Band

Christopher Tin (b. 1976) Arr. Johnnie Vinson

REPERTOIRE (cont.)

Untitled. Langsam. (2020)

Ephraim Champion

Sound Team members: Ephraim Champion, Liliana Cruz, Jose Ortiz, Juan Peinado, Rachel Perez, Willy Solis Wind Ensemble Virtual Track

Bull’s-Eye for Chamber Winds (2019)

Viet Cuong (b. 1990)

Wind Ensemble Mixed Chamber Ensemble

Lichtweg/Lightway (2020)

Jennifer Jolley (b. 1971) Arr. Kaitlin Bove

Wind Ensemble

PERSONNEL

UIC SYMPHONIC BAND Flute Alicia Ramirez Pineda+ Joanne Yu^ Oboe Isaac Fertel Bassoon Natalia Rivera+ Clarinet Alexander Campillanos Kattya Orozco^ Elle Rose Paredes Alto Saxophone Jazmine Ralford+^ Derek Perez+ Trumpet Aubrie DaVall Gabrielle Jones Julian Morales Horn Noemi Morquecho Trombone Robert Cornett Anahi Soto

UIC WIND ENSEMBLE Euphonium Gabe Flemenbaum^ Akash Pillai^ Andres Tapia^ Emily Zingraf^ Tuba Matthew Kelly+ Percussion Angelo Sfyris + Denotes member of Kappa Kappa Psi ^ Denotes virtual track

Flute Amy Lian* (picc) Jeni Mota+ (picc) Theresa Stekala Oboe Alejandro Luna*+ Mark Watson Clarinet Emmanuel Enriquez^ Andres Ferreira* Rui Li*^ Elizabeth Stekala Abdo TimejardineZomeĂąo Saxophone Jericho Kadusale* Kobe Newton Sam Winters Trumpet Vicki Beck* Liliana Cruz^ Luis Ortiz Rachael Perez Guillermo Solis^ Luke Speers

PERSONNEL

Horn Ephraim Champion*^ Kali Giancana Sally Whitesides Trombone Tommy Haepp Luis Lema*+ Joshua Montanez Jose Ortiz^ Bass Trombone Robert Cornett Euphonium Eduardo Alonso Julia Soulsby* Tuba Adam Carlson Juan Peinado* Percussion Anna Desfor* Caleb Fetzer Bass Jason Soto Piano Henry Hitterman

* Denotes Principal or Co-Principal + Denotes member of Kappa Kappa Psi ^ Denotes virtual track

PROGRAM NOTES

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the University of Illinois at Chicago adopted a hybrid model of in-person and remote instruction for the Fall 2020 semester. In light of these safety precautions, students who auditioned for UIC Bands were given the choice to participate remotely or in-person. Remote instruction was transformed into a cutting edge electro-acoustic composition project that comprises composing pieces of music via online transmission. Students formed “Sound Teams” and exchanged short sound recordings that were then developed into larger works. The learning outcomes from these projects exceeded all expectations and the students’ results defy genre. Woven throughout the concert program this evening, enjoy these imaginative new works from the creative minds of the students in the Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Band Virtual Tracks.

—Nicholas J. Carlson, interim director of bands

Mammoth Cave, the world’s longest cave in America. Even if there are no words, messages from natural heritage can reach our hearts. Can you hear that voice? Imagine the scene of the Mammoth Cave and feel free to talk with the music of the eight people.

I hope you hear a nice track!

—Program Note by composer

(translated from Japanese through Google Translate)

Strange Humors represents another of Mackey’s works (after “Redline Tango”) thathas been transcribed for wind ensemble. The first version of “Strange Humors” was a student piece for string quartet and djembe that Mackey wrote while pursuing his graduate degree at The Juilliard School. It was later adapted for use by the Parsons Dance Company, with choreography by Robert Battle. Its transcription came at the behest of Richard Floyd on behalf of the American Bandmasters Association. The piece represents a merging of musical cultures -- the modal melodies and syncopated rhythms of middle Eastern music with the percussive accompaniment of African drumming.

At the heart of the work lies the pulse of the djembe, which remains from the original version. The djembe, an hourglass-shaped drum played with bare hands, is a major part of the customs of west African countries such as Mali and Guinea, where djembe ensembles accompany many functional celebrations of society.

PROGRAM NOTES (cont.)

The adaptable version of the work is scored for four parts plus djembe.

—Program note by Jake Wallace

Action Brass brings the excitement of a modern orchestral film score to the brass ensemble. The composition opens with a one measure “action motif” that dominates the piece. Ascending runs mixed with heroic brass fanfares break up the action as well as softer, more tense sections. Another round of the action motif with ascending diminished scales culminates in a loud, unsettling chord (think spaceship crash landing) and ends the first section of the piece. Continuing on, low brass bell-tones set the foundation for a somber trumpet solo. The following “B” section crescendos into a full statement of this evil theme, as if a super-villain from a “James Bond” film is monologuing his diabolical plan to take over the world. An accelerando leads us into a triumphant fanfare and then the tempo drastically takes off into a triplet ostinato figure played by low brass.

The French horns and trombones introduce a new melody which is then passed on to the trumpets with a change of key. A standard heroic bVI-bVII-I chord progression precedes one final round of the action motif, and the piece ends in a glorious finale!

—Program Note by composer

It is with particular pride that Jazz Lines Publications presents edited and corrected publications of the library of octets composed by Alec Wilder, written between 1938 and 1940, with another group written in 1947. These were recorded for the Brunswick, Columbia and Vox labels, and a CD compilation of these octets is available from the Hep label.

During the late thirties, several composers were intrigued with short-form composing using jazz rhythms and harmonies. Wilder was writing arrangements for dance band and writing songs when he had a meeting with Joe Higgins, an executive with Brunswick Records. Higgins envisioned a new series that would also become popular and sell records. Wilder suggested that the ensemble be made up of woodwinds (so he could include such fellow Eastman School of Music alumni as Mitch Miller and Jimmy Carroll) with bass and drums. He was listening to the harpsichord quite a bit during this time – his friend John Barrows was composing pieces for the instrument, and Miller was performing concerts with harpsichordist Yella Pessl - so Wilder added that instrument

PROGRAM NOTES (cont.)

as well. Alec wrote a test piece for the ensemble, and Brunswick executive and Wilder friend Morty Palitz gave the okay for a recording session to be held during December of 1938.

Wilder’s titles for these octets are sometimes autobiographical, sometimes elusive. Very early on, Wilder realized that the clarinets and flute could play swing rhythms easily, but the double reeds could not (today many saxophone players double on oboe and bassoon, so this is no longer an issue). He successfully exploits this ‘swing vs. straight’ issue in his music, part of the reason why these pieces are even more popular today.

—Program Note by the publisher

‘Baba Yetu’ is a Swahili setting of The Lord’s Prayer, originally commissioned as the theme song for the video game Civilization IV. Since its debut in 2005, it’s become an immensely popular choral work and one of the most critically acclaimed pieces of music written for a video game, winning a Grammy Award in 2011 for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalists.

—Program Note by composer

I’ve always been intrigued by Picasso’s line drawings, where he captures the energy and personality of a subject—often an animal—with just a line or two. Picasso’s Bull (1945) includes a simple line drawing of a bull in this fashion. However, this drawing is also preceded by a series of ten lithographs depicting his process of simplification and abstraction. The first lithograph is a fully-formed bull that, over its next two iterations, increases in opacity and detail. Then, over the next eight panels, layers are gradually peeled away to reveal just the essence of the bull. While Bull’s-Eye is not an exact one-to-one depiction of these eleven drawings, the piece follows the same narrative: musical material is presented, made more complex, then distilled. The distillation process in the second half of the piece reveals the way the music preceding it is orchestrated, almost as if you were to mute and unmute certain sections of the ensemble.

PROGRAM NOTES (cont.)

View and learn more about Picasso’s Bull here: [https://www.artyfactory.com/art_appreciation/animals_in_art/pablo_picasso.htm]

—Program Note by composer

Lichtweg/Lightway is a wind ensemble pieced based on the Keith Sonnier’s light installation in Connecting Level 03 in Terminal 1 at the Munich Airport. Bright fluorescent neon lights line the walls of a typical airport walkway to both guide travelers to where they are going and to help them cope with the stress of being in transit. In this piece I musically portray the rhythmic placement of red and blue light emanating from this neon installation by creating a constant eighth-note ostinato that is heard throughout the piece. Just as the panes of glass, mirrors, and aluminum sheets refract and scatter the colorful neon light, this ostinato is diffused amongst the different colors in the ensemble.

—Program Note by composer

BIOGRAPHY

Nicholas J. Carlson serves as Senior Lecturer, Interim Director of Bands, and Coordinator of Instrumental Music at University of Illinois at Chicago. His responsibilities include conducting the Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Band, teaching clarinet and chamber music, and all administrative aspects of the UIC band program. Prior to his work in Chicago, he was a graduate associate for the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) band department, where he earned a Masters of Music with a dual concentration in instrumental conducting and clarinet performance under the direction of John Climer and Todd Levy, respectively. He served as the graduate conducting associate with the UWM University Band and UWM Youth Wind Ensembles, and assisted with the overall administration of the university band program.

Mr. Carlson is an active conductor, clinician, and freelance clarinetist and performs regularly throughout the Midwest. He is the Music Director/Conductor of the University of Chicago Wind Ensemble and the Music Director/Conductor of the Chicago Public Schools All-City Symphonic Band I. He has given numerous clinics throughout the greater Chicagoland area and has guest conducted honor bands in Wisconsin and Georgia. He is the principal clarinetist of the Chicago Arts Orchestra and the Lake County Symphony Orchestra (LCSO). Other recent performances include the world premiere and recording of Music for Five by Marc Mellits, the Midwest premiere of Mohammed Fairouz’s clarinet concerto Tahrir, and a featured performance with the concert series New Music Chicago at the Chicago Cultural Center. As a featured soloist of the LCSO, he performed the world premiere of Donald Walker’s Fantasy for Clarinet & Orchestra (February 2013) and the Artie Shaw Clarinet Concerto (August 2014). He has also performed with the Milwaukee Skylight Opera, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Elgin Symphony Orchestra, Kenosha Symphony Orchestra, Oshkosh Symphony Orchestra, Wisconsin Wind Orchestra, and the La Crosse Symphony Orchestra.

Mr. Carlson attended the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in music education with Honors. Mr. Carlson taught instrumental music in the La Crosse Area School District and maintained a large private lesson studio.

His professional affiliations include College Band Directors National Association, National Band Association, Music Educators National Conference, Illinois Music Educators Association, and Kappa Kappa Psi National Music Service Fraternity.

BAND PROGRAM PERSONNEL

FACULTY AND STAFF Nicholas J. Carlson, interim director of bands Jordan Kamps, pep band director and percussion Vicki Beck, supervising librarian, logistics Andres Ferreira, equipment/locker manager, logistics Anna Desfor, supervising percussion assistant, festival assistant Jenny Eng, wind ensemble librarian, percussion assistant Julia Soulsby, symphonic band librarian, festival assistant Juan Peinado, supervising equipment/locker manager, pep band librarian Jason Soto, equipment/locker manager, logistics

KAPPA KAPPA PSI NATIONAL BAND FRATERNITY EXECUTIVE BOARD Ms. Alicia Ramirez Pineda, president Mr. Marco Guitierrez, vice president of service Daniel McCarrick, treasurer Derek Perez, historian

INSTRUMENTAL APPLIED FACULTY Mariana Gariazzo, flute Eugenia Moliner, flute Ricardo CastaĂąeda, oboe John Gaudette, bassoon Nicholas Carlson, clarinet Gene Collerd, clarinet Jordan Lulloff, saxophone David Inmon, trumpet Kelly Langenberg, horn

Jeremiah Frederick, horn Andy Baker, trombone Scott Tegge, tuba/euphonium John Floeter, string bass Jordan Kamps, percussion Ivana Bukvich, piano