SYMPHONIC WINDS & WIND ORCHESTRA
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4TH, 7 PM
BROWNSVILLE, TX
PROGRAM
SYMPHONIC WINDS
Daniel Soto, conductor
Flourish for Wind Band Ralph Vaughn Williams (1939/1972) (1872-1958)
Polly Oliver Thomas Root (1977) (1947-2023)
Halcyon Hearts Katahj Copley (2021) (b. 1988)
Our Cast Always Julie Giroux (2018) (b. 1961)
Into the Clouds Richard Saucedo (2007) (b. 1957)
The Gallant Seventh March John Philip Sousa (1922) (1854-1932)
PROGRAM NOTES
Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) was an English composer of symphonies, chamber music, opera, choral music, and film scores. He was also a collector of English song and folk music. This activity influenced his editorial approach to the English Hymnal, in which he included many folk song arrangements set as hymn tunes, which influenced several of his own original compositions. Vaugh Williams spent most of his life in London. He studied the viola, piano and organ, and graduated from Trinity College, Cambridge. He later studied composition at the Royal College of Music and was eventually appointed organist at Lambeth. His interest in English folk music dates from his stay there. He became good friends with fellow English composer Gustav Holst and they often shared their works in progress with each other. From the 1920s onward, Vaughn Williams was in frequent demand as a composer and conductor. he, along with Holst, are considered the outstanding composers of their generation in England.
Vaughn Williams crafted Flourish for Wind Band (1939/1972) as the opening to the pageant, Music and the People, in the Royal Albert Hall in London. The score was lost after the premiere, only to reappear thirty-some years later. The work stands as a testament to Vaughan Williams’ ability to blend traditional and contemporary elements, making it a cherished piece within the wind band repertoire. Its exuberant spirit and rich textures make it an ideal selection for any concert program.
Thomas Root (1947–2023) was an American composer and music educator. After completing his bachelor's and master's degrees at the University of Minnesota, Root received a doctorate in music composition from Michigan State University. The winner of nine Utah Composers' Guild Awards, he was voted president-elect of the College Band Directors National Association, Western Division. Root served as director of bands and chairman of the music theory department at Weber State University until his retirement after 31 years in 2015. Under his direction, the WSU Wind Ensemble performed as a guest of the City of Chia Yi, Taiwan, in their 1998 International Wind Orchestra Festival, in 2000 served as the guest performance ensemble for the
PROGRAM NOTES (cont’d)
chosen Gems clinics of the 2000 Regional CBDNA convention, at Carnegie Hall in spring of 2009.
Polly Oliver (1977) tells the story of a spirited young woman during the late 19th century, who disguises herself as a man to join the military and be with her lover. This theme of courage and defiance is woven throughout the music, capturing the essence of Polly’s adventurous spirit. Root employs a variety of melodic lines and rhythmic patterns, reflecting the lively nature of the original folk tune while providing a fresh perspective. This English broadside ballad can be traced back to 1840, if not earlier.
Georgia native, Katahj Copley (1988) premiered his first work, Spectra, in 2017 and hasn’t stopped composing since. As of now, Katahj has written over 100 works, including pieces for chamber ensembles, wind ensembles, and orchestra. His compositions have been performed and commissioned by universities, organizations, and professional ensembles, including the Cavaliers Brass, California Band Director Association, Admiral Launch Duo, and “The President’s Own” Marine Band. Katahj has also received critical acclaim internationally with pieces being performed in Canada, the United Kingdom, Japan, China, and Australia.
Katahj received two Bachelor of Music degrees from the University of West Georgia in Music Education and Composition in 2021. In 2023, he received his Masters in Music Composition from the University of Texas at Austin. He is currently studying music composition at Michigan State University.
“Music for me has always been this impactful thing in my life. It can soothe, it can enrage, it can quiet, and it can evoke emotions that are beyond me and this world we live in. I believe that music is the ultimate source of freedom and imagination. The most freedom I have had as a musician was through composing. Composition is like me opening my heart and showing the world my drive, my passion, and my soul.”
PROGRAM NOTES (cont’d)
Copely provides the following notes on Halcyon Hearts (2021):
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth, It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.
Halcyon Hearts is an ode to love and how it affects us all. Halcyon denotes a time where a person is ideally happy or at peace, so in short Halcyon Hearts is about the moment of peace when one finds their love or passion.
The piece centers around major 7th and warm colors to represent the warmth that love brings us. The introduction, which is sudden and colorful, symbolizes the feeling of the unexpected journey it takes to find love. Using the colors and natural energy of the ensemble, we create this sound of ambition and passion throughout the work. No matter what race, gender, religion, nationality or love, we all are united with the common thread of passion from the heart. This piece was written in dedication to those who love no matter which negativity is in the world; do not allow hate and prejudice to guide the way we live our lives. Always choose love and the halcyon days will come.
Julie Giroux (b. 1961) is an alumnus of Louisiana State University and Boston University, and studied composition with John Williams, Bill Conti, and Jerry Goldsmith. She began her compositional career in 1985 writing, arranging, and conducting music for television and film, including for the Emmy Award winning mini-series North and South, Dynasty, The Colbys, Karate Kid II, White Men Can’t Jump, and Broadcast News. Giroux holds over 100 film, television, and video game credits to her name. Since beginning her band composition career in 1983, much of her music has become a staple in ensembles worldwide.
PROGRAM NOTES(cont’d)
Giroux provides the following notes:
For Those who rescue, Those who get rescued and especially for Those whose rescue never comes.
6.5 million companion animals enter animal shelters every year and 2.4 million of these adoptable animals are put down. These numbers do not include the thousands who suffer in silence. Thanks to thousands of caring people, these numbers are steadily decreasing, but we still have a long way to go. Our Cast Aways (2018) is dedicated to all those who work hard in the fight to end puppy mills, to rescue suffering pets and to provide care and medical attention to all those rescued. It is dedicated to those companions who get rescued and for those rescue never comes.
We are all shepherds. Every living creature is in our care. Hopefully mankind will someday uphold his responsibility and become caretaker of all living things on earth. Maybe someday all humans will be humane, and mankind will be kind.
The pictures of the rescued animals belong to people who are my friends on Facebook. Apparently, I keep great company when it comes to people who rescue and adopt animals who have been cast away. My own rescues are also in the photos. The published score will feature these beautiful rescues in full color.
Richard Saucedo (b. 1957) is an American composer and educator who served as Director of Bands at Carmel High School in Carmel, Indiana. Under his direction, Carmel bands received numerous state and national honors including invitations to perform at the 1992 and 1999 Bands of America National Concert Band Festivals, being crowned the 2005 BOA Grand National Marching Band Campion, and a 2005 invitation to perform at the Midwest Clinic in Chicago. The
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Indiana Bandmasters Association named Saucedo Indiana’s “Bandmaster of the Year” in 1999.
Into the Clouds (2007) is a captivating work that transports listeners on an ethereal journey through the realms of imagination and introspection. The composer provides the following:
One of my dreams has always been to be a pilot. As a pilot, you join the ranks of those less bound by conventional limits on time, distance and personal freedom. You take off to wideopen skies in any direction on the compass. But more than that, it’s freedom as you’ve never known it, far from the commonplace. Finally, being a pilot symbolizes individualism and self-reliance. You are in control, and you make the choices. There’s nothing like the experience of flight, except possibly the experience of music, and I hope the enthusiasm of both can be found in this piece.
John Philip Sousa (1854–1932) was born in Washington, D.C., near the Marine Barracks where his father, Antonio, played trombone in the United States Marine Band, “The President’s Own,” He grew up surrounded by military band music, and when he was just six, he began studying voice, violin, piano, flute, cornet, baritone, trombone, and alto horn.
At the age of thirteen, he tried to run away to join a circus band; his father instead enlisted him in the Marine Band as a band apprentice. Sousa remained in the band until he was twenty years old. Discharged from the Marines in 1875, Sousa began performing (on violin), touring, and eventually conducting theater orchestras, including Gilbert & Sullivan’s H.M.S Pinafore on Broadway. In 1880, Sousa returned to Washington, D.C., where he assumed leadership of the U.S. Marine Band.
P R O G R A M N O T E S (
After two successful but limited tours with the Marine Band in 1891 and 1892, promoter David Blakely convinced Sousa to resign and organize a civilian concert band; thus was born Sousa’s New Marine Band. Following criticism from Washington, the “New Marine” part of its name was dropped.
Sousa toured with his bands for forty years. In 1932, after conducting a rehearsal of the Ringgold Band in Reading, PA, the 77-year-old Sousa passed away. The last piece Sousa had rehearsed with the band was The Star and Stripes Forever. Sousa composed 136 marches, fifteen operettas, seventy songs, and numerous other works.
The Gallant Seventh (1922) march was written in honor of the 7th Regiment, 107th Infantry, of the New York National Guard, a unit renowned for its storied history and distinguished service. The conductor of the 7th Regiment Band was Major Francis Sutherland, a former Sousa Band cornetist. Upon America’s entry into World War I, Sutherland left his position with the Sousa Band to enlist in the army; he was made a bandmaster in the U.S. Field Artillery.
Sousa’s composition captures both the pride and camaraderie of military life, beginning with a bold and stately introduction that sets the tone for a celebratory journey. The spirited main theme, characterized by its lively tempo and infectious energy, evokes images of soldiers marching in formation, embodying the discipline and education of the men and women who serve. Written during the last decade of his career, this march is considered one of Sousa’s best.
David Maslanka (1943–2017) was born in New Bedford, Massachusetts. He attended the Oberlin College Conservatory where he studied composition with Joseph Wood. He spent a year at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria, and completed masters and doctoral study in composition at Michigan State University where his principal teacher was H. Owen Reed. Maslanka’s music for winds has become
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especially well known. Having composed over 50 pieces for wind ensemble, including eight symphonies, seventeen concertos, a Mass, and many concert pieces. His chamber music includes four wind quintets, five saxophone quartets, and many works for solo instrument and piano. Additionally, he wrote a variety of orchestral and choral pieces. Maslanka served on the faculties of the State University of New York at Geneseo, Sarah Lawrence College, New York University, and Kingsborough Community College of the City University of New York, and was a freelance composer in Missoula, Montana from 1990 until his death.
Written in 2003, Traveler was commissioned by the University of Texas at Arlington Band Alumni Association, the Delta Sigma Chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi and the Gamma Nu Chapter of Tau Beta Sigma, in honor of the career contributions of Ray C. Lichtenwalter, retiring Director of Bands at UT Arlington. Of the work, Maslanka wrote:
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, nicht so sehr” (“Not so sad, not so much”).
The chorale was chosen for its title, although in retrospect it seems quite appropriate. The last part of life need not be sad. It is an 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 the next big step.
In our hearts, our minds, our souls
We travel from life to life to life
In time and eternity.
FLUTE
S Y M P H O N I C W I N D S
P E R S O N N E L
Ashley Negrebe
Jonathan Garcia
Dr.Nicalis Alliey-Escalona (Asst. Prof.: Flute)
OBOE
Claudia Quintana Medina
BASSOON
Dr. Mezraq Ramli (Asst. Prof.: Double Reeds)
CLARINET
Karen Galan
Hunter Shears
Prof. Jerianne Larson (Director of Bands)
Dr. Allison Davis (Asst. Prof.: Music Education)
SAXOPHONE
Nicolas Torres-Guzman
Leonardo Duenes
Jorge Garcia
Cullen Douglas
HORN
Robert Bautista
Roberto Salazar
Dr. Susan Hurley-Glowa (Prof.:Ethnomusicology)
TRUMPET
Hannyka Aviles
Cesar Paez
Vicente Flores
Jesus Flores
Cesar Tovar
TENOR TROMBONE
Nathaniel Ramos
Fabio Oceguera
Jorge Sequra
Ryan Vogel
BASS TROMBONE
Veronica Williams
EUPHONIUM
Diego Gracia
TUBA
Alessandro Pena
PERCUSSION
Melani Blanco
Angel Ramos Arambul
Eric Salazar
Roberto Reyna
Edgar Facundo
D a n i e l S o t o s e r v e s a s
L e c t u r e r I – A s s i s t a n t D i r e c t o r
o f A t h l e t i c B a n d s a t t h e
U n i v e r s i t y o f T e x a s
R i o G r a n d e V a l l e y . I n h i s d u t i e s
a t U T R G V , M r . S o t o i s
r e s p o n s i b l e f o r a s s i s t i n g w i t h
d i r e c t i n g a n d a d m i n i s t r a t i n g
a l l U T R G V A t h l e t i c B a n d s ,
i n c l u d i n g t h e V a q u e r o M a r c h i n g
B a n d , v o l l e y b a l l a n d b a s k e t b a l l
p e p b a n d s , a n d m a i n t a i n s c l o s e
c o l l a b o r a t i o n w i t h U T R G V A t h l e t i c s A l o n g w i t h
a t h l e t i c b a n d r e s p o n s i b i l i t i e s , P r o f e s s o r S o t o t e a c h e s a
M a r c h i n g B a n d M e t h o d s c o u r s e , A p p l i e d S a x o p h o n e a n d
d i r e c t s t h e C o n c e r t B a n d a t t h e B r o w n s v i l l e c a m p u s .
P r i o r t o h i s a p p o i n t m e n t a t U T R G V , h e s e r v e d a s a
G r a d u a t e T e a c h i n g A s s i s t a n t a t t h e U n i v e r s i t y o f T e x a s
a t E l P a s o a n d a t O k l a h o m a S t a t e U n i v e r s i t y , w h e r e h e
e a r n e d h i s M a s t e r o f M u s i c i n W i n d C o n d u c t i n g d e g r e e
u n d e r t h e t u t e l a g e o f D r . B r a d G e n e v r o .
D a n i e l S o t o i s a n a t i v e o f E l P a s o , T e x a s , w h e r e h e
c o m p l e t e d a b a c h e l o r ' s d e g r e e i n m u s i c e d u c a t i o n f r o m
t h e U n i v e r s i t y o f T e x a s a t E l P a s o . D u r i n g h i s t i m e i n E l
P a s o , S o t o t a u g h t s a x o p h o n e l e s s o n s t o s t u d e n t s o f a l l
l e v e l s , w o r k e d w i t h v a r i o u s m a r c h i n g b a n d p r o g r a m s ,
a d j u d i c a t e d f o r T M E A ’ s r e g i o n 2 2 , a n d p e r f o r m e d w i t h
t h e l o c a l c i v i c w i n d b a n d – T h e E l P a s o W i n d s . W h i l e a t
U T E P , M r . S o t o w o r k e d w i t h t h e M a r c h i n g M i n e r s a n d
U T E P P e p B a n d s a r r a n g i n g m u s i c , a n d t e a c h i n g d r i l l . H e
a l s o w o r k e d w i t h t h e U T E P W i n d E n s e m b l e , S y m p h o n i c
B a n d , a n d C o n c e r t B a n d . W h i l e a t O k l a h o m a S t a t e , S o t o
s e r v e d a s a G r a d u a t e T e a c h i n g A s s i s t a n t f o r t h e
C o w b o y M a r c h i n g B a n d , O S U S p i r i t B a n d , a l l u n i v e r s i t y
c o n c e r t b a n d s , a n d t h e A d v a n c e d C o n d u c t i n g C l a s s .
O N D U C T O R
I n h i s m u l t i - f a c e t e d r o l e a t O S U , S o t o s e r v e d a s a
G r a d u a t e C o n d u c t i n g A s s o c i a t e f o r t h e O S U W i n d
E n s e m b l e , S y m p h o n i c B a n d , C o n c e r t B a n d , C o - D i r e c t o r
o f t h e U n i v e r s i t y B a n d a n d t h e O S U S a x o p h o n e
E n s e m b l e – w h e r e h e c o m m i s s i o n e d , a r r a n g e d a n d
p r e m i e r e d n e w w o r k s f o r s a x o p h o n e e n s e m b l e a t t h e
2 0 2 4 N o r t h A m e r i c a n S a x o p h o n
c o n f e r e n c e . A t b o t h U T E P a n d O S U , S o t o w a s a n a c t i v e
p e r f o r m e r w i t h a l l u n i v e r s i t y e n s e m b l e s a n d h a s t a k e n
p a r t i n a v a r i e t y o f r
b e i n g r e l e a s e d o n t h e M a r k R e c o r d s a n d K l a v i e r R e c o r d s
l a b e l s .
M r . S o t o h o l d s p r o f e s s i o n a l a n d h o n o r a r y m e m b e r s h i p s
w i t h T e x a s M u s i c E d u c a t o r s A s s o c i a t i o n , T e x a s
B a n d m a s t e r s A s s o c i a t i o n , N a t i o n a l A s s o c i a t i o n f o r
M u s i c E d u c a t i o n , N a t i o n a l B a n d A s s o c i a t i o n , C o l l e g e
B a n d D i r e c t o r s N a t i o n a l A s s o c i a t i o n , N o r t h A m e r i c a n
S a x o p h o n e A l l i a n c e , a n d K a p p a K a p p a P s i H o n o r a r y
B a n d F r a t e r n i t y .
PROGRAM WIND ORCHESTRA
Jerianne Larson, conductor
Bobby Salazar, Master’s Conducting Associate
Traveler
(2003) David
G o d o f O u r F a t h e r s ( 1 9 7 5 )
Maslanka
( 1 9 4 3 - 2 0 1 7 )
C l a u d e T . S m i t h ( 1 9 3 2 - 1 9 8 7 )
B o b b y S a l a z a r , M a s t e r ’ s C o n d u c t i n g A s s o c i a t e
F l o u r i s h e s a n d M e d i t a t i o n s o n a R e n a i s s a n c e T h e m e
( 2 0 1 0 ) M i c h a e l G a n d o l f i ( b . 1 9 6 5 )
T h e m e
V a r i a t i o n I . ( A C u b i s t K a l e i d o s c o p e )
V a r i a t i o n I I . ( C a n t u s i n a r g u m e n t a t i o n : s p e e d d e m o n
V a r i a t i o n I I I . ( C a r n i v a l )
V a r i a t i o n I V . ( T u n e ’ s i n t h e r o u n d )
V a r i a t i o n V . ( S p i k e )
V a r i a t i o n V I ( E c h o e s : a s u r r e a l r e p r i s e )
C o l o n i a l S o n g ( 1 9 1 1 / 1 9 9 7 )
S p o o n R i v e r ( 1 9 2 2 / 2 0 1 0 )
P e r c y G r a i n g e r
( 1 8 8 2 - 1 9 6 1 ) /
e d R M a r k R o g e r s
P e r c y G r a i n g e r
( 1 8 8 2 - 1 9 6 1 ) /
e d . W i l l i a m C a s r o n a n d A l a n N a y l o r
H a v a n a ( 2 0 1 8 ) K e v i n D a y
( b 1 9 9 6 )
PROGRAM NOTES
Claude T. Smith (1932–1987) was an American composer, conductor, educator, and publisher. Smith started his musical career playing trumpet in the fifth grade. He attended Central Methodist College, Fayette, Missouri, until he was drafted into the Army during the Korean Conflict. Unable to find a position with the service bands as a trumpeter, he auditioned on the French horn and won a position with the 371st Army Band. He finished his undergraduate education at the University of Kansas.
Smith wrote over 180 works for band, orchestra, choir, solos, and small ensembles as well as three method books for band and orchestra. His solos were written for noted artists such as “Doc” Severinsen, Dale Underwood, Brian Bowman, Warren Covington, Gary Foster, Rich Matteson, and Steve Seward. Smith received numerous prestigious commissions, including works for the U.S. Air Force Band, the "President's Own" U.S. Marine Band, the U.S. Navy Band, and the U.S. Army Field Band. His composition Flight was adapted as the official march of the National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institute. In addition to composing, Smith taught instrumental music in the public schools, served on the faculty of Southwest Missouri State University and directed church choirs for five years while living in Missouri and Nebraska. Smith was active as a clinician and guest conductor throughout the United States, Australia, Canada, and Europe. Claude T. Smith Publication, Inc. was founded in 1993 to publish works which had not been released as well as works that have gone out of print.
A priest in the Protestant Episcopal Church, Daniel C. Roberts composed the American Christian hymn, God of our Fathers in 1876 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence:
God of our fathers, whose almighty hand Leads forth in beauty all the starry band; Of shining worlds in splendor through the skies, Our grateful songs before Thy throne arise.
PROGRAM NOTES
In this version, Claude T. Smith writes in the foreword of the score:
God of Our Fathers (1975) was originally written for brass choir and organ. This chorale prelude was rescored by Claude T. Smith for symphonic band where it has become a staple of concert band literature. It opens using the same brass choir as the original version before the expanded instrumentation with woodwinds and percussion is introduced.
Michael James Gandolfi (b. 1956) is an American composer of contemporary classical music. He chairs the composition department at the New England Conservatory of Music (NEC). Gandolfi, a self-taught guitarist, was born in Melrose, Massachusetts. He taught himself guitar as a child, started experimenting with rock and jazz improvisation at the age of eight, and studied for a year at the Berklee College of Music, and then entered NEC, where he earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees. He has also received fellowships for study at the Yale Summer School of Music and Art, Composers Conference, and Tanglewood Music Center, where he studied with Leonard Bernstein and Oliver Knussen. He has served on the faculty of Harvard University, Indiana University, and Phillips Academy at Andover. He was composer-in-residence with the New England Philharmonic from 1997–2000.
He has been championed by conductor Robert Spano as one of the “Atlanta School” of American composers, a group that includes Osvaldo Golijov, Jennifer Higdon, Christopher Theofanidis, and Adam Schoenberg. Gandolfi's music often contains rock and jazz elements. He sometimes looks to the sciences for his subject matter.
His The Garden of Cosmic Speculation was inspired by Charles Jencks’ garden in Scotland that incorporates modern physics into its design. The work was nominated for Best Contemporary Classical Composition at the 2009 Grammy Awards. Gandolfi has also written a significant amount of children's music, including a setting of Carlo Collodi’s 1949 version of the Pinocchio story. A recipient of numerous
PROGRAM NOTES
awards including grants from the Fromm Foundation, Koussevitzky Music Foundation, John Simon Guggenheim Foundation, and American Academy of Arts and Letters, Gandolfi’s works have been performed by the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, New World Symphony, Houston Symphony Orchestra, Boston Modern Orchestra Project, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, and many others.
Gandolfi resides in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and is a member of ASCAP.
Flourishes and Meditations on a Renaissance Theme (2010) was commissioned by “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band and is dedicated to them and their leaders at the time: Colonel Michael J. Colburn and Colonel Jason K. Fettig. Gandolfi writes:
Flourishes and Meditations on a Renaissance Theme is a set of seven variations on an anonymous Renaissance melody that is simply titled Spagnoletta. It is derived from a popular melody titled Españoleta or “Little Spanish Tune”. I first knew this melody as quoted by Joaquín Rodrigo in his Fantasía para un gentilhombre for guitar and orchestra.
I also found this tune in the 1970s in a collection of Renaissance songs for classical guitar, and I have played it in that form countless times over the years. I was motivated to probe this elegant tune with which I have been acquainted for four decades, with the expectation that it would prompt a wealth of ideas unique to such a longstanding relationship. The beauty and elegance of the original tune resides in its simplicity, so I chose to present it at the outset of the piece in a clear and streamlined orchestration. The basic nature or character of each variation is revealed in the labels that are placed in the score:
Theme
PROGRAM NOTES
Variation I. (A Cubist Kaleidoscope)
Variation II. (Cantus in augmentation: speed demon)
Variation III. (Carnival)
Variation IV. (Tune’s in the round)
Variation V. (Spike)
Variation VI. (Rewind/Fast Forward)
Variation VII. (Echoes: a surreal reprise)
The form of Spagnoletta is AA BB and Coda. The first part of Flourishes and Meditations on a Renaissance Theme consists of variations I and II. Each of these variations adheres strictly to the form of Spagnoletta. Additionally, Variation I has a kinship to cubist painting in which various features of the original are fragmented, framed and juxtaposed,resulting in a kaleidoscopic amplification of its details. Variation II uses the entire Spagnoletta melody as a cantus firmus while new melodies and lines are sounded over it, an ancient musical technique popular in medieval and renaissance times.
The second part is comprised of variations III, IV and V. These variations are the most wide-ranging of the set, but always maintain motivic connections to Spagnoletta. Variations III and V are each expressed in AA form and largely derived from the original. Variation IV uses the original motives in layered ostinato in canon.
Variations VI and VII form the third and final part of the piece and function as the coda, recycling previously heard thematic material that leads to a final cadence. In this spirit, Variation VI points in two directions: it forecasts the main texture of Variation VII while briefly reflecting upon each variation already heard (in reverse order). Variation VII returns to the original Spagnoletta melodies but places them in a new “dream-like” environment featuring a series of pulsating patterns and textures interwoven with strands of each of the original melodies, all of which move the piece to a gentle close.
PROGRAM NOTES
While composing this piece, I experienced a wealth of rich emotions, among which great joy and deep satisfaction in writing for “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band, the quintessential concert band of our time. I cannot overstate the significance of being called upon by this magnificent assembly of dedicated and supremely skilled musicians. It was also profoundly moving to connect, over several centuries, to the composer of Spagnoletta; a kindred spirit in the love of music making.
Australian-born composer and virtuoso pianist Percy Aldridge Grainger (1882–1961) is considered one of the foremost composers in the history of the wind band medium to this day. His rise to fame began with his virtuosic interpretation of the Grieg Piano Concerto Op. 16, with Grieg deeming Grainger the only person who could “actually” perform the work. Shortly after the first world war, Grainer moved to America where he joined the U.S. Army as a bandsman. In this position, he gained experience composing and arranging for bands, and developed the compositional devices and style traits now known by ear to be quintessentially “Grainger.” While Grainger discloses he was not initially drawn to folk music, during his time in England, he did develop a certain sense of responsibility to preserve it. This cultivated duty led him to become an ethnomusicologist of sorts, and he traveled the English countryside collecting folk songs. Through the use of a wax cylinder recording device, he gathered numerous songs and tunes that had not made their way out of the foothills of rural English towns and villages.
Grainger’s art is inextricably linked to folk music with the musical material of Colonial Song (1911/1997) dates from 1905 when the work was first composed for two voices (soprano and tenor) and full orchestra. Subsequent scorings developed across the years with the initial wind band form being finalized in 1911.
Grainger’s World War I tour of duty with the U.S. Army Band stationed at Fort Hamilton, brought him into daily contact with wind bands.
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From this time forward, wind bands increasingly became the primary focus of his creative energies. It was during his time at Fort Hamilton in 1917, that he constructed the military band setting of Colonial Song with instrumentation conformed to the ensemble. A 1919 setting by Grainger, was created for the Goldman band in New York City.
The work is dedicated to Grainger’s mother, and Grainger describes,
No traditional tunes of any kind are made use of in this piece, in which I have wished to express feelings aroused by thoughts of the scenery and people of my native land, Australia, and also to voice a certain kind of emotion that seems to me not untypical of native-born Colonials in general. Perhaps it is not unnatural that people living more or less lonelily in vast virgin countries and struggling against natural and climatic hardships (rather than against the more actively and dramatically exciting counter wills of the fellow men, as in more thickly populated lands) should run largely to that patiently yearning, inactive sentimental wistfulness that we find so touchingly expressed in much American art. I have also noticed curious almost Italian-like musical tendencies in brass band performances and ways of singing in Australia (such as a preference for richness and intensity of tone and soulful breadth of phrasing over more subtly and sensitively varied delicacies of expression), which are also reflected here.
Grainger’s original setting of Spoon River (1922/2010) was published using “elastic scoring,” allowing the conductor to perform the work with numerous combinations of instruments. The piece became widely popular and Grainger traveled around the United States performing the piece. Edwin Frank Goldman, conductor of the Goldman Band in New York City, heard that Grainger was preparing a band specific setting of Spoon River for his publisher. Goldman wrote the composer suggesting that he would “be very glad indeed to use this number frequently” with the Goldman Band.
The premiere performances of Spoon River were set for June 22 and 23, 1933. Numerous edits were made on the parts leading up to the
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performances and no full score was ever made for this premiere edition. This version was never published and parts were lost in the preceding decades with several other iterations of Spoon River being edited instead. The original wind band setting wasn’t rediscovered until 1992, when a dusty box was found at Coe College in Cedar Rapids, IA. Inside the box were Grainger’s notes, his return address, and a music folder marked “Spoon River for Military Band Score & Parts.”
Grainger’s notes in the original 1933 wind band setting, include:
A Captain Charles H. Robinson heard a tune called “Spoon River” played by a rustic fiddler at a country dance in Bradford, Il in 1857.
When “Spoon River Anthology”, by Edgar Lee Masters, appeared in 1914, Captain Robinson (then nearly 90 years old) was struck by the likeness of the titles –– that of the old tune and that of the poem - book ––and he sent the “Spoon River” tune to Masters, who passed it on to me.
The tune is very archaic in character; typically American, yet akin to certain Scottish and English dance-tone types.
My setting aims at preserving a pioneer blend of lonesome wistfulness and sturdy persistence. It bears the following dedication: “For Edgar Lee Masters, poet of pioneers.”
Kevin Day (b. 1996), an American whose music has been characterized by "propulsive, syncopated rhythms, colorful orchestration, and instrumental virtuosity," (Robert Kirzinger, Boston Symphony) Composer Kevin Day has quickly emerged as one of the leading young voices in the world of music composition today, whose music ranges from powerful introspection to joyous exuberance. Kevin Day is an internationally acclaimed composer, conductor, and pianist, whose music often intersects between the worlds of jazz, minimalism, Latin music, fusion, and contemporary classical idioms. Day serves as
PROGRAM NOTES
the Vice President of the Millennium Composers Initiative, a collective of more than 120 composers from several countries around the world.
A winner of the BMI Student Composer Award, a three-time finalist for the ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer Award, and considered for the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for his Concerto for Wind Ensemble, Day has composed over 200 works, and has had numerous performances throughout the United States, Russia, Austria, Australia, Taiwan, South Africa, and Japan.
Day is currently Assistant Professor of Composition at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. He is pursuing his DMA in Composition from the University of Miami Frost School of Music, where he studies with Charles Norman Mason, Dorothy Hindman, and Lansing McCloskey. He holds a MM in Composition from the University of Georgia, and BM in Performance from Texas Christian University (TCU). He is alumnus of Kappa Kappa Psi National Honorary Band Fraternity and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity of America.
Day provides the following program notes:
Havana (2018) was a wind ensemble piece that I started working on in 2017, got about 30 measures into writing, and then put on the shelf. I couldn’t think of what to do with it or come up with an idea, so I ended up just putting it aside until I could. I ended up f forgetting about it, and while I was searching through my music files on a night in September 2018, I stumbled on this work and found inspiration to write on what I had. I wanted to tell a story with the piece and make it authentic, and so I spent a lot of time carefully writing the work. After messing with a few titles and feeling a good amount of frustration, I decided to go with Havana, despite there being a viral pop song already in existence with the same name (a song that is honestly a guilty pleasure of mine to listen to). This piece, however, has nothing to do with the Camilla Cabello mega-hit.
PROGRAM NOTES
Havana is heavily influenced by Cuban music, rhythms, and percussion. I wanted to highlight different dance genres such as salsa, mambo, and cha-cha, while also making the piece in my own voice. I have a strong love for Latin music, and so this was incredibly fun to write. I sought to paint a mental picture of the city of Havana, the beautiful landscape, and the culture that it is known and beloved for. There are many “Latin-influenced” pieces for band already and so I wanted to make Havana stand out as one that is exciting and memorable. I hope that performers and audiences will tap their foot, bop their heads, and feel the music.
W I N D O R C H E S T R A
P E R S O N N E L
Flute
Stephanie Gerena
Isabelle Espinosa
Diana Macia
Nadia Villanueva
Oboe
Khalil El-Jirby
Clarinet
Matthew Ayala
Joel Cardenas
Karolina Leal
Jurguen Arellano Martinez
Allejandro Moreno
Kairi Olivarez
Saxophone
Hector Cabrera
Sherlyn Farias
Nahomi Gandarilla
Roque Martinez
Jay Rodriguez
Christian Tijerina
Oswaldo Vazquez
Horn
Ashley Navas Rocha
Bobby Salazar
Percussion
Alexa Jolet
Jesus Mariscal
Oscar Mendez
Michelle Molina
Eric Salazar
Trumpet
Javier Adarme
Juan Benitez
Samuel Chapa
Alex Escamilla
Jesus Flores
Emmanuel Juarez
Johnny Ledezma
Michael Morales
Marko Muñoz
Luis Paz
Cesar Tovar
Angel Trujillo
Tenor Trombone
Orlando Castaño
Nathan Limas
Marcus Espinoza
Jesua Tejeda
Bass Trombone
Julian Montalvo
Efren Zapata
Euphonium
Jorge Ayala
Alessandro Peña
Steven Vallejo
Tuba
Raphael Gonzalez
Marty Gutierrez
Jaime Zamarripa
J e r i a n n e L a r s o n s e r v e s a s
D i r e c t o r o f B a n d s a t T h e
U n i v e r s i t y o f T e x a s R i o
G r a n d e V a l l e y w h e r e s h e
c o n d u c t s t h e W i n d O r c h e s t r a a n d
S y m p h o n i c W i n d s ( E d i n b u r g ) a n d
t e a c h e s c o u r s e s i n c o n d u c t i n g a s
w e l l a s t h e h i s t o r y a n d r e p e r t o i r e
o f t h e w i n d b a n d . P r i o r t o t h i s
a p p o i n t m e n t , L a r s o n s e r v e d a s a
g r a d u a t e t e a c h i n g f e l l o w f o r t h e
W i n d S t u d i e s d e p a r t m e n t a t T h e
U n i v e r s i t y o f N o r t h T e x a s w h e r e
s h e c o n d u c t e d t h e C o n c e r t B a n d ,
g u e s t c o n d u c t e d t h e N o r t h T e x a s W i n d S y m p h o n y , t h e
N o r t h T e x a s W i n d O r c h e s t r a , a n d t h e N o r t h T e x a s W i n d
E n s e m b l e , a s s i s t e d w i t h t h e G r e e n B r i g a d e M a r c h i n g
B a n d , a n d t a u g h t c o u r s e s i n c o n d u c t i n g . S h e a l s o s e r v e d
a s t h e g r a d u a t e c o n d u c t i n g s t u d i o c o o r d i n a t o r a n d W i n d
S t u d i e s l i b r a r i a n . D u r i n g t h i s t i m e , s h e w a s a l s o i n v o l v e d
w i t h t h e L o n e S t a r W i n d O r c h e s t r a a s r e h e a r s a l
a s s i s t a n t a n d g u e s t c o n d u c t o r .
L a r s o n i s a n a c t i v e g u e s t c o n d u c t o r a n d c l i n i c i a n a n d
h o l d s p r o f e s s i o n a l a n d h o n o r a r y m e m b e r s h i p s i n a
v a r i e t y o f m u s i c o r g a n i z a t i o n s a t t h e s t a t e , n a t i o n a l , a n d i n t e r n a t i o n a l l e v e l s i n c l u d i n g T M E A , C B D N A , P M E A , N A f M E , T B A , N B A , W A S B E , W B D I , P i K a p p a L a m b d a , a n d
M u P h i E p s i l o n . L a r s o n h a s b e e n i n v i t e d t o p r e s e n t a t
s e v e r a l c o n f e r e n c e s i n c l u d i n g t h e 2 0 2 2 P M E A
C o n f e r e n c e , t h e 2 0 2 3 M i d w e s t B a n d a n d O r c h e s t r a
C l i n i c , a d t h e 2 0 2 5 T M E A C o n f e r e n c e w h e r e h e r
p r e s e n t a t i o n , " E m p o w e r i n g a n d M e n t o r i n g t h e N e x t
G e n e r a t i o n o f F e m a l e B a n d D i r e c t o r s , " d i s c u s s e s t h e
e v e r c h a n g i n g m u s i c e d u c a t i o n l a n d s c a p e a n d t h e b e s t
w a y s t o n a v i g a t e m e n t o r i n g t h e u p c o m i n g g e n e r a t i o n o f b a n d d i r e c t o r s .
A B O U T T H E C
B o b b y S a l a z a r i s a d e d i c a t e d
m u s i c e d u c a t o r a n d
c o n d u c t o r , c u r r e n t l y s e r v i n g
a s a G r a d u a t e A s s i s t a n t w i t h
t h e a t h l e c t i c b a n d s a t T h e
U n i v e r s i t y o f T e x a s R i o
G r a n d e V a l l e y ( U T R G V ) . I n
t h i s r o l e , h e c o n t r i b u t e s t o
t h e U T R G V M a r c h i n g B a n d
a n d P e p B a n d , t a k i n g o n b o t h
c o n d u c t i n g a n d i n s t r u c t i o n a l
d u t i e s w h i l e p u r s u i n g a
M a s t e r ’ s d e g r e e i n W i n d
C o n d u c t i n g . W i t h o v e r e l e v e n y e a r s o f e x p e r i e n c e i n
m u s i c e d u c a t i o n , M r . S a l a z a r h a s m a d e a l a s t i n g
i m p a c t t h r o u g h o u t t h e R i o G r a n d e V a l l e y .
H e h a s s e r v e d a s t h e a s s i s t a n t b a n d d i r e c t o r f o r t h e
M c A l l e n W i n d E n s e m b l e , c o l l a b o r a t i n g w i t h o n e o f t h e
r e g i o n ’ s p r e m i e r c o m m u n i t y e n s e m b l e s . H i s v e r s a t i l i t y
e x t e n d s t o j a z z , h a v i n g w o r k e d e x t e n s i v e l y w i t h t h e
S w i n g S t r e e t B i g B a n d , a n d v a r i o u s d r u m c o r p s , w h e r e
h e h a s b e e n i n v o l v e d i n s h a p i n g h i g h - l e v e l
p e r f o r m a n c e s . B o b b y ’ s r e a c h i n g p h i l o s o p h y c e n t e r s o n
b u i l d i n g m u s c i a n s h i p , l e a d e r s h i p , a n d a l i f e l o n g l o v e o f
m u s i c i n h i s s t u d e n t s . A T e x a s n a t i v e , M r . S a l a z a r
e a r n e d h i s B a c h e l o r o f M u s i c d e g r e e f r o m T e x a s A & M
U n i v e r s i t y i n K i n g s v i l l e a n d i s n o w p u r s u i n g h i s M a s t e r
o f M u s i c d e g r e e i n W i n d C o n d u c t i n g a t U T R G V . H e i s
s u p p o r t e d i n h i s m u s i c a l j o u r n e y b y h i s w i f e , A n g e l a , a n d t h e i r t w o s o n s , N i k o a n d M i c h a e l .
S h e h a s a l s o b e e n f e a t u r e d o n t h e p o d c a s t , M u s i c E d
I n s i g h t s , d i s c u s s i n g s i m i l a r t o p i c m a t e r i a l s . L a r s o n h a d
t h e d i s t i n c t h o n o r o f b e i n g s e l e c t e d i n t o t h e p r e s t i g i o u s
U . S . A r m y B a n d “ P e r s h i n g ’ s O w n ” C o n d u c t o r s W o r k s h o p .
I n a d d i t i o n t o r e h e a r s i n g t h
c o n d u c t e d t h e b a n d i n c o n c e r t a t t h e S c h l e s i n g e r
C o n c e r t H a l l i n A l e x a n d r i a , V A .
A n a t i v e o f P e n n s y l v a n i a , L a r s o n i s c u r r e n t l y p u r s u i n g a
d o c t o r o f m u s i c a l a r t s d e g r e e i n w i n d c o n d u c t i n g f r o m
T h e U n i v e r s i t y o f N o r t h T e x a s , w h e r e s h e i s A B D , a n d
s t u d i e d w i t h E u g e n e M i g l i a r o C o p r o r o n a n d D r . A n d r e w
T r a c h s e l . S h e r e c e i v e d a m a s t e r o f m u s i c d e g r e e i n w i n d
c o n d u c t i n g f r o m M e s s i a h U n i v e r s i t y , s t u d y i n g u n d e r D r .
B r a d l e y G e n e v r o , a n d a b a c h e l o r o f m u s i c e d u c a t i o n
d e g r e e f r o m W e s t m i n s t e r C o l l e g e ( P A ) w h e r e s h e
s t u d i e d w i t h D r . R . T a d . G r e i g . L a r s o n s e r v e d f o r n i n e
y e a r s a s a p u b l i c h i g h s c h o o l b a n d d i r e c t o r i n w e s t e r n
P e n n s y l v a n i a a n d h e r e n s e m b l e s c o n s i s t e n t l y e a r n e d
S u p e r i o r r a t i n g s a t a s s e s s m e n t a n d e a r n e d a s p e c i a l
i n v i t a t i o n t o p e r f o r m a t t h e s t a t e c a p i t o l .
OCTOBER 17, 2024
BECOME A PATRON
V a l l e y a r t i s t s .
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$ 1 0 . 0 0 p e r m o n t h , y o u w i l l b e c o m e a m e m b e r o f t h e
P a t r o n o f t h e A r t s , o u r p r e m i e r e c i r c l e o f s u p p o r t e r s
o f U T R G V A R T S W i t h t h i s m e m b e r s h i p , y o u w i l l
r e c e i v e d i s c o u n t e d t i c k e t s t o a l l o f o u r e v e n t s – t h e m o r e y o u d o n a t e , t h e g r e a t e r y o u r d i s c o u n t ! C l i c k h e r e t o b e c o m e a P a t r o n o f t h e A r t s .
I G N I T E T H E A R T S ! J O I N T O D A Y
5 0 % o f f e v e n t s
6 0 % o f f e v e n t s
7 0 % o f f e v e n t s
8 0 % o f f e v e n t s
9 0 % o f f e v e n t s
$ 1 0 / m o n t h
$ 2 5 / m o n t h
$ 5 0 / m o n t h
$ 6 0 / m o n t h
$ 7 0 / m o n t h
E d i n b u r g : ( 9 5 6 ) 6 6 5 - 3 8 8 1 B r o w n s v i l l e : ( 9 5 6 ) 8 8 2 - 7 0 2 5
