U of A Bands Set to Host Three Nights of Concerts This Week

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Faulker Performing Arts Center

To close out the spring 2023 semester, the U of A Bands will be hosting three nights of concerts featuring performances by all five concert bands.

Tuesday, April 25
Performance at 7:30 p.m. 
The 4PM Concert Band and Wind Symphony 

The 4PM Concert Band will begin their concert with Chen Yi's "Spring Festival." A unique piece that incorporates Beijing opera gongs, "Spring Festival" incorporates Chinese arts with a Western twist. Next on the performance is "New Wade n' Water" by Adolphus Hailstork. Both opening pieces were commissioned by the American Composer Foundation. "Good music is good music. These pieces are from important composers with important voices," said Jeffrey Summers, associate director of bands. The 4PM Concert Band's final piece, conducted by graduate student Jason Reznicek, is "Yorkshire Ballad," by James Barnes. 

The Wind Symphony will be the second band of the evening, starting off their program with "Ecstatic Fanfare" by Steven Bryant, conducted by assistant director of bands Chase Jones. Their second piece, "Three Embraces," was composed for Allan McMurray upon the occasion of his retirement as director of bands at the University of Colorado-Boulder. Summers will conduct "Three Embraces," which, he says, "is not a tune, but instead an atmosphere. It's a unique challenge for the group." 

"Aurora Awakes" by John Mackey uses a guitar riff from the song "Where The Streets Have No Name" by U2 and Johan De Meij's arrangement of Joporo by Moises Molerio paints a picture of nightlife in his home country of Venezuela. Adding to the painting theme, "L'isle Joyeuese" by Charles Debussy (arr. Toshio Mashima) illustrates a painting of Venus, the Goddess of Love. "It's exciting as a teacher to go through a difficult piece with the students," Summers said. "Music can be difficult sometimes, not only in technicality but also in appreciation of different styles." 

Wednesday, April 26
Performance at 7:30 p.m. 
The 5PM Concert Band and Symphonic Band 

The 5PM Concert Band will start off with David Biedenbender's "Melodious Thunk," a piece reflective of the nickname given to jazz pianist Thelonious Monk by his wife. Next is "Each Moment Should be Lived Fully" by Brooke Pierson, inspired by the composer watching his children and their love for music grow. Percy Grainger's "Ye Banks and Braes O'Bonnie Doon" follow the two songs as they reference old Scottish folk tunes. Lastly, the 5PM Concert Band will take off, performing "Rocketship!" by Kevin Day.

The Symphonic Band will begin their portion of the evening with the iconic "Semper Fidelis" by John Phillips Sousa, first composed in 1888 for the United States Marine Corps. Next is "Reformation," jointly composed by Tyler Austin and Danielle Fischer. "Reformation" takes its source material from the hymn "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God" and offers variations inspired by Fischer's own melodies as well as the work of Johann Sebastian Bach. 

Composer Khataj Copley features a phrase that has been culturally adopted by the African American community in "Ayo: Rhapsody for Band." Rooted in hip hop rhythms and colorful harmonies, this piece celebrates a phrase that Copley says "is used to tell when something is right, when something is wrong, when something is awesome and when something is too sweet for words." To conclude the evening, the Symphonic Band will perform "Give Us This Day" by David Maslanka, a reference to the Lord's Prayer from the book of Matthew. 

Thursday, April 27
Performance at 7:30 p.m. 
The Wind Ensemble

The Wind Ensemble, conducted by director of bands Chris Knighten, will wrap up the three days series with their performance on Thursday evening. They will begin their program with "Alpenglow" by composer Stacy Garrop. Inspired by Rocky Mountain National Park to honor its beauty, the piece prominently features the saxophone and tuba. Eric Troiano, assistant professor of music performance at Ithaca College, will perform the saxophone solo, while Benjamin Pierce, professor of music at the U of A, will perform the tuba feature. 

"Adoration" was composed by Arkansas native Florence Price and published in 1951. Initially written for solo organ, the piece has found life in the form of various arrangements, including this version by Cheldon Williams for wind band.  

Jazz influences and big band sound permeate the Wind Ensemble's final piece. "Blue Shades" by Frank Ticheli finishes off the program. Composed in 1997, the piece has become standard in the literature. "At times," Ticheli says, "'Blue Shades' burlesques some of the cliches from the Big Band era, not as mockery, but as tribute."

All performances will be held at the Faulkner Performing Arts Center on the U of A campus and are free and open to the public. Those unable to attend can view the livestream on the Faulker Performing Arts Center's YouTube channel.