Lafayette Online » Purdue Symphonic Band

Purdue Bands beats winter blahs with musical treats

Carolyn Shelby — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 20:52:46 +0000

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Music that takes you on an armchair voyage from Brazil to Japan, an appearance by Indianapolis Symphony hornist Julie Beckel Yager and the introduction of Purdue’s new Wind Ensemble are all part of Purdue Bands & Orchestras’ Winter Music Gala this weekend at the Long Center.

The debut of the Wind Ensemble, conducted by University Bands Director Jay Gephart, combines with a performance by the Symphonic Band at 8 p.m. Friday (Feb. 19). Varsity, Collegiate and Purdue Concert Bands are featured at 8 p.m. Saturday (Feb. 20). The Philharmonic and Symphony Orchestras perform at 2:30 p.m. Sunday (Feb. 21).

All concerts are held at the Long Center, 111 N. Sixth St., Lafayette, and all are free.

“The great thing about the new Wind Ensemble is that it’s a smaller group, so you have a chance to work on details and get a cleaner, more refined performance,” Gephart said of the department’s top concert ensemble.

The 77-member group, made up of the department’s top student musicians, offers Gephart the chance to play pieces like Shostakovich’s “Festive Overture” as well as Maslanka’s “Morning Star” that demands advanced technique from the woodwinds and might not be performed otherwise.

Maslanka’s contemporary “Morning Star” is written as a rondo, which typically has a recurring musical theme. But in this complex piece, the recurring theme’s never quite the same.

“You hear it 20 some times and each time it’s a variation,” says Gephart. “We’ve really enjoyed working on this piece. It’s very tuneful and has a colorful use of percussion.”

The Wind Ensemble also performs Malcolm Arnold’s “Tam O’Shanter,” based on a classic poem by Scotland’s Robert Burns; “Hymn of Brotherhood” by Scandinavian composer Egbert van Groningen; and Samuel Hazo’s “Arabesque.”

Highlighting the Symphonic Band’s portion of Friday’s concert is a concert band setting of “For the Beauty of the Earth,” a Christian hymn linked with Thanksgiving, and “Clowns” by Philip Parker. Written in the style of a gallop, the piece’s pace and unpredictable harmonies depict the zany antics of circus clowns. The band also performs John Mackey’s “Aurora Awakes,” which is inspired by the Roman goddess of the dawn and ends in an explosion of energy.

On Saturday, Feb. 20, there’s an international feeling to the pieces performed by the Varsity, Collegiate and Purdue Concert Bands. Opening the concert, Varsity Band performs “Amparito Roca” by Spanish composer Jaime Texidor, which is paso doble dance tune depicting the drama of bullfighting. It also presents Percy Grainger’s “Australian Up-Country Tune,” which represents the composer’s attempt to tap into the feelings of common folk like Steven Foster did in the American Midwest.

Collegiate Band references Grainger’s music in Robert Sheldon’s “A Longford Legend,” based on three poems in a collection of “Irish Street Ballades” and created as a tribute to Grainger, Holst and Vaughan Williams. In Jim Casella’s “Stormbreak,” a percussion octet will be featured, and Collegiate Band’s portion of the concert concludes with “The Winds of Poseidon” from Robert Smith’s “Second Symphony.”

Traveling to another part of the globe, the Purdue Concert Band presents Robert Smith’s “Brazil: Ceremony, Song and Samba,” based upon authentic Afro-Brazilian percussion grooves. It illustrates the impact of the African experience on South American music.

On Sunday, Feb. 21, guest hornist Julie Beckel Yager from the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra will perform Mozart’s “Horn Concerto No. 4″ with the Purdue Symphony Orchestra.

Their portion of the concert also includes Joseph Haydn’s “Symphony No. 104″ known as the “London Symphony” because the Austrian composer created it, among others, while visiting England.

Under the baton of Andrew King, the Philharmonic Symphony concludes Sunday’s program with the Shostakovich “Symphony No. 5.” The piece was written in 1937 during the height of the “Great Terror” under Stalin in Russia. The finale is based on melodic material from the Shostakovich song “Rebirth” inspired by a Pushkin poem.

Purdue bands and orchestras open concert season Homecoming weekend

Carolyn Shelby — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 00:47:48 +0000

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue University bands and orchestras will kick off their 2009-10 concert season during homecoming weekend.

Orchestras will perform its Homecoming Concert Saturday (Oct. 3) in the Long Center, 111 N. Sixth St., Lafayette. The Purdue Symphonic and Concert bands will perform a tribute to “Main Street USA” at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 4, also at the Long Center. Admission to both events is free.

The Purdue Orchestra will perform its Homecoming Concert Saturday, October 3, and the Purdue Symphonic and Concert bands will perform a tribute to Main Street USA on Sunday, October 4th -- both at the Long Center in Downtown Lafayette. Admission to both events is free.

From the galloping rhythms of Rossini’s famous “William Tell Overture” to Mendelssohn’s Fifth Symphony, which paraphrases the hymn tune “A Mighty Fortress is Our God” in its finale, the Purdue orchestras will showcase a variety of classical music during its Saturday event.

Both Purdue orchestras will be featured under the baton of Andrew King. The Purdue Philharmonic will perform Edward Elgar’s “Enigma Variations.” The unique piece takes one melody and explores different ways of playing it, each way influenced by the preferences of a friend or, in one case, a dog close to the British composer. “Enigma Variations” secured Elgar’s reputation as a composer of national, even international, standing and remains one of the most popular works in the classical repertoire, King says.

Before tackling Mendelssohn’s Fifth or “Reformation” Symphony, the Purdue Symphony opens its portion of the program with a “Hi Ho Silver and Away.” Those words will leap to audience’s minds when they hear Rossini’s “William Tell Overture” which became famous in the 20th century as the theme to “The Lone Ranger.”

Felix Mendelssohn’s Reformation Symphony, written in 1829, is a highly original piece of religious music depicting the triumph of Protestantism. In its fast stormy first movement, Mendelssohn musically depicts an intense spiritual struggle away from Catholicism. The finale, written as a celebration opens with the Lutheran chorale “A Mighty Fortress is Our God.”

Bands concert

Nearly every element of fall in America, from festivals and Friday night football to walks down picturesque country lanes, will be described musically in “Main Street USA,” the bands’ concert on Sunday.

Two John Phillip Sousa marches, David Moore’s “Small Town Sketches,” Charles Ives’ “Variations on America” and Broadway composer Robert Russell Bennett’s “Autobiography Part 1″ set the tone for the afternoon of music by American composers.

“Small Town Sketches,” the concert opener performed by Fall Concert Band under the direction of Ishbah Cox presents a series of musical pictures ranging from “Friday Night Football” to “Winter Walk” and from “County Fair” to “Concert in the Park.” The group also performs another highly descriptive work, “Down a Country Lane,” by Aaron Copland.

“Students are embracing many different styles on this concert from classical to Broadway,” says Jay Gephart, conductor of the Purdue Symphonic Band. “They move from one to another very easily, which shows a great deal of maturity as musicians.”

Although influenced by folk and traditional music, Ives was no stranger to compositional techniques of the 20th century, which are showcased in the Symphonic Band’s performance of “Variations on America.”

Symphonic Band also tackles Robert Russell Bennett’s “Autobiography Part 1″ at the Oct. 3 concert and will present “Part 2″ at a subsequent concert.

“H. Owen Reed’s ‘Heart of the Morn’ adds a nice balance to the other pieces on the program,” says Gephart. “It’s just a beautiful chorale based on the poem ‘Michigan Morn.’ ”

“Main Street USA” is presented by Purdue Bands & Orchestras. For more information on upcoming events visit www.purdue.edu/bands

Purdue Bands to perform in 4 weekend concerts

Carolyn Shelby — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 01:26:06 +0000

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Some 700 student performers will take the stage during a series of four concerts Friday through Sunday (April 24-26) at Purdue University.

All four concerts are free and open to the public.

The first concert is an 8 p.m. Friday (April 24) show featuring the Purdue Symphonic and Concert bands at Elliott Hall of Music. Two more concerts will be offered at Elliott Hall of Music on Saturday (April 25), including a 6 p.m. performance featuring the Purdue Philharmonic and Symphony orchestras and an 8 p.m. show highlighting the University and Collegiate Concert bands. The weekend’s final performance is Jazz on the Hill at 2:30 p.m. Sunday (April 26) at Slayter Center of Performing Arts.

The weekend's events will serve as a finale of the 2008-09 performing season for Purdue Bands & Orchestra.

The ensembles will perform a variety of styles including classical, street music, Latin and jazz, with some groups emphasizing music written by contemporary composer Roger Cichy. He will be on hand to work with a few of the groups and conduct a number of his own compositions. Some of the Cichy pieces the bands will tackle include “Bugs,” “Colours,” “Reliance,” “T-Rex” and “Interpretations.”

The Jazz on the Hill concert will pay tribute to jazz composer Stan Kenton, with performances by the Purdue Jazz Band, American Music Repertory Ensemble, Lab Jazz Band, Concert Jazz Band and the Jazz Conception Ensemble. The show will be outdoors, and attendees are encouraged to bring blankets and lawn chairs for comfortable seating.

The weekend’s events will serve as a finale of the 2008-09 performing season for Purdue Bands & Orchestra.

Lafayette Online » Purdue Symphonic Band

Purdue Bands beats winter blahs with musical treats

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