Department of Fine Arts   INSTRUMENTAL PROGRAMS Community Participation Welcome!  27 February 2003 Wind Symphony Concert

 

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program

 

Symphonic Jubilee (Opus 85)                                                       Joseph Wilcox Jenkins

Sonata

The first movement of Jenkins’ large-scale work for band is in a strict Sonata-Allegro form.  It is written with a joyful abandon that belies its rather strict classical architecture. 

 

Lewisburg                                                                                                      Rex Mitchell

 

Lewisburg is a program selection in a single movement portraying the growth and development of Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, a town on the Susquehanna River.  The suggestion of an historical perspective is offered; this could be descriptive also of other towns in the United States from pre-Revolutionary War times to the present.

 

Yankee Doodle: Grand Fantasia for Cornet                                    Jean Baptiste Arban

Revised and augmented by Andrew Glover                          

Mike Vax, cornet

This traditional theme and variations explores the full technical capabilities of the cornet and demands the highest level of virtuosity from the soloist.

 

On a Hymnsong of Phillip Bliss                                                         David R. Holsinger

 

Holsinger has emerged as one of the truly significant contemporary band composers.  Most of his works are boisterous and technically demanding.  By contrast, this simple hymntune presents the ensemble in a sensitive and lyrical setting.

 

Prelude, Siciliano, and Rondo                                                                Malcolm Arnold

Arranged by John P. Paynter                         

British composer Malcolm Arnold originally wrote this work for the brass bands for which England is famous.  The three contrasting movements are all written in short, clear, five-part song forms; the ABACA design is instantly apparent and gives the imaginative melodies a natural, almost folk-like flavor.

                                    

The Vax Report                                                                                           Craig Alberty

Mike Vax, trumpet

“Mike asked me to write a piece for him that would showcase his versatility and could be used with either jazz or concert band.  This is the first performance of the concert band version.  The solo is playable by only a small number of trumpet players as it demands the unlikely combination of precise and fluid technique, extended range, and jazz improvisation skills.  In addition to examining trumpet techniques, the work attempts to explore a variety of musical moods while retaining thematic continuity.”  Craig Alberty  

 

Flight                                                                                                       Claude T. Smith

(The Official March of the National Air and Space Museum)

Mike Vax, Roxy Smallwood, Sandy Middleton – antiphonal trumpets

Flight was premiered on November 1, 1984 in the Milestones of Flight Gallery at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. by the United States Air Force Band.  The inclusion of excerpts from the Pachelbel Canon in D was done at the request of the Director of the National Air and Space Museum as Canon is used as background music at the Museum.

 

We thank the Yamaha Corporation of America, McFadyen Music
and Florence District 1 for supporting Mike Vax’s appearance.

 

 

Mike Vax – visiting artist

Mike Vax has performed and/or recorded with such greats as Art Pepper, Al Grey, Freddy Hubbard, John Handy, Don Ellis, Don Jacoby, Louie Bellson, Joe Williams, Anita O'Day, Barbara McNair, the Four Freshmen, the Glenn Miller and Jimmy Dorsey Orchestras, the Beverly Hills Unlisted Jazz Band, and the Dukes of Dixieland.

 

Mike is also very active as a soloist and lead trumpet player. He has played solo and lead trumpet with the Stan Kenton Orchestra, the Clark Terry Big Bad Band, and the U.S. Navy Show Band. He has also appeared as guest soloist with symphony pops orchestras around the United States, as well as the All-American Collegiate Orchestra at Disneyworld.

 

As a recording musician, he has performed on more than 40 albums, including 15 under his own name. Currently he is leading his own groups: The New Oakland Jazz Orchestra, the Mike Vax Big Band (featuring alumni of the Stan Kenton Orchestra), the Great American Jazz Band, TRPTS (Trumpets), the Mike Vax Quintet and Sextet, and the Draga/Vax Connection.

 

Mike has done workshops and concerts in over 1,000 high schools, colleges and universities all around the world over the past 30 years. He is very active as a clinician and soloist in both the classical and jazz idioms.

 

Mike Vax is a performing artist and clinician for the Yamaha Corporation of America and performs exclusively on Yamaha trumpets, cornets and flugelhorns.

 

FMU Wind Symphony

 

Last spring the Wind Symphony moved to a Tuesday evening rehearsal time and we opened the group to community participation.  This is the third concert we have performed in our new format.  As you can see from the personnel roster, the membership is evenly divided between FMU students and community participants.  We are satisfied with the result of this change and are seeking additional participants.  If you play a band instrument or know someone looking for a place to play, please contact us.  Information can be found at web.fmarion.edu/finearts/windband.htm and Mr. Alberty can be reached at 661-1540 or calberty@fmarion.edu.

 

Wind Symphony personnel

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Images © Joe & Walter Sallenger