Spring 2015 was a milestone. I finished up my doctoral work at Arizona State University and got my degree in May! In the process, I conducted some of the ASU ensembles and did an honor band in Rockland County, NY. I continued to work with my amazing conducting mentors, primarily Gary Hill and Wayne Bailey. I also finished my DMA thesis: “An Annotated Bibliography of Symphonies for Wind Band.” (click for full text, PDF)
At ASU, the concert season kicked off with the annual Concert of Soloists by the ASU Symphony Orchestra on February 4. The highlight (though I’m hopelessly biased in this regard) was the Percussion Concerto by Joseph Schwantner with Bryan Hummel as percussion soloist and me on the podium. We made a great team.
The ASU band season got underway the following evening. We were in the midst of celebrating “ASU Bands at 100!” by playing music from each decade that the bands have existed. So on February 5, we presented “The Fabulous 50s!” The Wind Ensemble under Wayne Bailey started it off:
Divertimento – Vincent Persichetti
George Washington Bridge – William Schuman (Trae Blanco, Conductor)
The Wind Orchestra under Gary Hill continued:
Festive Overture – Dmitri Shostakovich, arr. Hunsberger
Pageant – Vincent Persichetti (conducted by me)
Symphony for Band – Paul Hindemith
On February 6 and 7 (yes, that was an intense week), I went to Rockland County, NY to conduct their Senior All-County Band. We played some great rep!
Shepherd’s Hey – Percy Grainger
Prelude, Siciliano, and Rondo – Malcolm Arnold
Next up at ASU was “War and Peace – the 40s and the 80s” on March 3. Starting with Wayne Bailey and the Wind Ensemble, the repertoire included:
The Immovable Do – Percy Grainger (Seph Coates, conductor)
On a Hymnsong of Philip Bliss – David Holsinger
Symphony no. 1 “Lord of the Rings” – Johan de Meij
Gary Hill and Wind Orchestra:
Smetana Fanfare – Karel Husa
Ballad for Band – Morton Gould (Trae Blanco, conductor)
Winds of Nagual – Michael Colgrass
The Wind Orchestra took a solo turn in “From the Great Depression to the Digital Age – the 30s and the 90s” on April 8 with some wonderful repertoire:
Outdoor Overture – Aaron Copland (conducted by Seph Coates)
Suite Française – Francis Poulenc
Desi – Michael Daugherty
Funeral Music for Queen Mary – Henry Purcell, arr. Steven Stucky
On April 14, the Wind Ensemble gave Wayne Bailey a semi-retirement sendoff with a concert of his “Favorite Things”, which include:
George Washington Bicentennial March – J. P. Sousa
Valdres – Johannes Hansen
Elsa’s Procession to the Cathedral – Richard Wagner
Second Concerto for Clarinet – Carl Maria von Weber
Pineapple Poll – Sir Arthur Sullivan, arr. Sir Charles Mackerras
They were joined by the ASU Concert Band under Trae Blanco and Seph Coats. Their repertoire for the semester included:
Scenes from the Louvre – Norman Dello Joio
The Hounds of Spring – Alfred Reed
Three Ayres from Gloucester – Hugh Stuart
Firework – Jan Van der Roost
Chimes of Liberty – Edwin Franko Goldman (conducted by me on 4/14)
Finally, the ASU Chamber Players, including students and faculty, rounded out the season with some large chamber pieces:
Sonatina/Symphony “The Happy Workshop” – Richard Strauss
La Creation du monde – Darius Milhaud