The final day of CBDNA 2023 arrived with more sessions and concerts. I regret that I was not able to stay for the whole day, but I was glad to experience what I could.
After breakfast with my Intercollegiate Band students, I made my way to the conference center for the early presentation on working with composers by Arizona State band directors Jason Caslor and Jamal Duncan. They have been trying to cultivate compositions for band among the composition graduate students at Arizona State, and providing opportunities for their works to be workshopped and performed. I then attended the Small Band Showcase, for which bands were chosen by blind audio submission. Each director played an excerpt of their chosen piece and said a few words about their program. None of them are actually all that small! Here is the list of the pieces explored, along with the names of the programs, directors, and how many bands they field on their campus:
Two-Lane Blacktop – James David – College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University, Justin Zanchuk (2 bands)
Aurora Awakes – John Mackey – Gonzaga University, Peter Hamlin (2 bands)
Of Our New Day Begun – Omar Thomas – Marywood University, Fred David Romines (4 bands)
His Honor – Henry Fillmore and Themes from Green Bushes – Percy Grainger – Tennessee Tech University, Jeffrey Miller (3 bands + marching)
The Last Hive Mind – Shuying Li – Washburn University, Tom Seddon (2 bands + marching)
Blue Shades – Frank Ticheli – Youngstown State University, Michael Scott Butler (2 bands + marching)
Come Sunday – Omar Thomas – Rowan University, Joseph Higgins (2 bands + marching)
The rest of the morning was spent in meetings, which turned out to be ultimately celebrations. The Eastern Division passed its leadership from Lauren Reynolds to Jared Chase, while affirming its mission to support small bands and be clear about what that means. The full CBDNA membership saw its presidency pass from Mark Spede to Glen Adsit, acknowledging several important collaborators over the last four years in the process, particularly Nicholas Williams and his colleagues here at the University of Georgia. The winner of the Fennell Prize was also announced: Viet Cuong for his Vital Sines, a truly miraculous addition to the repertoire. The committee that chose it also announced five honorable mentions:
Short Symphony “If I Am to Leave” – Jess Turner
I Wake in the Dark and Remember – Joel Puckett
Passages – Will Healy
Dope – Katahj Copley
Lunch involved another trip to a food truck, and then the Intercollegiate Band Concert, led by John Locke:
Fanfare no. 1 – Wataru Hokoyama
Letters – Kelijah Dunton
Popcopy, mvt. 1: More Cowbell – Scott McAllister
Someone to Watch Over Me – George Gershwin, arr. Joseph Turrin/Rumbelow (Phil Smith, Flugelhorn)
No Brief Candle – Jack Stamp (Elizabeth Knight, soprano, and the University of Georgia Hodgson Singers)
The Frozen Cathedral – John Mackey
This 108-piece band featured students from 45 different small colleges around the country. They first rehearsed on Wednesday afternoon and gave a truly remarkable and meaningful performance on Saturday. Five of my Hartwick students were involved, and they only had the highest praise for the experience. The Hokoyama introduced the band and demonstrated their impressive cohesion. The Dunton followed the narrative of a romantic betrayal, from initial shock and sadness to eventually moving on. The McAllister took the classic “More Cowbell” sketch from SNL, featuring at least nine cowbell players in an energetic and note-y piece. The Gershwin featured THE Phil Smith, formerly of the New York Philharmonic. I had the heavenly privilege of sitting directly downstream from his bell! The Stamp built slowly toward a semi-surprise choral ending, with the UGA singers appearing behind us at the end.
The Frozen Cathedral performance was something truly special. Locke commissioned it in memory of his son, J. P., and this occasion marked the 10th anniversary of the premiere performance. John Mackey was also in attendance, and had worked on it with the band. Adding a couple of personal layers, I had those five students in the band, and I have memories of the piece being played at Arizona State while I was TA, which of course was an incredible experience in our cavernous hall. On top of all of that, Locke and the students brought every bit of energy and musicality they could muster to the performance. I could feel myself working up an emotional response as soon as the first sparkly antiphonal percussion sounds rang out around me (another heightening effect – there’s something different about hearing music that surrounds you). As we began to build intensity towards the middle of the piece, I could feel tears beginning to form. I closed my eyes, which only intensified the effect of the music, and began to think not only of John Locke’s immense loss, but of the meaning of this truly magnificent tribute, and of how lucky I was to be hearing real live people play this in front of me, and of how my students got to be a part of it. This all spiraled and congealed with the flow of the music, and I basically blubbered through to the end. I clearly was not alone – I congratulated John Mackey after the concert, and he was looking a little bleary-eyed as well, though he still very graciously took a photo with my star-struck students. I will forever treasure this performance and its layers of significance.
Alas, I had to leave the conference with my students immediately after their performance, so I missed the final two concerts. Even having a truncated conference experience, I can say with confidence that CBDNA delivered on its promise of a moving, meaningful, and restorative conference. The performances were universally of the highest caliber, with every ensemble bringing their own unique artistry and stretching their horizons, demonstrating for us all how to do the same. The presentations seemed more relevant than ever. Even when problems arose, such as in the “small” band showcase, there seemed to be genuine support for meaningful change that will grow CBDNA’s relevance in the future. Thank you, Mark Spede and the CBDNA board, Nick Williams and the UGA team, and everyone else involved in this conference. It was one for the ages.