CSUN Wind Ensemble 12/9/22

CSUN WIND ENSEMBLE

LAWRENCE STOFFEL CONDUCTOR

PROGRAM

Rodgers &

Intermission

IN THEIR OWN WORDS

Richard Rodgers (1902 1979) Musical Stages: An Autobiography

This is the way I have always worked, no matter what the setting of the story. It is true of the “Chinese” music for CheeChee, of my “French” music for Love Me Tonight, and later of my “Siamese” music for The King and I. Had I attempted to duplicate the real thing, it would never have sounded genuine, for the obvious reason that I am neither Chinese, French, Siamese, nor from the Southwest [Oklahoma!]. All a composer any composer — can do is to make an audience believe it is hearing authentic sound without losing his own musical identity... In composing the score [to The King and I], I followed my usual custom of writing the best music I could for the

characters and situations without slavishly trying to imitate the music of the locale in which the story was set. Not only would I have been incapable of creating anything authentically Siamese, but even if I could, I wouldn’t have done it. Western audiences are not attuned to the sounds of tinkling bells, high nasal strings, and percussive gongs, and would not find this kind of music attractive. If a composer is to reach his audience emotionally — and sure that’s what theatre music is all about — he must reach the people through sounds they can relate to... Any other approach would be false and self defeating.

William Schuman (1910 1992) George Washington Bridge: An Impression for Band

There are few days in the year when I do not see George Washington Bridge. I pass it on my way to work as I drive along the Henry Hudson Parkway on the New York shore. Ever since my student days when I watched the progress of its construction, this bridge has had for me an almost human personality, and this personality is astonishingly varied, assuming different moods depending on the time of day or night, the weather, the traffic and, of course, my own mood as

I pass by.

I have walked across it late at night when it was shrouded in fog, and during the brilliant sunshine hours of midday. I have driven over it countless times and passed under it on boats. Coming to New York City by air, sometimes I have been lucky enough to fly right over it. It is difficult to imagine a more gracious welcome or dramatic entry to the great metropolis.

Vaclav Nelhybel (1919 1996) “The Composer Conducts,” The Instrumentalist

The composer operates as an individual. He is ego centered and the impulse for his action comes from within. His tools are a collection of disciplines geared to enable him, to translate individual sounds and complex simultaneities of sounds, rhythms, and tone colors into visual symbols. He must choose his materials carefully in order to achieve a

constant relation of all elements resulting in his own musical style. Finally, he has to mold all the chosen shapes into the tight framework of a structural form. He does not hear, but imagines sounds, combining them vertically and organizing them horizontally. All of this happens only in his mind. The piano is of very limited

help. He can rely only on previous experiences with performances of his own works or on the analysis and study of recordings.

Scott McAllister (born 1969)

Music from the Redneck Songbook II is a multi-movement work inspired by the composer’s childhood memories of growing up in the South. The first movement, “Full Pull,” emulates the mechanical precision and power of a tractor pull. A “full pull” means when a tractor or other vehicle pulls a given amount of weight to the finish line.

The second movement, “In the Pines,” is inspired by the Southern folk song “In the Pines” that the composer used in his clarinet Concerto X. Many other artists have also used this tune, including Kurt Cobain and Muddy Waters. This movement is in variation form and portrays the story of a mother who found her son’s head deep in the piney woods near a railroad track, but never found his body

“Wilt,” the third movement, is inspired by the oak wilt disease that has devastated many of the great live oaks in

Music from the Redneck Songbook II

the South. Once the tree gets the fungus, it shuts its root system down and by doing so kills itself. An optional pedal steel guitar is used in this movement and the Hank Williams (senior) song, “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” was a particular influence on this movement.

The last movement “Cage Match” is inspired by the old WWF (World Wrestling Federation) wrestling league in the 1970s and early eighties. The legacy of Rick Flare (Nature Boy) and Dusty Rhodes in a match where a cage is placed over the ring was one of the earliest memories of the composer. The beginning fanfare emulates the over-the-top, flamboyant entrance that Rick Flare would do before a match. Dusty Rhodes was known for his ending blow, the Bionic Elbow move, which the composer uses the first four notes from the old seventies television series, The Six Million Dollar Man to portray musically.

CSUN WIND ENSEMBLE

Dr. Lawrence Stoffel, conductor Eder Hernandez, concert master

FLUTE

Heavyn Rivera* Marcos Ramirez (piccolo) Benjamin Costello (piccolo) Josephine Clements-Cain Eliana Perez Kayli Velazquez

BASSOON

Tara Chase* Matthew Bevens

CLARINET

Eder Hernandez* Nancy Crisostomo Jadon Cochran Joshua Alonzo Colin Rich

BASS CLARINET

Lilian Diaz* Jasmine Melgoza

SAXOPHONE

Gianella Skye Solorio* (alto)

Alexander Word (alto) Delilah Hartley (tenor) Carlos Peña Martínez (baritone)

TRUMPET

Ryan Buchanan* Macrae Eckelberry Taraneh Pourmoradian Jordyn Brown Carlos Gonzalez Santiago Crista Guerrero Donovan

FRENCH HORN

Michele Cheaure* Hayden Amendola Daniel Gallardo

TROMBONE

Thomas Monce* Caitlin Cooper Omar Morga Pintle (bass)

EUPHONIUM Adolfo Jimenez* Albert O. Walker TUBA Shane Willey* Alec Van Wagner

BASS Zachary Pickens

KEYBOARDS

Alyssa French

HARP

Kenneth Pasewark

PERCUSSION

Evan Frangesh* Leola Gravley Andrew Greenberg Lucas Heininger Aidan Smith Kenneth Pasewark Alyssa French

CSUN BAND STAFF

Gianella Skye Solorio, graduate assistant

Josephine Clements-Cain, clerk Delilah Hartley, clerk Carlos Gonzalez Santiago, clerk

* Principal

THE CSUN CONCERT BANDS

The band program at CSUN is dedicated to the promotion of concert band music by performing the finest of literature and bringing this music to the peoples of California. Each year the CSUN concert bands perform throughout southern California, presenting concerts of the finest of band music at diverse venues public schools, state historic parks, cultural landmarks, resort destinations, and residential communities. Through generous support provided by the CSUN Associated Students, the Wind Ensemble and Wind Symphony embark on unique concert series each year — “Band on the Run” concerts are free outreach performances designed specifically for presentation to the public throughout the greater Los Angeles region; other outreach concerts include performances designed specifically to bring live music to those who otherwise have limited experiences with band music.

Among the innumerable collegiate wind ensembles found throughout North America, a select few have distinguished themselves from the pack of others. These distinguished few possess an established heritage of musical excellence while keeping a steadfast vision toward a relevant and profound musical future. The Wind Ensemble at CSUN is among these distinguished few. The CSUN Wind Ensemble has long been a hallmark of the excellence associated with the university’s renowned music department. With both an accomplished legacy and dedicated future, students entering the ranks of the CSUN Wind Ensemble and Wind Symphony find themselves immersed in artistry and musical performance.

CSUN Wind & Percussion Faculty

David Shostac, flute

Heather Clark, flute

Larry Kaplan, flute

Kimaree Gilad, oboe

William Wood, bassoon

Julia Heinen, clarinet

Candis Badgley, clarinet

Benjamin Sorrell, saxophone

Richard Hofmann, trumpet

Erick Jovel, trumpet

Annie Bosler, horn

Paul Radke, trombone

Blake Cooper, tuba & euphonium

John Roscigno, percussion

Aaron Smith, percussion

Join Us Again for Our Spring Band Concerts: (dates subject to change)

CSUN Wind Ensemble Tuesday, February 28, 2023

7:30 PM

The Soraya

CSUN Wind Symphony Friday, April 21, 2023 7:30 PM Plaza del Sol Performance Hall

CSUN Wind Ensemble Tuesday, May 2, 2023 7:30 PM Plaza del Sol Performance Hall

Find more concert information online: CSUN Department of Music www.csun.edu/music www.facebook.com/CSUNMusic Information: (818) 677-3184

Tonight’s concert is made possible from the generous support of CSUN students through the Instructionally Related Activities (IRA) funding, along with the professional support and contributions made by many CSUN faculty & staff, including Patrick Bailey, Phil Calvert, Carey Christensen, Cynthia De La Fuente, Dean Dan Hosken, Nicole Hovland, Shawn Kolb, Vanessa Jimenez, Jennifer Lu, Tommie Norris, Natali Papazyan, John Roscigno, Nita Sinaga, and Rachel Valiensi.