concert program
Symphony Band dr. mark j walker, director
Symphony Band www.soundofthesouth.org
The Troy University Symphony Band is comprised of the top fifty-five wind and percussion students in the John M. Long School of Music. The Symphony Band is dedicated to the performance of the finest of wind literature and to the promotion of new music for winds and percussion. This premier group has recently completed its first international tour, performing for enthusiastic audiences in Vancouver and at the Whistler Music Festival in Whistler, Canada.
The Troy University Band Program is a comprehensive, student-oriented, multi-faceted organization that encourages participation from all disciplines and academic majors on the university campus. In addition to performing in the renowned “Sound of the South” Marching Band, auditions are held each semester for the opportunity to perform in the Symphony Band and Chamber Winds,
The Symphony Band has just released its most recent compact disc of music by acclaimed Canadian composer Robert Buckley. Other recent compact disc releases are two of music by Grammy-nominated composer Stephen Melillo entitled Stormworks, Chapter 13: Whispers on the Wind and Stormworks Chapter One, Prime: A Wish to the World. This ensemble has also released a compact disc of Troy University composer Carl Vollrath’s Symphonies No. 1 and No. 2 and has also regularly provided demonstration recordings for Alfred Publications, TRN and others. Throughout its distinguished history, the Symphony Band has recorded chapters for the acclaimed series “The Heritage of the March” and broadcast its own radio program, “Strike Up the Band!” for twenty years on the Southeastern Public Radio Network. Since 2001, the Symphony Band has performed under the baton of every living member and inductee of the National Band Association’s Hall of Fame of Distinguished Conductors. Over the years, the band has performed at the national conventions of the American Bandmaster’s Association, the College Band Directors National Association, the Music Educators National Conference, the Women Band Directors International Association, the Alabama Bandmasters Association, and most recently the Alabama Music Educator’s Association Convention.
The Symphony Band tours throughout Alabama and the Southeast each spring semester and will enlarge its regular performance series to include Troy-Montgomery campus, as well as the sites in conjunction with the Troy campuses in Dothan and Phenix City. The Troy University Symphony Band is open to all university students by audition at the beginning of each semester. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nunc quis ante ullamcorper, aliquet est non, aliquet sem. Proin a consequat nisl, ut varius justo. Integer justo dolor, lobortis quis ornare ac, placerat et tortor. Pellentesque at consequat augue, ut aliquam risus. Maecenas condimentum non justo ut vulputate. Vestibulum ante ipsum primis in faucibus orci luctus et ultrices posuere cubilia Curae; Suspendisse placerat eleifend hendrerit. Mauris sed magna aliquet, egestas leo a, facilisis nisl. Class aptent taciti sociosqu ad litora torquent per conubia nostra, per inceptos himenaeos. Ut fermentum turpis et dictum aliquam.
The “Sound of the South” Marching Band is a precision collegiate ensemble that has developed a national reputation for its quality musicianship and its exciting arrangements and innovative field productions. The “Sound of the South” is the largest student organization on campus boasting numbers over 300 strong each semester. Members of the “Sound of the South” have represented almost every organization on campus, maintaining leadership positions in the fields of academia, student government, athletics as well as many other areas of campus life. The band entertains audiences regularly at home games and those away, as well as making guest appearances in exhibition at local and out-of-state marching band competitions. The band has appeared at each bowl game appearance recently in New Orleans for the R&L Carriers Bowl (2006, 2008 and 2011) and Mobile for the GMAC Bowl in 2010. Writing in the Atlanta Constitution-Journal, senior sports writer Furman Bishop offered this commentary: “The Trojans came to town…and they brought one helluva band!” Over the past several decades, the band has recorded many demonstration recordings for major publishing companies including Warner Brothers, Alfred, Belwin, and Hal Leonard. The “Sound of the South” has appeared on ESPN, ESPN2, ABC, CBS, NBC, CSS, FOX, and USA television networks. The band has also represented the state of Alabama at the inaugural Parades of Presidents Nixon (1996 and 1973), Reagan (1985), and Bush (1989) as well as every gubernatorial parade since 1966. The “Sound of the South” has given live performances with Grammy Award winning artist Lee Greenwood,Brian McKnight, Dennis Edwards, the Temptations, and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member Chubby Checker.
troy bands 316 long hall troy, alabama 36081 334-670-3281 troyband@troy.edu