THE FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY College of Music presents
University Concert Band
Chandler L. Wilson, Director
Collin Clark & Drew Hardy-Moore, Graduate Associate Conductors
with special guests
Julian E. White, Conductor
Ralph Jean-Paul, Tuba and The University Singers
Dr. Kevin Fenton, Director
Sunday, February 26, 2023
4:30 p.m. | Opperman Music Hall
PROGRAM
Red Tails (2020)
Hymnal on “We Shall Overcome” (1976)
Listen to the Lambs (2021)
Eternal Father, Strong to Save (1975)
INTERMISSION
Adoration (2022)
HiJinks (2013)
Zenith (2021)
Lift Every Voice and Sing (1978)
Ayatey Shabazz (b. 1971)
Morton Gould (1913–1996)
Nathaniel Dett (1882–1943)
tr. Marie A. Douglas (b. 1987)
Claude T. Smith (1932–1987)
Florence B. Price (1887–1953)
tr. Cheldon R. Williams
Anthony O’Toole (b. 1988)
Chandler L. Wilson
J. Rosamond Johnson (1873–1954)
tr. Charles Brodie
To Ensure An Enjoyable Concert Experience For All…
Please refrain from talking, entering, or exiting during performances. Food and drink are prohibited in all concert halls. Recording or broadcasting of the concert by any means, including the use of digital cameras, cell phones, or other devices is expressly forbidden. Please deactivate all portable electronic devices including watches, cell phones, pagers, hand-held gaming devices or other electronic equipment that may distract the audience or performers.
Recording Notice: This performance may be recorded. Please note that members of the audience may at times be included in this process. By attending this performance you consent to have your image or likeness appear in any live or recorded video or other transmission or reproduction made in conjunction to the performance.
Florida State University provides accommodations for persons with disabilities. Please notify the College of Music at (850) 644-3424 at least five working days prior to a musical event to request accommodation for disability or alternative program format.
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR
Chandler L. Wilson is the Assistant Director of Athletic Bands and Assistant Professor of Music Education at Florida State University. His responsibilities with athletic bands include being a part of the creative team behind the Marching Chiefs and FSU’s athletic pep band program, Seminole Sound, which primarily supports the men’s basketball program as well as the women’s basketball and volleyball programs. As a part of the wind band conducting and music education faculty, Wilson teaches courses in music education and conducts the University Concert Band.
A native of Miami, FL, Wilson attended Florida A&M University (FAMU) where he earned the Bachelor of Science in Music Education. Wilson earned the Master of Arts in Wind Band Conducting from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and the Ph.D. in Music Education with an emphasis in Wind Band Conducting from Florida State University.
Many of Wilson’s compositions have been premiered and performed on the concert band stage with All-County/ District Honor Bands and All-State Bands. His works have also been performed at the Music for All National Festival and the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic. His composition Legends of the Galaxy (A Cosmic Fanfare) was ranked in the Top 100 band compositions in the American Band College/Band World Magazine/ Western International Band Clinic Literature List for 2016 and one of his most recent work, Suite Forty-Four, was performed at the 2019 Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic by the Hikarigaoka Girls’ High School Wind Orchestra.
ABOUT THE GUEST ARTISTS
Dr. Julian Earl White is the retired Director of Bands and Chairman of the Music Department at Florida A&M University, graduated from Florida A&M University earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education. He later received a Master’s Degree from the University of Illinois, and the Doctor of Philosophy Degree from The Florida State University.
Under Dr. White’s leadership, the Florida A&M University Bands gained national attention, including performances at the American Bandmasters Association Convention, Carnegie Hall, three Super Bowls, The Grammys, The ESPY nationally televised awards ceremony, CBS Game Day, and the Inaugural Parade for President Barak Obama. Dr. White served as Drill Designer for the McDonald’s All-American High Schelaborate drills have also been featured on all major television networks, and the Bastille Day Ceremony in Paris, France. Additionally, Dr. White is on the staff for Bowl Games of America where he designs halftime shows for College bowl games. He is also on the adjudication staff for Music Festivals, USA, and International Music Festivals. Dr. White designs halftime shows for many high school and college bands across the country.
Dr. White has served as Florida Bandmasters Association District IV secretary and Chairman. He was also the Florida Music Educators Association Advisor for the College Music Educators National Conference and Chairman of the Florida Music Education Association Black Caucus for five terms. Dr. White served seven terms as a member of the FMEA Executive Board.
Dr. White has received numerous awards and for his accomplishments. Among his many awards is the Martin Luther King, Jr. Leadership Award, the Thurgood Marshall Outstanding Achievers Award sponsored by the FED EX Orange Bowl, the Kappa Kappa Psi National Honorary Band Fraternity, Inc. National Service Award, and the University Teacher of the Year Award, which he was awarded on three separate occasions.
Ralph Jean-Paul is Assistant Director of Baritones and Sousaphones and Assistant Director of Bands at Florida A&M University. His responsibilities in the Department of Music include teaching instrumental and applied Music, coordinating recitals, and assisting with various other business operations for the Department of Music and the goliath known as the Marching 100.
Jean-Paul is a native of Miami, FL, where he graduated from Miami Central Senior High School. He received his Bachelor of Science in Music from Florida A&M University under the tutelage of Dr. Julian E. White and Dr. Shelby R. Chipman. Then he obtained his master’s degree in Music with a concentration in Tuba Performance from the University of Florida in Gainesville, Fl, under the instruction and direction of the late Dr. Arthur Jennings and Professor James Jenkins, an established tubist and teacher.
In conjunction with his duties at the Collegiate level, Mr. Jean Paul is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in tuba performance doctor at Florida State University. Performing with several ensembles at Florida State, he performs and serves as a guest conductor of the Big Bend Community remains active with his musical abilities by playing with the Big Bend Orchestra, the Symphony of Gulf Coast in Brunswick, GA, and is visiting principal Tubist with the UANL Symphony Orchestra.
Some of his professional affiliations include FMEA (Florida Music Educators Association), ITEA (International Tuba and Euphonium Association), NAfME (National Association for Music Educators), The Multicultural Network, and an exhibitor for the Miraphone Company. As a visionary, Mr. Jean-Paul has excellent aspirations to create original tuba works. As an educator, he wants to continue spreading knowledge via music seminars throughout the country and internationally. His strong passion for music and tuba playing creates an atmosphere of enjoyment from hard work with a greater purpose. Mr. Jean-Paul hopes that through his efforts, he will inspire and mold tomorrow’s musicians’ minds.
NOTES ON THE PROGRAM
Shabazz: Red Tails (2020)
Ayatey Shabazz was born and raised in Biloxi, Mississippi. He received his formal music training from the University of Southern Mississippi where he studied composition and jazz arranging. Shabazz continued his education at University of New Hampshire studying Business Administration. Shabazz is the current Founder, President, and CEO of The Devmusic Company which focuses on printing and preparation services for musical ensembles. His composition career is robust and abundant, of which his most well-known compositions are Heroes, The power of hope (written for the 2020 Tournament of Roses Parade), and his work in the Incredibles 2 and Soul.
Red Tails draws its inspiration from the historical Army Air Corps program “Tuskegee Experience.” This program trained African Americans to be pilots, navigators, bombardiers, maintenance and support staff, and instructors. Overcoming prejudice and segregation of the World War II era, this group pioneered the way of integrating the U.S. military. This work illustrates the conflict of battle alongside the perseverance and fortitude demonstrated by the Tuskegee Airmen.
Gould: Hymnal on “We Shall Overcome” (1976)
Morton Gould (December 10, 1913 – February 21, 1996) was an American composer, arranger, conductor, and pianist. His compositions are a strong reflection of American musical genres, integrating a rich combination of jazz, blues, gospel, country-and-western, and folk elements into his compositions. Over his lifetime he received many awards and honors for his music, including a Pulitzer Prize, a Kennedy Center Honor, 12 Grammy nominations, and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Additionally, he received commissions from the Library of Congress, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the American Ballet Theatre, and the New York City Ballet.
Gould’s Hymnal “On We Shall Overcome” recognizes the song’s important history as protest and liberation music. Sadly, this piece has gone largely unnoticed, receiving very few performances. The song, “We Shall Overcome,” is a simple musical composition with complex origins, having been assembled from many people and places. It first appeared as a protest song during a 1945–1946 labor strike against American Tobacco in Charleston, South Carolina. African American women seeking a pay raise sang the tune as they picketed. Then, the song spread rapidly as the Civil Rights Movement gained momentum, and became an anthem at civil rights protests, sit-ins, marches, and rallies.
Dett: Listen to the Lambs (2021)
Nathaniel Dett was born in Drummondsville, Canada, on October 11, 1882. He began his musical career by playing piano before attending Oberlin Conservatory majoring in piano and composition. He continued his education at Harvard University, the American Conservatory in Fountainebleau with Nadia Boulanger, and completed a Master of Music degree at the Eastman School of Music.
Marie A. Douglas (b. 1987) is a graduate of Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University (FAMU) where she majored in Music with a concentration in French Horn Performance. Marie pursued two graduate degrees, Internet Marketing from Full Sail University, as well as Music Technology and Performance from Southern Utah University. Listen to the Lambs is originally written for choir by Nathaniel Dett. The theme and text are a variation on the original spiritual. Dett submitted this piece to the Colored Music Settlement contest in New York City (1913). He was awarded second place in the competition. Marie A. Douglas has elegantly voiced Dett’s song for the modern-day wind ensemble. This piece features homo-rhythmic texture reflective of its choral origins. Additionally, Douglas uses the euphonium to portray the dark and warm tone of the human voice during the solo section.
Smith: Eternal Father, Strong to Save (1975)
Claude Thomas Smith (March 14, 1932 - December 13, 1987) was an exceptional composer, conductor, educator and publisher. He composed extensively for both instrumental and choral ensembles, and to his credit are 180 works for band, orchestra, choir, solos, and small ensembles as well as three method books for band and orchestra. Over his career, Mr. Smith received numerous prestigious commissions for the U.S. Air Force Band, the “President’s Own” U.S. Marine Band, the U.S. Navy Band, and the U.S. Army Field Band. Additionally, he received many awards for his compositions and contributions to the field of music education, including the ASCAP Composers Award, the National Band Association Academy of Wind and Percussion Arts (AWAPA) Award, an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Central Methodist College, the Missouri Bandmasters Association’s Hall of Fame Award, the Kappa Kappa Psi Distinguished Service to Music Medal, the Hall of Fame Award from the Missouri Music Educators Association, and he was named School Director of the Year from the Christian Instrumentalist Directors Association.
Eternal Father, Strong to Save is based on the missionary hymn of the same name composed in 1860 by John Bacchus Dykes (1823-1876), which was adopted as the official hymn of the U.S. Navy. For this reason Mr. Smith used the hymn to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the United States Navy Band. The work premiered in 1975 at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., and is dedicated to the U.S. Navy Band and its conductor, Lieutenant Commander Ned E. Muffley. Reviews praised the work’s challenging rhythmic intensity and harmonic language, with one critic stating, “Smith has written…one of the most beautiful and well-known horn quartets in modern band literature.”
Price: Adoration (2022)
Florence Price (1887-1953) was born in Little Rock, Arkansas. She graduated from the New England Conservatory with a major in Organ and Piano teaching. In 1910 she became the head of the music department at what is now the HBCU Clark Atlantic University. With her composition Symphony in E-flat winning first prize in the Wannamaker Competition, Price was the first Black woman to have her piece played by a national symphony when it was premiered by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 1933.
Dr. Cheldon R. Williams is the current Associate Director of Bands and Director of Athletic Bands at West Virginia University. In addition to his ensemble responsibilities, he also teaches undergraduate arranging classes. Dr. Williams earned his bachelor’s and Masters of Music Education degrees from Florida State University and holds a Doctor of Music Education from University of Texas, Austin.
Adoration was originally composed for the organ. This lyrical chorale features thick harmonies characteristic of the organ sound. The essence of the organ is furthermore characterized by the bass voice supporting the above harmonies with extended pedals with limited motion.
O’Toole: HiJinks (2013)
Anthony O’Toole (b. 1988, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) began composing his teens, and since has written more than 120 works for band, choir, orchestra, and soloists. His music has been performed and recorded by the United States Coast Guard Band, The Kansas State University Wind Ensemble, ‘The President’s Own’ United States Marine Band, The University of North Texas Wind Symphony, The Singapore Wind Symphony, The West Point Academy Band, and many more distinguished ensembles. Additionally, he has received numerous awards for his compositions including the Grand Prize in the 2012 Garritan Composition Contest, and Second Place in the 2014 Van Galen Prize for wind chamber music. His piece Electrons Dancing won the 2019 Southwest American Prize in the Large Ensemble category. Mr. O’Toole currently resides in Los Angeles, CA where works as a freelance composer and arranger. He also serves as Composer-in-Residence for the Carson Symphony Orchestra and Staff Arranger for the Southern California Brass Consortium.
HiJinks was written for tubist, Adam Crowe, who premiered the work along with the United States Coast Guard Band in 2013. At tonight’s concert the Florida State University Concert Band will perform the piece with Assistant Director of Baritones and Sousaphones, and Assistant Director of Bands at Florida A&M University, Ralph JeanPaul.
Mr. Jean-Paul received his Bachelor of Science in Music from Florida A&M University under the tutelage of Dr. Julian E. White and Dr. Shelby R. Chipman. Mr. Jean-Paul is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in tuba performance at Florida State University.
Wilson: Zenith (2021)
Chandler Wilson is currently the Assistant Director of Athletic Bands and Assistant Professor of Music Education at Florida State University. Originally from Miami, Florida, Wilson began his formal music education at Florida A&M University before continuing to earn his Master of Arts in Wind Band Conducting from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and concluding with his PhD in Music Education at Florida State University. During his successful music education career Wilson has also composed and arranged numerous pieces which have been played by MidWest, All-State, Honor Band, and College ensembles and appearing on the top 100 band literature list. Zenith embodies the overwhelming personality and career of Dr. Julian E. White, distinguished Professor of Music (ret.), FAMU. There are several quotes within the body of the work that highlight his pedagogy, such as Part Two, No. 2 from the Unisonal Scales and Chords method book. The lyrical portion of the piece features the hymn How Great Thou Art, a personal favorite of Dr. White.
Johnson: Lift Every Voice and Sing
The lyrics to Lift Every Voice and Sing is a hymn with lyrics by James Weldon Johnson (1871–1938) and set to music by his brother, J. Rosamond Johnson (1873–1954). Written from the context of African Americans in the late 19th century, the hymn is a prayer of thanksgiving as well as a prayer for faithfulness and freedom, with imagery that evokes the biblical Exodus from slavery to the freedom of the “promised land.”
After its first recitation in 1900, Lift Every Voice and Sing was communally sung within Black American communities, while the NAACP began to promote the hymn as a “Negro national anthem” in 1917 (with the term “Black national anthem” similarly used in the present day). It has been featured in forty-two different Christian hymnals, and it has also been performed by various African American singers and musicians. Its prominence has increased since 2020 following the George Floyd protests; in 2021, Jim Clyburn sponsored a bill proposing that Lift Every Voice and Sing be designated as the “national hymn” of the United States.
Charles Brodie’s band transcription was created from the orchestra arrangement by Roland M. Carter. The work features a complete SATB chorus, with a glorious a cappella section in the middle of the piece. Tonight’s performance will feature the Florida State University Singers, led by Dr. Kevin Fenton.
Concert Band Personnel
Chandler L. Wilson, Director
Collin Clark and Drew Hardy-Moore, Graduate Associate Conductors
Piccolo
Heeseo Han
Flute
Renee Roberts*
Raul Parra
Nicki Howard
Oboe
Meghan Sauressig
Lily Owens
Alejandro Lopez
Bassoon
Ryan Kegg
Richelle Teets
B-flat Clarinet
Elizabeth Kennedy*
Ryan Tone*
Claire Huggins
Regan Gomersall
Grace Harvester
Shane Smith
Ryan Brabham
Elijah Rowe
Bass Clarinet
Emma Evans
Saxophone
Nick Lohse, alto
Gabriel Ortiz, alto
Brianne Yates, tenor
Brody Stump, baritone
Trumpet/Cornet
John Bradley*
Jonathan Tordi*
Katherine Hatfield
Kai Okamoto
Kye Turner
Horn
Ashlie Green*
Lizzy Wasson*
Anna Leach
Hailey Swanson
Korynna Moncada
Trombone
Justus Smith
Tyler Butler
Tyler Figenscher
Samuel Cote
Frank Hobbs
Tyler Berman
Euphonium
Garrett Harvey,*
Cale Bazley
Yasha Foster
Tuba
Sophia Farfante,*
Alden Cruz
Braden Meyer
Collier Mcbride
Xavier Gauthier
Allie Nutting
Percussion
Joshua Hamburger
* Principal/Co-Principal