THE FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY College of Music presents
University Symphonic Band
David Plack, Director and Conductor
Collin Clark, Graduate Associate Conductor
Jacquelyn Tabone, Graduate Associate Conductor
Tuesday, April 1, 2025
7:30 p.m. | Ruby Diamond Concert Hall
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.
Königsmarsch (1871)
Amaranthus (2019)
The Author’s Suite (2021)
PROGRAM
Collin Clark, graduate associate conductor
Richard Strauss (1864–1949)
arr. Roger Barrett
Satoshi Yagisawa (b. 1975)
Erika Svanoe
Kindred Spirits (b. 1976)
My Dearest Jane
Mary Shelley Meets Frankenstein
Flash Fury (2023)
Serenade for Band (1960)
INTERMISSION
Kevin Day (b. 1996)
Vincent Persichetti
Pastoral (1915–1987)
Humoreske
Nocturne
Intermezzo
Capriccio
Jacquelyn Tabone, graduate associate conductor
Howl’s Moving Castle: Symphonic Fantasy for Band (2004)
Joe Hisaishi
The Allure of Dawn (b. 1950)
Wandering Sophie arr. Yo Goto
The Courageous Cavalry
The Boy Who Swallowed the Star
The Merry-Go-Round of Life
Radetzky March (1848/1993/2020)
Johann Strauss Sr. (1804–1849) arr. Patrick Dunnigan
Strauss: Königsmarsch
Though best known for his art songs and orchestra compositions, Richard Strauss also composed several works for military band, including the regal Königsmarsch (King’s March). This piece was written in 1871 when Strauss was just seven years old. Later revised and published by Roger Barrett, this march reflects the grandeur and formality of a King’s military with a lovely interjection of a hymn in the middle featuring Strauss’ song-like melodies.
Arranger Roger Barrett adapts Strauss’s original for modern wind band, preserving its stately character while making it accessible to contemporary ensembles. Majestic brass fanfares, crisp rhythmic figures, and noble melodic lines combine to create a triumphant and dignified musical statement. An unusual characteristic of this piece is the second hymn section which features only the brass section. While most compositions capitalize on the light colors of the woodwinds, Strauss reflects the militaristic characteristics with the brass in this section.
Yagisawa: Amaranthus
Satoshi Yagisawa is a celebrated Japanese composer whose evocative, cinematic style has made him a favorite among wind bands worldwide. Known for his emotionally rich and technically demanding music, Yagisawa often blends Eastern and Western musical traditions to create powerful narrative experiences.
Amaranthus takes its name from the mythical amaranth flower, a symbol of immortality and undying love. Though named after the flower, this work was composed as a homage to one of Yagisawa’s largest musical influences, “Mr. Shinji.” Yagisawa writes in the preface to his piece - “Mr. Shinji, whom I idolized…offered much advice and support when I was filled with uncertainty.” The piece unfolds with a poignant and expressive opening, gradually building into lush harmonies and sweeping gestures. Delicate textures give way to heroic themes, suggesting a journey through grief, memory, and hope. Through its soaring lines and vivid orchestrations, Amaranthus creates an atmosphere of both sorrow and transcendence—honoring the eternal nature of love and remembrance.
Svanoe: The Author’s Suite
Erika Svanoe is an American composer, conductor, and winner of the 2014 NBA Young Band Composition Contest. With a background in classical music and a Doctoral of Musical Arts from The Ohio State University, Svanoe brings a unique voice to contemporary wind literature. Many of her works feature nods to classic literature, perhaps nods to her own love for literature and her husband who is a novelist.
The Author’s Suite is a three-movement work inspired by the fictional personas and writing styles of Svanoe’s favorite authors: L.M. Montgomery (Anne of Green Gables), Jane Austen (Pride & Prejudice), and Mary Shelley (Frankenstein). Each movement presents a musical caricature, using shifting textures, harmonies, and motifs to capture the voice of a different fictional story Svanoe imagines about each author. Full of wit and charm, The Author’s Suite invites listeners to imagine the stories behind the notes—and perhaps the eccentric authors who might have penned them.
The first movement, Kindred Spirits, imagines a young Maud Montgomery galivanting around Prince Edward Island with her imaginary friend, Anne Shirley.
The second movement, My Dearest Jane, depicts Jane Austen alone at her pianoforte, perhaps with a broken heart.
Lastly, the third movement, Mary Shelley Meets Frankenstein, envisions what might happen if the author came face to face with her own monstrous creation.
Day: Flash Fury
Kevin Day (b. 1996) is an American composer, conductor, and multi-instrumentalist known for his dynamic fusion of jazz, minimalism, Latin music, and contemporary classical styles. Originally from Arlington, Texas, his father worked as a hip-hop producer and his mother as a gospel singer. Formally a euphonium and tuba player, he is also a self-taught pianist and composer. Day earned his B.M. from TCU and M.M. from the University of Georgia. The first freshman composer at TCU to have a band work premiered, his compositions have since been performed by major orchestras worldwide. Day began studies for his DMA at the University of Miami (Fla.) in the fall of 2021. In 2024 he joined the faculty at the University of California San Diego as a lecturer in theory and musicianship.
Flash Fury is an energetic work that depicts the blazing speed of fast-moving lightning as it commands the sky using different timbres across the concert band. Between the flashes light and dramatic rolling of thunder featuring various brass sections, there is a short break for delicate falling of rain drops. Flash Fury was commissioned by Thomas Kober, director of bands at Brennan High School, for the Brennan High School Wind Ensemble in San Antonio, Texas.
Persichetti: Serenade for Band
Vincent Persichetti (1915–1987) was an American composer, music educator, and pianist known for his vast and diverse body of work. He studied piano, organ, double bass, tuba, theory, and composition from a young age, funding his own education through professional performances. By 16, he was choir director at Arch Street Presbyterian Church, a position he held for 20 years. He earned degrees from Combs College of Music, Curtis Institute, and the Philadelphia Conservatory before joining the Juilliard faculty in 1947, later becoming chair of composition in 1963. Persichetti composed over 120 works across various genres, including significant contributions to piano and wind ensemble repertoire, with his Symphony No. 6 considered a cornerstone of wind literature.
Serenade for Band was commissioned by Frank Battisti and the Ithaca High School Band. This work was one of 15 serenades Persichetti composed for a variety of instruments (other serenades for winds include #1 for ten wind instruments, #10 for flute and harp, #12 for solo tuba, #13 for two clarinets, and #14 for solo oboe). The serenades are multi-movement, short in length, and feature descriptive titles. The movements of Serenade for Band (Serenade No. 11) are entitled Pastoral, Humoreske, Nocturne, Intermezzo, and Capriccio).
Hisaishi: Howl’s Moving Castle: Symphonic Fantasy for Band
Joe Hisaishi (b. 1950) is a Japanese composer and musical director renowned for his film scores. He studied composition at Kunitachi College of Music and began his career composing for animation. Hisaishi gained fame through his long-standing collaboration with Hayao Miyazaki, scoring nearly all his films since 1984. He also composed for filmmaker Takeshi Kitano and the Ni no Kuni video game series. Influenced by minimalist and classical styles, his music blends electronic, European, and Japanese elements. Beyond composing, he is an arranger, conductor, and author, often compared to John Williams for his cinematic impact.
Based on Hayao Miyazaki’s Howl’s Moving Castle (2004), this symphonic fantasy for band was arranged for Neagari Jr. High School Band in Japan as a concert contest non-test piece. It features five scenes adapted from the Image Symphonic Suite (music released before the film’s premier) and film soundtrack, including The Allure of Dawn, Wandering Sophie, The Courageous Cavalry, The Boy Who Swallowed the Star, and The Merry-Go-Round of Life. To highlight the wind band’s unique sound, active roles are spread throughout the ensemble. The film, set in a magical 19th-century kingdom, follows Sophie, a young hatter cursed into old age, as she joins the wizard Howl in resisting war—a theme influenced by Miyazaki’s opposition to the 2003 Iraq invasion.
Strauss: Radetzky March
Johann Strauss Sr. (1804–1849) was an Austrian composer renowned for his waltzes, polkas, and galops. Born in Vienna, he initially trained as a bookbinder before pursuing music, studying violin and composition. He played viola in Michael Pamer’s dance orchestra before joining Josef Lanner’s ensemble, later becoming its assistant conductor. In 1825, he founded his own orchestra, which gained immense popularity, performing across Europe. His tours took him to prestigious venues, including Buckingham Palace for Queen Victoria’s coronation in 1838. A pioneer of the Viennese waltz alongside Lanner, he refined the form with structured melodies and dynamic arrangements. He composed over 250 works, with Radetzky March remaining his most famous legacy.
Radetzky March (1848/1993/2020) is one of the most celebrated marches, written by Johann Strauss Sr. to honor Field Marshal Johann Joseph Count Radetzky de Radetz after the Austrian Army’s victories in Italy. Commissioned by Field Marshal Lt. Peter Zanini for a victory festival, it premiered in Vienna on August 31, 1848. The march incorporates the folk tune Alter Tanz aus Wien, adapted from 3/4 to 2/4 time. Though moderately received at first, it later became an Austrian anthem and a New Year’s tradition with the Vienna Philharmonic. Its signature audience clapping began when Austrian officers instinctively stomped and clapped along at its debut.
Piccolo
Ryleigh Templeton
Flute
Allie Mattice
Sophie Palm
Daniel Morgan
Queen Byrdsong
Celeste Galvez
Maya Sparks
Oboe
Megan Halter
Alejandro Lopez
Peter Arbogast
Lily Owens
Bassoon
Jake Norona
Daniel Bentley
Malik Roger
University Symphonic Band Personnel
David Plack, Director and Conductor
Collin Clark and Jacquelyn Tabone, Graduate Associate Conductors
Clarinet
Halle Mynard
Christian Gonzalez-Villa
Tommy Oberlin
Abby Varnadoe
Nia Thompson
Joseph Eckhart
Rachael Malawey
Ryan Brabham
Jacob Lirio
Bass Clarinet
Claire Huggins
Alexei Kovalev
Alto Saxophone
Jack Blumer
Lincoln McMullen
Tenor Saxophone
Caitlyn Jones
Baritone Saxophone
Joshua Spraker
Trumpet
Nathan Reid
Kate Moncada
Tyler Bennett
Kai Okamoto
Grason Peterson
Brian Ratledge
Antiphonal Trumpet
Robert Kerr
Max McLaughlin
Kathrine Brinkman
Alisyn Jones
Horn
Coen Taylor
Ant Santillan
Sarah Vaden
Maya Robertson
Maren Smith
Bea Kelly
Trombone
Micah Hreczkosij
Austin Boudi
Calvin Fein
Connor Casey
Easton Fuller
Bass Trombone
Caleb Couchois
Euphonium
Kris Stottlemire
Maggie Shaffer
Brendan Dominique
Noah Robertson
Tuba
Noah Bryant
Braden Meyer
Vincent Ochoa
Devin Walmsley
Percussion
Sami Smith
Chance Douglas
Waylon Hansel
Owen Montgomery
Ethan Turner
Jessica Weinberg
Ian Guarraia
Aiden Pippin
Piano
Bryden Reeves
String Bass
Garner Brant