2020-2021 Concert Season
Eclectic Music
For a Strange year Emma Angoli, Conductor Concert Percussion Chamber Winds Concert Band Symphonic Band Wind Ensemble
Greenwald Foundation PAC Streaming on Mukwonago Bands YouTube Wednesday | May 19 | 5:30pm & 7:30pm
5:30
Program Concert Percussion
Cygnus X (2020)* A Child’s Space Fantasy
Etienne Houben b. 1982
Chamber Winds Frequency (2018)
Herman Beeftink b. 1953
Disco Kid (1977/2018)
Osamu Shoji (1932-2018) arr. Tohru Kanayama
Concert Band Byzantine Dances (2019)
Carol Brittin Chambers b. 1970
Chesford Portrait (1982)
James Swearingen b. 1947
Techno Blade (2018)
Benjamin Dean Taylor b. 1983
* - North American Premiere
Please be aware that this production uses haze and strobe lighting. Due to copyright and privacy laws: You may not publicly display or post recordings (YouTube, Facebook, etc.) of any part of this program.
Program
7:30
Concert Percussion Cygnus X (2020)* A Child’s Space Fantasy
Etienne Houben b. 1982
Symphonic Band Adrenaline Engines (2010)
Randall D. Standridge b. 1976
Novo Lenio (2002)
Samuel R. Hazo b. 1966
Drawing Mars (2019/2021)
Michael Markowski b. 1986
Wind Ensemble Sang! (1994)
Dana Wilson b. 1946
Benediction (2002/2010)
John Stevens b. 1951
Nightmare (2020)+
Jeff Herwig b. 1992
Forgotten Tales of the West (2019)
Adrian B. Sims b. 2000
* - North American Premiere +
- Wisconsin Premiere
Special thanks to C Alan Publications, Herman Beeftink, Brain Co. Ltd, Excelcia Music Publishing, C. L. Barnhouse Company, Benjamin Dean Taylor, Grand Mesa Music Publishers, Wingert Jones Publications, Michael Markowski, Keiser Southern Music, Hal Leonard, M&M Music Press, and FJH Music for granting permission to livestream this concert.
Program Notes Cygnus X (2020) A Child’s Space Fantasy
Etienne Houben b. 1982
In this 10-1/2 minute work for 16 percussionists, the composer was inspired by the fantasies he had as as child when he looked up at the stars in awe. What secrets are hidden behind the night sky? He linked this to the symbol of the commissioning ensemble, ‘Cecilia,’ which is the Swan, a particularly intriguing galaxy. The Galaxy Swan, Cygnus in Latin, is best known for Cygnus X-1 – a black hole. Cygnus X-1 was the first proof that black holes exist. This phenomenon is one of the greatest forces in the universe. Even light cannot escape this cosmic primal force. The piece takes the listener on a cosmic journey to the black hole through the eyes of a child. The piece divides into the following sections: Glancing at the stars Magnificent Cosmos Interstellar Journey The Black Hole beckons Bending gravity and light The Void: time and reality broken down Falling from Infinity back to reality Magnificent Cosmos: creator of the universe The Enigma remains (Program notes by Etienne Houben) Frequency (2018)
Herman Beeftink b. 1953
Dutch-American composer Herman Beeftink studied classical piano before moving to Los Angeles and getting involved in the jazz scene. He later gradually transitioned to from being a studio musician to composing music for film/ television. In Frequency, Beeftink makes use of imitation of simple themes which when layered create more complex polyphonic textures, giving the music an almost electronic quality. (Program Notes by Rick Schadt)
Disco Kid (1977/2018)
Osamu Shoji (1932-2018) arr. Tohru Kanayama
Disco Kid was a required piece for the 1977 All Japan Band Competition. Many pop pieces were selected as required pieces for the AJBC at the time, but among them, Disco Kid has become extremely popular and famous. Presently it is known as a masterpiece of the concert band standard repertoire in Japan, but at the time it was considered a challenging and unlucky piece. In the junior high and high school divisions of the competition, there were no gold prize winning groups for this work. At the university division, Asia University had a great performance, but were unexpectedly disqualified for exceeding the time limit. This revised version was arranged by Tohru Kanayama following the death of original composer, Osamu Shoji, in 2018. (Program notes by Bravo Music) Byzantine Dances (2019)
Carol Brittin Chambers b. 1970
Byzantine Dances is generally meant to portray a set of Turkish Dances. The opening dance is fast and energetic, written in the style of a Roma Gypsy dance. The slower section in the middle of the piece is written in the style of a Zeybek dance. This type of dance is often performed by a solo dancer symbolizing courage and heroism. The dancer uses out-stretched arms, almost resembling a great hawk. Incorporated into this piece are some uniquely Turkish-sounding elements such as the use of the Byzantine or Harmonic Major scales and the Turkish Zils (or finger cymbals). (Program notes by Carol Brittin Chambers) Chesford Portrait (1982)
James Swearingen b. 1947
James Swearingen is currently Professor of Music, Department Chair of Music Education and one of several resident composers at Capital University located in Columbus, Ohio. He also serves as a staff arranger for the famed Ohio State University Marching Band. Chesford Portrait begins with a broad maestoso opening that leads to a brighter rhythmic passage before moving into a majestic middle section that is resplendent with the sounds of the English countryside. (Program Notes by The Wind Repertory Project & C.L Barnhouse Company)
Techno Blade (2018) for concert band & electronic audio track
Benjamin Dean Taylor b. 1983
A recent hobby I have taken up is knife throwing. I was pleasantly surprised to find that throwing knives make some really intriguing sounds as they spin through the air and thud into the target, or glance off the target in the case of a miss! The sounds are percussive, yet unusual, almost otherworldly, as if they might be borrowed from an alien drum machine. When you combine this with the fact that Jim Mobley, the head commissioner, is a percussionist, located right outside Detroit, which is the birthplace of techno music, it was clear to me that this piece should be inspired by electronic dance music (EDM) while incorporating sounds from my recordings of throwing knives. At several moments in this work, all the band members are asked to be percussionists by playing on the metal around them, namely their music stand. (Sorry, I couldn’t get permission to have the performers play throwing knives on stage!) Sounds in the electronic track come from me both making and throwing my own set of knives. I recorded and processed the sounds of cutting, grinding, and sanding the steel and then, of course, the sounds of “playing” with the finished knives. The melodies and harmonies found throughout the piece are all derived from words and numbers associated with knife throwing. I would like to thank the students from Brownstown Middle School Band who came up with the perfect title for this piece, Techno Blade. (Program notes by Benjamin Dean Taylor) Adrenaline Engines (2010)
Randall D. Standridge b. 1976
In 2008, I wrote a piece entitle Afterburn, which I premiered with my junior high ensemble. The kids loved the piece; even more amazing was the response from my high school band students. The next day, I was bombarded with requests from the senior band members that boiled down to 'We want to play something like that!' I was happy to oblige, and Adrenaline Engines was born. Adrenaline Engines is essentially Afterburn part 2. It explores some of the same rhythmic and motivic ideas, but it is written for more advanced players. There are time signature changes, key changes, timpani changes, etc. ... and the rhythmic and melodic challenges are greater. I hope you, your students, and your audience will enjoy the thundering percussion, driving rhythms, and kinetic (sometimes frenetic) energy that I tried to imbue in this work. (Program Notes by Randall D. Standridge)
Novo Lenio (2002)
Samuel R. Hazo b. 1966
Novo Lenio, two Latin words meaning a new and better change, is a piece for wind symphony in three contiguous movements. Each movement acts as musical documentation of a time period for Upper St Clair High School. Key to each movement are musical quotes from the school's alma mater as well as a new theme representing change and betterment. Each time the alma mater and the new theme appear, they sound different, so as to describe the mood of the time period being depicted. In the first movement , Remembrance, the two themes seem to sound somewhat somber. The movement was inspired by a walkthrough of the old school halfway through its demolition, and the memories that the partially standing structures brought back. At measure 20, there is even a quote from Claude T. Smith's Emperata Overture, which was one of Jim Bennett's (the band director) favorite wind compositions to perform when I was in his band. Qui Non Proficit Deficit, the second movement, depicts the construction of the new school. This Latin phrase translates as 'He who does not progress, weakens'. It is also the Latin phrase that appears on the crest of the Upper St. Clair School District. The movement is meant to sound like the dissonance of construction. When the alma mater appears in this movement it is played against percussive sounds and a theme in the low register in which the notes go one step higher each time a section repeats, so as to musically suggest the "building up" of something. If it sounds like the alma mater is chaotic, the effect is deliberate. Also, in the second half of this section, the alma mater is turned upside down and used as a countermelody against the theme representing change and betterment. Just when the tension of the music needs to break, the third movement, A New Beginning, is introduced. The movement portrays the glorious look of Upper St. Clair's new school. The theme representing change and betterment is meant to sound full and proud. This last movement closes with three repeating quotes of the alma mater's opening passage and ends with the section of the alma mater in which "dear old Upper St. Clair" would be sung. (Program Notes by Samuel R. Hazo)
Drawing Mars (2018/2021) for adaptable band with fixed electronics
Michael Markowski b. 1986
The original inspiration for Drawing Mars comes from the life of Percival Lowell, for which the the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona (a special destination for the 12-year-old Michael Markowski) is named. Lowell believed that he saw canals on the Martian surface, which led him to conclude that there MUST be intelligent life there. Markowski continues this story in his program note, excerpted from his website: “The crazy thing about all this is that people believed him! Actually, there was really no reason to doubt him. He was well-educated, he had the best technology available for the times and one of the biggest telescopes in the world. He wrote three really convincing books arguing this theory, and in 1905, even The New York Times ran a full page article under the headline “THERE IS LIFE ON THE PLANET MARS: Prof. Percival Lowell, recognized as the greatest authority on the subject, declares there can be no doubt that living beings inhabit our neighbor world.” In fact, it would take another 50 years for scientists to get close enough to Mars to see in better detail that oh… there aren’t actually any Martian-made canals after all. Although we now know that the canals that Lowell saw were largely psychological tricks, his observations captured the imagination of the world and even inspired early 20th century science-fiction like H.G. Wells’s War of the Worlds and Edgar Rice Burroughs’s many Marsinspired books. I don’t think the music in Drawing Mars tells a story about aliens invading Earth or of “first contact” or anything like that, but I do think it tries to get inside Lowell’s head as he looks through his telescope, night after night, in the dark, all alone, as his mind maybe starts to wander… and wonder… woah, what if I’m right? What if there is life on Mars? Of course, we now know that Lowell’s imagination maybe got the best of him, but as Einstein said, “imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces the entire world, stimulating progress, giving birth to evolution.” (Program Notes by Andy Pease & Michael Markowski)
Sang! (1994)
Dana Wilson b. 1946
I have always been struck by the contrast between the simple rhythms found in most of the music that ensembles of young musicians perform, and the intricate rhythms of “popular” music that they listen to at home and often sing with their friends. This is in large part due to the incredible difficulty that would be posed by having to read the rhythmic notation of popular music. Therefore, in Sang! I set out to “teach” the complex rhythms in the form of a chant. This chant can be learned by the students aurally, which is an ancient teaching and performing technique and related to how students learn the rhythms of popular music. Then the entire piece is based on those rhythmic patterns. (This, in turn, teaches students what those rhythms look like in notation.) The chant incorporates scat singing, which is an old technique found in African American music, particularly blues, jazz and hip hop. Its purpose is to vocalize expressively without necessarily singing words or phrases from an established language. While the text of the chant may lack specific description, it expresses whatever meaning the performer gives it and the audience receives. Beyond these elements, the point of the piece is to have fun. (Program Notes by Dana Wilson) Benediction (2002/2010)
John Stevens b. 1951
Benediction was originally a work for tuba/euphonium quartet. It was composed for the Sotto Voce Quartet in 2002 to be the final work on a recording of all of the composer’s tuba quartets. This internationally acclaimed quartet is made up entirely of former students of John Stevens at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Benediction was intended to be a sonorous “amen” of vocal character on this recording primarily comprised of more lively works. The composer’s creation of this version for wind band was encouraged by and is dedicated to Scott Teeple, Director of Bands at the University of WisconsinMadison. (Program Notes by John Stevens)
Nightmare (2020) for concert band & electronic accompaniment
Jeff Herwig b. 1992
A sequel to 2019's "Afraid of the Dark,” Nightmare is an electroacoustic glance into what happens when we fall in to a dreaded bad dream. Nightmare details the journey from the moment we close our eyes and sleep creeps over us, to when our consciousness arrives in the middle of a bone-chilling horror scene, and finally to when we open our eyes the next morning, thankful that it was all just a dream. In order to accurately convey the events and emotions that take place throughout Nightmare, musicians will be tasked with performing with contrasting articulations, dynamics, and styles. Attention to balance is a must not only in relation to the other musicians in the ensemble, but to the electronic accompaniment, which provides tempo and additional textures to the soundscape which makes up the piece. Nightmare was commissioned by a consortium of 39 band programs (including the Mukwonago High School Wind Ensemble) from all across the United States, Australia, and Canada. (Program Notes by Jeff Herwig) Forgotten Tales of the West (2019)
Adrian B. Sims b. 2000
Composer Adrian B. Sims has been composing since he was eleven years old. Before graduating from Catonsville High School in 2018, Adrian won the Maryland Music Educators Association Composition Composition in 2016 and 2017. Incredibly, this piece was composed while he was still a teenager! Forgotten Tales of the West pays tribute to the many battles fought between the Native Americans and Europeans (often referred to as “The American Indian Wars”). The music moves between Native American-influenced themes and western harmonies before moving into an amalgamation of the two. (Program Notes by FJH Music & Adrian B. Sims)
Concert Band Due to the importance of every part, students are listed alphabetically.
Flute Alto Sax Juliana Anderson Nick Allen Rylee Georgenson Thomas Brunow Emma Kelley Alyssa Henning Callie Massa Jessica Howell Erin Rosenthal Dylan Ragon Sophia Silkworth Tatianna Schommer-Barrera Jamie Stephan Elizabeth Sellers Clarinet Tyler Bachaus Cailyn Bednarek Olivia Carey Grace Hinterlong Ava Pellegrino Alaina Talaska Jordan Wells Bass Clarinet Ariana Alcala Lucas Higbee Kristina McGregor
Tenor Saxophone Matthew Ciampa Parker Paulson Bari Saxophone Gavin Flaherty Trumpet Eli Abraham Jacob Chilicki Ivy Connor Danica Day Gabe Jopp Sheen Mathia Sofia Panfil Alexander Peppler Zach Plestina Ava Tehan-Hanson
Trombone Mailen Fingland Danica Jenna Sawyer Schieffer Tuba Elena Koos Percussion Sean Braun Anna DeLeon Charlie Essmann Alex Fritz Matthew Janson Logan Poser Claire Schiek
Symphonic Band Due to the importance of every part, students are listed alphabetically.
Flute Emily Henrichs Emily Lund Andrew Seiske Sydney Swenor Clarinet Madison Husted Katie Kaczinski Grace Lochowicz Kiersten Martin Claire Wright Bass Clarinet Josh Peterson Bassoon Sierra Huser
Alto Saxophone Michael Kaczinski Jaylen Korth Brynn Schmitz-Guy
Trombone Gabriel Pett Gavin Schultz Aaron Sweetman
Tenor Saxophone Ellie Huebner Michael Sadowski
Tuba Luke Treutelaar David Winiarski
Bari Saxophone Kasey Kubash Wyatt Scheier
Percussion Amelia Boerger Jeremy Boutin Andy Brandt Alex DeLeon Matt Jolliffe Ryan O’Connor Cameron Wilke
Trumpet Charlie Jefferson Dylan Osvatic Alissa Schwichtenberg Caleb Turk
Wind Ensemble Due to the importance of every part, students are listed alphabetically.
Flute Patience Henry Madeline Murphy Sarah Ullrich Paige Wilde
Alto Saxophone Julian Barlow Grace Kearney McKenna Sherrod Ethan Winkelman
Oboe Andie Barron Amelia Boerger
Tenor Saxophone Diego Foley Nick Rabiego
Clarinet Brooke Conner Kaylyn Geuder Lauren Jakab Samantha Kohlmann Alexa Matson
Bari Saxophone Aiden McKenzie Zackary Simonson
Bass Clarinet Kira Goldbach
Trumpet Matthew Bloom Hugh Wesselhoff Lauren Wilke
Trombone Maya Barron Joshua Stobbe Baritone Andrew Blum Ariana Hanrahan Kyle Pate Tuba Ed Pilon David Savignac Percussion Jeremy Cotturone Emma Libecki Kendal Schreiber Nathan Starr Olivia Trapp
Support The Band Help us finalize funding for this concert by purchasing bed sheets through our Hibernate Bed Sheet fundraiser! Proceeds cover the costs to live-stream and post edited recordings of tonight's performances. Videos of the performances will be available on YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram. New videos will be released weekly. Once you purchase, sheets will be delivered within days - anyone in the continental USA can order! Scan the QR Code to shop now or visit the sales website: https://hibernatefund.com/shop-sheets/now/mukwonagohighschoolband/
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Upcoming Events Date
Time
Event
Location
May 20
6:30pm 7:30pm
PVMS Bands Finale Concert
Greenwald PAC
May 26
3:00pm
Blue2 Perc/Winds Farmer’s Market Performance
Mukwonago Field Park
Elementary Instrument Fitting Night
Rolling Hills Elementary
Memorial Day Parade & Ceremony
Mukwonago Library
May 27
May 31
Jun 1
9:30am
7:00pm Encore: MHS Music Dept Award & Senior Night
MHS West Gym
Jun 20
Mukwonago Summerfeste Parade
Downtown Mukwonago
Jun 27
Kettle Moraine Days Parade
Eagle, WI
Jul 30
TBA
Marching Band Preview Performance
Hensler Field (MHS)
Aug 27
7:00pm
Marching Band Pep Band & Halftime Show
Hensler Field (MHS)
Sep 3
7:00pm
Marching Band Pep Band & Halftime Show
Hensler Field (MHS)
Sep 17
7:00pm
Marching Band Pep Band & Halftime Show
Hensler Field (MHS)
For more information on upcoming events, visit our website: www.mukwonagobands.org
MFAB What We Do We support the arts in the Mukwonago Area School District through volunteerism, fundraising, and advocacy. Membership Dues Membership Dues support around 25% of the MFAB budget. There are options available for every family ($30, $60, or $90) and a business membership option ($250) for our community partners. Note that some funding for each individual art is based on the percentage of families it has registered for MFAB. Simply by signing up, you are supporting your student! How Can You Join? https://www.mukwonagofineartsboosters.com/get-involved Want to Become More Involved? Attend a meeting! Meetings are the second Tuesday of the month at 6:30 pm via Zoom. The meeting link can be found at: https://www.mukwonagofineartsboosters.com/get-involved
MFAB Sulla Cima Members The Bloom Family The Brandt Family The Cotturone Family Czeshinski Family David and Marin Dobbs The D'Amour Family The Esmeier Family The Fleischer Family The Marrari Family
Dan & Dawn Henkhaus Colin and Marci Hughes The Kaczinski Family The Marrari Family David and Jenifer Mersfelder The Myers Family Chris and Katy O’Connor Oftedahl Family
The Panetta Family Pett Family Laura and Francis Pilon The Shaffer Family The Sherrod Family The Simonson Family The Turk Family The Wilhelm Family
MFAB Sulla Cima Business Members Kyle & Kristin Christensen DewWow, Inc. For more information on MFAB, visit their website: www.mukwonagofineartsboosters.com
! u o Y k Than MASD Administration Joseph Coldwell PAC Technical Director
Carmen Scott PAC House Manager & Technical Assistant
PAC Usher Corps PAC Student Crew
Follow the band Keep up to date on all of the newest happenings in the Mukwonago Band Department, including concert recordings, photos, info about extra-/co-curricular ensembles, & more. New concert videos posted every week. www.mukwonagobands.org
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Special Thanks MASD Board of Education Shawn McNulty, MASD Superintendent Stephanie Blue, Director of Student Learning Tom Karthausser, Director of Business Affairs Ben Kossow, Coordinator of Student Assessment Data and Analysis Christine Bowden, Director of Pupil Services Dustin Lehman, Coordinator of College and Career Readiness Susan Muenter, Director of Human Resources Andy Wegner, District Supervisor of Buildings and Grounds Jim Darin, MHS Principal Sarah Dianich, & Stephanie Krenz, MHS Associate Principals William Plant, MHS Dean of Students Andy Trudell, MHS Activities Director Dean Kovnesky, MHS Head Custodian MHS Custodial Staff Jenny Peterson, PVMS Band Director Rick Schadt, Percussion Consultant PJ Uhazie, MHS Choir Director Lori Wildemann, PVMS Choir Director Julie Hanisch, MHS Drama Director Dale Wimer and Alexa Zakutansky, MHS Orchestra Directors Sarah Oftedahl, PVMS Orchestra Director Amanda Caretta-Hull, Nyla Clements & Ben Warrichaiet, MES Band Directors Emilee Deck, Kathy Doty, Adam Hackbarth & Caryn Ruesch, MES Music Teachers Joseph Coldwell, PAC Technical Coordinator Carmen Scott, PAC House Manager & Technical Assistant PAC Usher Corps PAC Student Crew JoAnn Barkley, District Printing Mukwonago Fine Arts Boosters