UNIVERSITY CONCERT BAND AND SYMPHONIC WIND ENSEMBLE Sunday I April 14, 2019 I 2:30 pm Faye Spanos Concert Hall
CELEBRATION UNIVERSITY CONCERT BAND Nico Peruzzi I conductor SYMPHONIC WIND ENSEMBLE Harvey Benstein I conductor Kaitlin Bove ‘11 I guest conductor
117th Performance I 2018-2019 Academic Year I Conservatory of Music I University of the Pacific
CONCERT PROGRAM
I APRIL 14, 2019 I 2:30 PM
Paul Dukas (1865-1935) Kevin Iwai, Thomas Hubel, Kevin Swenson, trumpets Owen Bacchus, Caitlin Jane Buse, Braydon Ross, Rachel Ticas, horns Rebecca Growcott, Joshua Dunsford, Walter Stedman, trombones Adam Heredia, tuba
Fanfare pour précéder “La Péri”
University Concert Band A Festival Prelude
Alfred Reed (1921-2005)
Rest
Frank Ticheli (b. 1958) Norman Dello Joio (1913-2008)
Scenes from The Louvre I. Portals II. Children’s Gallery III. The Kings of France IV. The Nativity Paintings V. Finale
Frank Perkins (1908-1988)
Fandango Intermission Symphonic Wind Ensemble In Memoriam: March, “The BSO Forever”
Sheltering Sky
Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990) Arr. Clare Grundman John Mackey (b. 1973)
Julie Giroux (b. 1961) Commissioned by a consortium of friends and former students, in celebration of Dr. Eric Hammer Kaitlin Bove ‘11, guest conductor
The Ash Grove
The Sinfonians
Clifton Williams (1923-1976)
Where Never Lark or Eagle Flew
James Curnow (b. 1943)
Cheerio March
Edwin Franko Goldman (1878-1956)
UNIVERSITY CONCERT BAND
Pacific Bands have always played an integral role at University of the Pacific. The program’s rich history and vibrant future are dedicated to continued growth, service, and a uniquely powerful “esprit de corps” that reflect the University’s commitment to topflight and student-centered education. Literature for the University Concert Band comes from contemporary, transcription, and standard band repertory. Performances include music from light classics to show tunes. The band performs on-campus each semester and also hosts concerts shared with local high schools. Membership is open to all Pacific students.
Flute Lilian Alcain Alicia Correia Kassandra Diaz Autumn Hill Lara Kong Miranda Morse Angela Ton Kristy Tran Clarinet Alexandra Annen Mitchell Beck Lexi Obregon Starlyn Reyes Maria Rios Dereck Vicevich Bassoon Carlos Flores Dorian Jones
Bass Clarinet Deborah Mitzman Saxophone Lacey Brown Arturo Garcia Theresa Huynh Yuina Kondo Ryan Thomas Bill Zhang Trumpet Jack Chivers Kevin Hee Alexander Hodeib Andrew Marcopulos Daniel Roh Curtiss Wright
Trombone Joshua Lopez Jeremy Sigl Tim Widjaja Euphonium Keon MacKay Tuba Dominic Jimenez Stephen Lambert Percussion Abby Castillo Ian Higa Austin Nguyen Samantha Sanchez
SYMPHONIC WIND ENSEMBLE
Whether serving their primary mission as catalyst for the professional education of members, serving the community beyond our gates or supporting Tiger athletics, bands have always played a significant role in the life of the University of the Pacific, California’s first chartered institution of higher education (1851). The Symphonic Wind Ensemble (SWE) is an audition group of the finest wind and percussion players on campus and includes students from the various music specialties as well as many players from other majors. The SWE has gained a national reputation for creative programming, polished performance and a uniquely positive esprit de corps that serves as a lifelong influence on its members. The ensemble recorded their second compact disc at the famed Skywalker Ranch Studios in 2013. SWE travels extensively, performing recently as invited headliners at the California All State Music Education Conference and the Western International Band Clinic in Seattle. In March 2019, SWE performed at Stanford, CA, and in New York City’s Carnegie Hall.
Flute Carrie Asai Diana Ayala Andrew Lu Ellie Rose Laila Mameesh Monica Mendoza Oboe Alelih Galvadores Bassoon Tristen Collinsworth Cassi Parker-Swenson Clarinet Michaela Aimone Kaycee Clark Eric Espinoza Scott Pastor Richard Shin Ravyn Stanford Rose Watson Molly Westlake Bass Clarinet Arturo Garcia
Saxophone Mitchell Beck Shelbey Evans Zachary Grenig Shannon Hall Kyle Lesh Matthew Loya Bryan Mah Ryan Porter James Scott Allie VanderMolen Trumpet Ryan Abdelmalek Peter Altamura Thomas Hubel Kevin Iwai Hector Lange-Sanchez Shane Ryan Kevin Swenson Horn Owen Bacchus Caitlin Jane Buse Heather Greenup Braydon Ross Rachel Ticas
Trombone Joshua Dunsford Rebecca Growcott Zahariah Nirenberg Walter Stedman Emmon Tobias Euphonium Katie Christensen Nico Peruzzi Tuba Andrew Davis Adam Heredia Robert Huntington String Bass William Peralta Piano Jude Markel Percussion Kyle Bossert Tyler Golding Lok Man Vincent Lei Sean Mitchell Craig Robinson
CONDUCTORS Harvey Benstein is the guest conductor of University of the Pacific’s Symphonic Wind Ensemble, appointed through the Spring 2019 semester. Previous collegiate positions include: Director of Bands at Butler University, Indianapolis, IN; Director of Bands, McNeese State University, Lake Charles, LA; and Assistant Director of Bands, The Ohio State University. Benstein has taught in the public Schools of Michigan at Ann Arbor Huron and Grand Ledge High Schools and was the Director of Instrumental Music and Department Chairperson at Campolindo High School in Moraga, CA. He was the conductor and music director of the Contra Costa Chamber Orchestra (1999-2007) and has been the conductor and music director of the community based Walnut Creek Concert Band since 1998. Benstein has conducted in all media from symphony orchestra to jazz ensemble and is well versed in the orchestral and wind band repertoire. He has a long-established relationship with the United States Air Force Band of the Golden West (Travis, AFB) and was awarded an Honorary Lifetime Band Member Award for his civilian partnership and work with the band. He is in demand as a guest conductor and clinician throughout the United States, working with professional and amateur ensembles. He will return this summer to conduct at the Sitka (Alaska) Fine Arts Camp and will be in residence at Kansas State University in the spring of 2020. Kaitlin Bove is a Pacific alumna and a graduate student at the University of Kentucky where she is completing a Doctorate of Musical Arts in Wind Conducting with expected marticulation date of August 2019. She is a conducting student of Cody Birdwell and a teaching assistant with the concert bands, athletic bands, and undergraduate music education program. In March, she premiered her wind ensemble transcription of Caroline Shaw’s Partita for 8 Voices as part of her lecture conducting recital with the University of Kentucky Wind Symphony and Choristers. Ms. Bove is from Lafayette, California, and earned her Bachelor and Master of Music degrees in Education from University of the Pacific where she studied with Eric Hammer. She served as Director of the Pacific Pep Band, 2007-08, and held the position of Graduate Assistant of Bands during her master’s coursework. In addition, Kaitlin served as the Interim Director of the University Concert Band in Spring 2012. Nico Peruzzi is a first year graduate student at University of the Pacific. In summer of 2018, he received a bachelor’s degree in Music Education from Pacific and he currently serves as a graduate assistant for the Pacific Bands. In addition to his work with University Concert Band, he plays euphonium in the school’s Symphonic Wind Ensemble and directs the orchestra for Pacific Heavy Ensemble. Outside of his studies, he teaches private lessons and works as a visual instructor for the marching band and indoor drumline at Dublin High School. After completing his master’s studies, he hopes to teach band in the Northern California area.
PROGRAM NOTES Fanfare Pour Précéder “La Peri” Paul Dukas (1865-1935) La Peri is a ballet composed by Paul Dukas and premiered in Paris in 1912. The ballet follows Iskender as he travels throughout Iran searching for the Flower of Immortality. After searching for many years, Iskender finds a Peri, a beautiful winged spirit, who possesses the Flower of Immortality. While the Peri sleeps, Iskender steals the Flower of Immortality. Iskender thinks that he has successfully preserved his youth, but he is eventually outwitted by the Peri, who reclaims the Flower of Immortality, and left to die. Because of the mystical and tragic nature of the ballet, La Peri, Dukas composed and added this regal fanfare for eleven brass instruments at the last moment as a way to quiet the audience before the more subdued material began.“ A Festival Prelude Alfred Reed (1921-2005) “A Festival Prelude was written in commemoration of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the TriState Music Festival, Held annually in Enid, Oklahoma. It was given its first performance on the occasion by the Philips University Concert Band, to whom it is dedicated, with the composer conducting. While still in manuscript, it was widely performed throughout the country, and has come to be regarded as one of this composer’s most brilliant and powerful works for the modern concert band. The music is built up entirely from one main theme and two fanfare-like figures that occur throughout the score.” (Piedmont Music Company) Rest Frank Ticheli (b. 1958) “Created in 2010, Rest is a concert band adaptation of my work for SATB chorus, There Will Be Rest, which was commissioned in 1999 by the Pacific Chorale, John Alexander, conductor. In making this version, I preserved almost everything from the original: harmony, dynamics, even the original registration. I also endeavored to preserve carefully the fragile beauty and quiet dignity suggested by Sara Teasdale’s words. However, with the removal of the text, I felt free to enhance certain aspects of the music most strikingly with the addition of a sustained climax on the main theme. This extended climax allows the band version to transcend the expressive boundaries of a straight note-for-note setting of the original. Thus, both versions are intimately tied and yet independent of one another, each possessing its own strengths and unique qualities.” - Frank Ticheli The original choir version is a setting of the following poem by Sara Teasdale (1884-1933): There Will be Rest There will be rest, and sure stars shining Over the roof-tops crowned with snow, A reign of rest, serene forgetting, The music of stillness holy and low. I will make this world of my devising Out of a dream in my lonely mind. I shall find the crystal of peace, Above me stars I shall find.
PROGRAM NOTES Rest continued Sara Teasdale was an American poet who, according to Encyclopedia Britannica, was noted for her short, personal lyrics which were classically simple, but had a quiet intensity to them. Although this poem was probably not intended as a goodbye to her audience, it is the last poem in the last collection of hers published posthumously, and marks a decided change in her perception of mortality. There Will be Rest expresses a comfort in the eventuality of death and an appreciation of the peace she hopes to find in the afterlife. Ticheli takes Teasdale’s brief, but meaningful, words and uses musical settings to expand on the deeply complex ideas suggested by the poem. Scenes from “The Louvre” Norman Dello Joio (1913-2008) This piece is a suite of selections taken from the score to a 1964 NBC television special on the historic Louvre museum in Paris, France. Dello Joio won an Emmy for the most outstanding music written for television in 1965 for the original score. The version for band being performed tonight was commissioned from Dello Joio by Baldwin-Wallace College for the Baldwin-Wallace Symphonic Band. The piece was premiered March 13, 1966, with the composer conducting. I. Portals This introductory movement sets the stage for the composition by conveying the weight and importance carried by the history of the Louvre. Its material is the title music for The Louvre and is original to Dello Joio. It’s slow, heavy pace and modal ambiguity give it a sense of grandeur and timelessness. II. Children’s Gallery It begins with a lyrical introduction before taking off into a light, playful theme from Ronde und Saltarello by the renaissance composer Tielman Susato (1500-1561). Dello Joio closely emulates Susatos work, including both the Ronde and the Saltarello which is a development of the Ronde theme in triple, compound meter. III. The Kings of France The movement is intended to convey the regality and beauty of paintings of medieval French kings found in the Louvre. The musical themes are taken from the composer Jean Bapiste Lully (1632-1687) who was the court composer for King Louis XIV. Formally, the movement consists of a series of distinct themes which are not recapitulated or developed, giving one the sense of walking through a hall of paintings, experiencing one after the next. IV. The Nativity Paintings In this movement the theme used is the medieval melody, In Dulci Jubilo (in sweet rejoicing), a traditional Christmas carol thought to have been written by Heinrich Seuse circa 1328. While the form and main theme are very simple, Dello Joio adds intrigue through his development of the melody and notable use of 20th century chromaticism. V. Finale Based on a sonata by Vincenzo Albrici (1631-1696), this movement bring the piece to a close in a brilliant, joyful fanfare. Dello Joio takes the melody of this sonata and develops it into a fanfare idea that is passed around band. While the movement has a classical fanfare quality, Dello Joio harkens back to the tonal colors created in the opening movement, reminding the listener of his place as a 20th century composer, and effectively bookending the historical experience that is Scenes from The Louvre.
PROGRAM NOTES Fandango Frank Perkins (1908-1988) A fandango is a traditional Spanish dance in triple time, usually performed by a man and a woman and accompanied by guitar and castanets. In this composition, the composer adapts this traditional form to the wind band. He is able to emulate the style through use of Latin percussion and by mimicking a guitar with highly rhythmic accompaniment patterns in the winds. The piece is based on a single slow, lyrical theme, first stated by the low brass and low woodwinds. While the theme is not developed significantly, it is given novelty through changes in instrumentation and embellished countermelodies. In Memoriam; March, “The BSO Forever” Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990) Movement VIII from Divertimento for Orchestra, transcribed by Clare Grundman This march was composed in 1980 to celebrate the centennial of the Boston Symphony. This raucous and razz-ma-tazz march is a wonderful vehicle to honor and commemorate a legacy and a dynamic individual. “The composition has a dual personality. The ‘In Memoriam’ section (Andante) is a solemn canon scored for three flutes with light touches of percussion at the end. Bernstein’s amanuensis Jack Gottlieb explained that this ‘quiet meditation’ recalls ‘the conductors and members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra no longer with us.’ The mood changes entirely, and the tempo quickens, for the ‘March’ section (Alla Marcia). Things get giddy here, with Bernstein for some reason remembering snatches of the Radetzky March as if viewed through the prism of Candide; this makes natural use of his B-C motif. Toward the end he has the piccolos play a chirping descant and stand up along with the brasses, much as they might in a Tanglewood rendition of The Stars and Stripes Forever, and trombones are instructed to lift their bells in the air (shades of Mahler’s Symphony No. 3).” - James M. Keller Sheltering Sky John Mackey (b. 1973) “The work itself has a folksong-like quality — intended by the composer — and through this an immediate sense of familiarity emerges. Certainly, the repertoire has a long and proud tradition of weaving folk songs into its identity, from the days of Holst and Vaughan Williams to modern treatments by such figures as Donald Grantham and Frank Ticheli. Whereas these composers incorporated extant melodies into their works, however, Mackey takes a play from Percy Grainger. Grainger’s Colonial Song seemingly sets a beautiful folksong melody in an enchanting way (so enchanting, in fact, that he reworked the tune into two other pieces: Australian Up-Country Tune and The Gum-Suckers March). In reality, however, Grainger’s melody was entirely original — his own concoction to express how he felt about his native Australia. Likewise, although the melodies of Sheltering Sky have a recognizable quality (hints of the contours and colors of Danny Boy and Shenandoah are perceptible), the tunes themselves are original to the work, imparting a sense of hazy distance as though they were from a half-remembered dream.” - Jake Wallace
PROGRAM NOTES Sheltering Sky continued Mackey implicitly poses an unanswered question in the title of his piece: what is a sheltering sky? Is it a physical state or a spiritual one? Where in the vastness of the sky can we find security and reassurance? In what ways do you find solace when you are met with challenges? The past few months in the Conservatory of Music have been fraught with sorrow, uncertainty, and change. Students, staff, and faculty alike have had to rise to face unexpected challenges, but it has been in facing these challenges that we have also discovered a renewed sense of community and hope. The Ash Grove, World Premiere Julie Giroux (b. 1961) Kaitlin Bove, conductor This work was commissioned by a consortium of friends and former students, in celebration of Dr. Eric Hammer. Onward. “This popular folk song dating back to John Gay’s Opera The Beggars Opera in 1728 then later published in 1802 in a book titled ‘The Bardic Museum’ by harpist Edward Jones has inspired many settings and lyrics over the centuries. There is a possibility that it dates back to a 1665 dance tune titled Constant Billy. In the 1806 Welsh version Llwyn Onn the lyrics tell of a love between a sailor and Gwen of Llywn which ends with the sailor mourning her death as she lies ‘… neath the shades of the lonely ash grove.’ The most popular setting to date features the lyrics by Thomas Oliphant. The Ash Grove has served as several hymns including a Thanksgiving hymn, a Christmas tune, and was also used in a setting for a Roman Catholic mass. The ash tree itself is heavily rooted in Celtic, Welsh, and even Viking history and myths. It is the second most popular tree growing beside Irish holy wells and on the Isle of Man, ash trees were said to protect the purity of springs. It is also the most common tree in England. This particular reimagining of The Ash Grove introduces several thematic motifs inspired by the original melody. While this work is full of hemiolas and time signature changes, the beat stays constant. Many of the hemiola-filled sections are so long, it could have been scored 3/4 time for some players while at the same time also being scored in 6/8 time for others. Since the different meters following these sections depended on one time signature over the other for a smooth transition, it is easier to read as long hemiolas. Playful and full of folly, this setting of The Ash Grove does not focus on the mournful lyrics but on the ash grove itself; a place of mystery, magic, renewal, myth and happiness. Dr. Eric Hammer loved the idea of this setting and was happy about its origins being centered on trees. I was torn on staying with the original ideas we discussed or writing something completely different after Eric left this world. In the end, I went with our conversations about The Ash Grove and the journey we were going to take together.” - Julie Giroux The Sinfonians Clifton Williams (1923-1976) Dr. Eric Hammer was a lifelong Sinfonian and embodied the organization’s commitment to fellowship, friendship, music, and service. Dr. Hammer recognized the presence of these values in all of the music fraternities at University of the Pacific.
PROGRAM NOTES The Sinfonians continued “The early Sinfonians wrote that Sinfonia was ‘a movement for the betterment of mankind,’ and that the Fraternity’s purpose was to bring the musician to the ‘full realization that service to music is not enough, but that service to mankind should be the essential thing of his life.’ They believed that musicians had a particular power – and obligation – to aid and bless society.” (from the Phi Mu Alpha website) Clifton Williams was a member of the Beta Omega chapter of Phi Mu Alpha at Louisiana State University. In his composition, Williams arranged both existing and original melodies. Where Never Lark or Eagle Flew James Curnow (b. 1943) Dr. Eric Hammer had great pride in this country. He maintained a close relationship with the United States Air Force Band of the Golden West by serving as a conducting clinician at the band’s numerous conducting symposiums, by collaborating with the band’s musicians, and by supporting the band’s mission of using music to foster relationships and resolve differences. “High Flight” By John Gillespie Magee Jr. (1922-1941) Oh, I have slipped the surly bonds of earth, And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings; Sunward I’ve climbed and joined the tumbling mirth of sun-split clouds and done a hundred things You have not dreamed of wheeled and soared and swung high in the sunlit silence. Hovering there I’ve chased the shouting wind along and flung my eager craft through footless halls of air “Up, up the long delirious burning blue I’ve topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace, where never lark, or even eagle, flew; and, while with silent, lifting mind I’ve trod the high untrespassed sanctity of space, put out my hand and touched the face of God. Cheerio March Edwin Franko Goldman (1878-1956), edited by Frank Erickson What could be better than a band concert on a Sunday afternoon? There is no better way to end than with Dr. Eric Hammer’s signature closing march which will have everyone singing, whistling, and clapping out the door. “Goldman dedicated this cheerful ‘La-la and whistle’ march to a friend Mabel Rosenthal in 1933. At that time there was little to cheer about in the U.S. since the country was in the midst of its worst depression with banking operations at a standstill and many people standing in soup lines. During President Roosevelt’s inaugural address that year he called for courage, and his words, ‘the only thing we have to fear is fear itself,’ followed by a New Deal social program, gradually restored a measure of public confidence in the government. The Goldman Band did its share by presenting concerts to help New Yorkers forget their troubles — at least for a time.” - Norman E. Smith
DR. ERIC HAMMER (1951 - 2019) brought people together, he was warm, endlessly energetic, and he believed that every child must sing, in school and throughout their lives,” said Peter Witte, dean of the Conservatory of Music.
Eric Hammer ’73, Pacific alumnus and director of bands and professor of music education in the Conservatory of Music, passed away Monday, January 28, 2019. He was 67. Dr. Hammer had announced he would retire at the end of the academic year after leading a remarkable and impactful 26year career at Pacific. “Eric’s love of music and enthusiasm for life touched everyone who had the privilege of being in his presence. He connected with generations of young people, inspiring many of them to study music at Pacific and to become lifelong musicians and Pacificans,” said Pacific President Pamela A. Eibeck. “His passion for Pacific was clear; he embodied the best of our university community.” Together with his faculty colleagues, Dr. Hammer built and sustained the Symphonic Wind Ensemble and the University Concert Band and supervised the student-led Pep Band. He has led the 50-60-member Symphonic Wind Ensemble to national prominence. The group was featured in concert at Carnegie Hall in March 2019 at the New York Wind Band Festival. “Eric created a sense of community simply in the way he walked into a room. He
Dr. Hammer inspired young musicians teaching at summer band camp, conducting honor bands, adjudicating band festivals and giving clinics at high schools. It was not uncommon for students to say that he was the reason they enrolled at Pacific. He guided music education student teachers as they launched their careers throughout California and initiated and organized the Pacific Western Concert Band Festival held at Pacific for the past 13 years, which draws some 500 of the top student musicians from schools throughout the Western United States. He stayed in touch with Pacific alumni across the nation, providing a way for them to connect with their alma mater, even as they built their own careers and communities. He invited them back to campus for master classes and arranged opportunities for them to interact with students through receptions and events across the state during the Concert Band and Wind Ensemble performance tours. He also brought alumni together to perform with current students at the biannual Alumni Band Concert during Homecoming Weekend, providing a rich experience for both students and alumni. He was awarded the 2009 Pacific Alumni Association Faculty Mentor Award, in recognition of his significant impact on the lives of students and alumni. He conducted local community ensembles, such as the Valley Concert Band and, in 2016, began the New Hammer Concert Band, a professional-level wind ensemble that brings musicians together from across the state – including many alumni – for an intensive musical experience and public
DR. ERIC HAMMER (1951 - 2019) performance. A portion of concert ticket revenue supported music programs in local schools. He was highly respected as an educator and conductor and recently was recognized as the Outstanding University Educator by the California Music Educators Association. His influence extended far beyond Pacific through the many hundreds of students and educators he taught in clinics and conferences or conducted in performances across the United States and abroad. In 2017, he was elected as a member of the prestigious American Bandmasters Association, which recognizes outstanding achievement on the part of concert band conductors and composers. Dr. Hammer was also a conductor of the Diablo Wind Symphony for 16 years.
Bachelor of Music degree in University of the Pacific’s Conservatory of Music in 1973 and a teaching credential in the Gladys L. Benerd School of Education in 1974. He completed his Master of Music in wind conducting and Doctor of Musical Arts in music education at the University of Oregon. He taught in public schools for 16 years before joining the faculty of his alma mater in 1993. He was preceded in death by his first wife, Nancy Hammer ’74. He is survived by wife Patricia; daughter Elisabeth “Betsy” Hammer ’09 and husband Patrick Mulcahy; sister Priscilla Burnett and husband Mark; and brother Mark Hammer and wife Dami. Dr. Hammer was loved by his students and colleagues and will be deeply missed.
An Iowa native, Dr. Hammer earned his
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