Pacific Wind Bands
Vu Nyugen, conductor
Louis Hanzlik, trumpet
Saturday, February 1, 2025
7:30 pm
Faye Spanos Concert Hall
Steadfast Leadership March (2006)
1963)
Siete canciones populares españolas (Seven popular Spanish songs) (1914/2010)
El paño moruno
Seguidilla murciana
Asturiana
Jota
Nana
Canción
Polo
Louis Hanzlik, trumpet
Manuel de Falla (1876–1946)
Arr. Taz Eddy
Dwayne Milburn (b.
Havana (2018) Kevin Day (b. 1996)
8′
Of Our New Day Begun (2015) Omar Thomas (b. 1984)
11′
PROGRAM NOTES
Milburn: Steadfast Leadership March
Dwayne S. Milburn is a native of Baltimore, Maryland. He received his BFA in Music from UCLA in 1986, his MM in Orchestral Conducting from the Cleveland Institute of Music in 1992, and his PhD in Composition from UCLA in 2009. Upon graduation, he became the director of Cadet Music for the United States Military Academy at West Point. In 1992, Milburn entered the United States Army Band Program as one of twenty-four commissioned officer conductors. He concluded his military career as the Commander and conductor of the Army Ground Forces Band in Atlanta, Georgia, having reached the rank of Major. Today, he is active as a composer, conductor, and adjudicator.
Steadfast Leadership March was commissioned by the West Point class of 1956 for their 50th reunion. As per the class’s specifications, the march reflects their time at West Point and on active duty. Milburn used the official West Point March as a template, adding in bugle calls and references to other military and popular songs to represent the class of 1956.
—adapted from Neil A. Kjos Music Company and Dwayne Milburn
Falla: Siete canciones populares españolas (Seven popular Spanish songs)
Regarded as the greatest Spanish composer of the 20th century, Manuel de Falla developed an interest in native Spanish music—in particular, Andalusian flamenco—while studying with Felipe Pedrell in Madrid in the late 1890s. From 1907 to 1914, he lived in Paris where he met and was influenced by Ravel, Debussy, and Dukas. Works such as the ballet El amor brujo and the one-act opera La vida breve are notably nationalistic in character, though neoclassicism can be heard in his other works as well.
Falla wrote Siete canciones in Paris, using a combination of authentic and “retouched” folk melodies to elevate what were simple, popular tunes to a higher artistic level and bring to life the infectious melodies and rhythms inherent in the folk songs. Originally written for soprano and piano, Taz Eddy’s arrangement reimagines the piece for brass band and trumpet soloist.
—adapted from Wise Music Classical and Los Angeles Philharmonic
Day: Havana
Kevin Day is an award-winning, multi-disciplinary composer, jazz pianist and conductor. Internationally acclaimed as one of the world’s leading musical voices, Day’s work is known as a vibrant exploration of diverse musical traditions from contemporary classical, jazz, R&B, soul and more. A unique voice in the world of classical music, Day takes inspiration from a broad range of sources, including romanticism, late 20th century music, jazz fusion and
gospel. In addition to his work as a composer, Day also enjoys an active career as a jazz pianist.
“Havana is a 7.5-minute work that is heavily influenced [by] Cuban music, rhythms, and percussion. I wanted to highlight different dance genres such as Salsa, Mambo, and Cha-Cha, while also making the piece in my own voice. I have a strong love for Latin music and so this was incredibly fun to write. I sought to paint a mental picture of the city of Havana, the beautiful landscape, and the culture that it is known and beloved for. I hope that performers and audiences will tap their foot, bop their heads, and feel the music.”
—adapted from Kevin Day
Thomas: Of Our New Day Begun
Educator, arranger, and award-winning composer Omar Thomas has created music extensively in the contemporary jazz ensemble idiom. Thomas currently serves on the faculty of the Butler School of Music at The University of Texas at Austin and has previously held positions at Berklee College of Music, The Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University, and Harvard University. In 2019 he was the chosen recipient of the prestigious National Bandmasters Association/Revelli Award, honoring excellence in wind band composition. Thomas’s music has been performed in concert halls and on stages across the country and internationally.
“Of Our New Day Begun was written to honor nine beautiful souls who lost their lives to a callous act of hatred and domestic terrorism on the evening of June 17, 2015 while worshipping in their beloved sanctuary, the historic Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church (affectionately referred to as “Mother Emanuel”) in Charleston, South Carolina. Historically, Black Americans have, in great number, turned to the church to find refuge and grounding in the most trying of times. Thus, the musical themes and ideas for Of Our New Day Begun are rooted in the Black American church tradition. The piece is anchored by James and John Johnson’s time-honored song, Lift Every Voice and Sing (known endearingly as the “Negro National Anthem”), and peppered with blues harmonies and melodies. Singing, stomping, and clapping are also prominent features of this work, as they have always been a mainstay of black music traditions, and the inclusion of the tambourine in these sections is a direct nod to black worship services.”
—adapted from Omar Thomas
Vu Nguyen ’00 is an associate professor of music and director of bands at University of the Pacific. He conducts Pacific Wind Bands and teaches courses in conducting and music education. Nguyen maintains an active schedule as a clinician and has served as guest conductor with military bands as well as honor bands across the country. Ensembles under his direction have performed at state music educator conferences, at the Midwest Clinic, and at the College Band Directors National Association Conference.
A native of the San Francisco Bay Area, Nguyen holds degrees in conducting from the University of Washington and the University of Oregon, and he earned a Bachelor of Music degree in music education from University of the Pacific. Prior to his appointment at Pacific, he served in similar roles at the University of Connecticut, University of Indianapolis, and Washington University in St. Louis in addition to being a visiting conductor with the Indiana University Concert Band. He began his teaching career in the San Ramon Valley Unified School District. In addition to his academic career, Nguyen recently retired as an officer in the Air National Guard (ANG) where he was the commander and conductor of the ANG Band of the West Coast.
Louis Hanzlik is an internationally recognized, Grammy Award-winning trumpeter, chamber musician, and educator. A member of the renowned Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and former member of the American Brass Quintet, Hanzlik has performed throughout Asia, Australia, North America, South America, and Europe. Hanzlik is professor of trumpet at the University of Connecticut and has served as a member of The Juilliard School and Aspen Music Festival and School faculties. As an educator, Hanzlik promotes the inclusion of chamber music within a student’s learning and subsequent professional life. At the University of Connecticut, Hanzlik’s concepts are widely realized through many lenses; from the undergraduate chamber music ensembles he coaches, to a frequently-offered UConn Honors Program Seminar titled Democratic Leadership through the Arts (The Orpheus Experience).
ARTIST
In addition to his work with Orpheus, Hanzlik performs frequently with many of the world’s finest chamber orchestras, including a solo appearance with the Australian Chamber Orchestra at the Hong Kong Arts Festival, and as a frequent guest principal trumpet with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. Hanzlik performs with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s (NYC) and is former Principal Trumpet of the Riverside Symphony (NYC). He has performed with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, and New York City’s Ballet, Opera, and Philharmonic Orchestras, as well as dozens of NYC’s other cultural institutions. Hanzlik is a Trumpet Artist for the Vincent Bach Corporation, and can be heard on dozens of recordings on such labels as Naxos, Blue Note, Deutsche Grammophon, Sony, Summit, Decca, Chandos, Arabesque, Bridge, New World, and Vanguard Classics labels. Originally from Iowa, Hanzlik is graduate of the University of Iowa (BM), The Juilliard School (MM) and Teachers College, Columbia University (EdD).
PACIFIC WIND BANDS
The Pacific Wind Bands at University of the Pacific include students who represent music majors, minors, and non-majors from across Pacific. The ensemble performs at least four concerts each academic year. It provides students the opportunity to play a broad range of music for winds, brass, percussion, and keyboards drawn from a repertoire that honors the rich history of the past and looks to the future, ranging from chamber to full wind band instrumentation. Recent premieres and collaborations with composers include Kevin Bobo, Viet Cuong, Kevin Day, Catherine Likhuta, Giovanni Santos, and Alex Shapiro.
Pacific Faculty Coaches
Brittany Trotter, flute
Kyle Bruckmann, oboe
Patricia Shands, clarinet
Ricardo Martinez, saxophone
Nicolasa Kuster, bassoon
Leonard Ott, trumpet
Sadie Glass, horn
Bruce Chrisp, low brass
Jonathan Latta, percussion, ensembles program director
Sonia Leong, piano
Kathryn Schulmeister, double bass
Flute
Grace Coon
Riko Hirata
PACIFIC WIND BANDS
Emiko Nishimura-Simmons
Anshini Parikh
Arianna Pereyra
Jasmine Valentine, piccolo
Ethan Williams
Oboe
Gabriel Jarata
Ernesto Pena
Chase White
Clarinet
Mitchell Amos
Edmund Bascon
Audrey Ewing
Kaitlyn Ferreira
Justice Freeman
Tommy Galvin
Jacquéline Hairston, bass
Abigail Miller
Andrew Seaver, bass, contrabass
Leah Troutt
Bassoon
Nadege Tenorio
Jess Vreeland
Saxophone
Ivan Barajas, tenor
Tristan McMichael, soprano, alto
Marcus Rudes, baritone
Ves Turk, alto
Horn
Marcelo Contreras
Jas Lopez
Don Parker
Skylar Warren
Trumpet
Parker Deems
Keagan Low
Alayna Ontai
Kamron Qasimi
Aiden Webbe
Trombone
Bronson Burfield
Miguel Palma
Radley Rutledge
Matthew Young, bass
Euphonium
William Giancaterino
Tuba
Seth Morris
Alejandro Villalobos
Bass
Julianna Meneses
Percussion
Hunter Campbell
Ryan Eads
Maddie Karzin
Casey Kim
Matthew Kulm
Jinling Li
Jay Leandado Jr.
Robert McCarl
Peter Norman
Piano
Judy Kim
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