University of Texas at San Antonio Symphonic Band
MDST Nursing (Round Rock, TX)
Marissa Knopf
Music Education (San Antonio, TX)
Kylie Nix
Music Education (Bastrop, TX)
Jordan Rodriguez *
Music Education (Brownsville, TX)
Abigail Valadez
Music Education (Mission, TX)
Ob o e
Samuel Coleman
Computer Science (San Antonio, TX)
August Naranjo
Music Education (Kingsville, TX)
Hannah Pais
Music Education (San Antonio, TX)
B a s s o o n
Matheo Botello
Computer Science (Roma, TX)
C l a r i n e t
Abigail Barcenas
Computer Science (Cibolo, TX)
Cianna Escamilla
Music Education (Pflugerville, TX)
Jaden Hernandez
Music Composition (San Antonio, TX)
Ethan Mendiola
Music Education (Helotes, TX)
Isabella Miranda
Music Education (Austin, TX)
Maria Pitts
Actuarial Science (Leander, TX)
Kayla Santos
Music Education (Crane, TX)
B a s s C l a r i n e t
Ethan Aguilar
Music Performance (San Antonio, TX)
Jose Gomez
Music Performance (Lytle, TX)
A l t o S a x o p h o n e
Rachel Blakeney
Music Education (Harker Heights, TX)
Esaú Hernandez
Music Education (Cedar Creek, TX)
T e n o r S a x o p h o n e
Richard Ytuarte
Music Education (Converse, TX)
B a r i t o n e S a x o p h o n e
Isaiah Rodriguez
Music Education (San Marcos, TX)
H o r n
James Gonzales
Music Education (San Antonio, TX)
Francis Maille
Music Education (San Antonio, TX)
Eloisa Payne
Music Education (New Braunfels, TX)
Myrna Ramirez
Music Education (Lufkin, TX)
T r u mp e t
Kenedy Cardenas
Music Education (San Antonio, TX)
Xavier Contreras
Music Education (San Antonio, TX)
Madeline Garcia
Music Education (Midland, TX)
Joseph Middleton
Music Education (Yoakum, TX)
Normandy Morzynski
Physics (Montgomery, TX)
Samuel Spencer
Music Education (Boerne, TX)
Daniel Vazquez
Music Education (Los Angeles, CA)
T r o mb o n e
Michael Dominguez
Music Education (San Antonio, TX)
Todd Lewis
Music Education (San Antonio, TX)
Jayden Zunker-Trevino
Music Education (Austin, TX)
B a s s T r o mb o n e
Nathaniel Duarte
Computer Engineering (Austin, TX)
E u p h o n i u m
Finley Farrar
Music Education (San Antonio, TX)
Michael Hernandez
Music Education (Kyle, TX)
T u b a
Frankie Rodriguez
Music Education (San Antonio, TX)
Michael Rodriguez
M.Acy., Accounting (Del Rio, TX)
Jayson Summer
Music Composition (San Antonio TX)
P e r c u s s i o n
Antonio Bravo
Music Performance (San Antonio, TX)
Erin Faehnle
Music Education (Marble Falls, TX)
Gabriel Leal
Music Marketing (San Antonio, TX)
Nicolas Morales *
Music Education (Laredo, TX)
Lio Palacios
Music Education (Corpus Christi, TX)
Ivan Ventura
Music Education (Laredo, TX)
P i a n o
Ethan Aguilar
Music Composition (Helotes, TX)
A s s i s t i n g Mu s i c i a n s
Jared Worman, bassoon
Carrie Levenhagen, harp
Krystal Warnock, double bass
B a n d S t a f f
Jordan Rodriguez, music librarian
Jared Worman, music librarian
Francis Maille, manager
Joseph Middleton, manager
Hannah Pais, manager
Maria Pitts, manager
Isaiah Rodriguez, manager
Roster is listed alphabetically to emphasize the important contribution made by each musician.
* Denotes graduating senior/ outgoing member
J o h n Z a r c o is Director of Instrumental Ensembles and Associate Professor of Music at the University of Texas at San Antonio. His responsibilities include conducting the UTSA Symphonic Band and University Band, in addition to teaching graduate and undergraduate courses in conducting, wind literature, and music education.
Prior to his appointment at UTSA, Dr. Zarco served as Director of Bands at Millersville University in Pennsylvania and as a public school instrumental music teacher at Saratoga High School, in Saratoga, California. He received a D.M.A. in conducting from the University of Minnesota as well as B.M. (music education) and M.M. (conducting) degrees from California State University, Sacramento. Dr. Zarco has been awarded honorary memberships in the national organizations of Pi Kappa Lambda, Sigma Alpha Iota, Kappa Kappa Psi, Tau Beta Sigma, and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia. His book, Rehearsing the Band, Volume 3 is published by Meredith Music Publications and is distributed by Hal Leonard.
Dr. Tracy Cowden, Director, School of Music
Dr. Stacey Davis, Associate Director, School of Music
Dr. Kasandra Keeling, Associate Director, School of Music
Naomy Ybarra, Administrative Services Officer 1
Steven Hill, Administrative Associate
Jared Davis, Senior Events Manager
Joey Berrios, Marketing Coordinator
Rico Gomez, Music Program Specialist, UTSA Bands
Prof. Ron Ellis, Director of Bands
Prof. Hector Garcia, Assistant Director of Athletic Bands
Prof. Sherry Rubins and Prof. Paul Millette, Percussion Area Faculty
Dr. Rachel Woolf and Dr. Oswaldo Zapata, Woodwind and Brass Area Coordinators
Prof. Troy Peters, Director of Orchestras
Dr. Yoojin Muhn, Director of Choral Activities
Dr. Jordan Boyd, Assistant Director of Choral Activities UTSA School of Music Faculty
Jordan Rodriguez and Jared Worman, School of Music Librarians UTSA Bands Managers
Compiled and Edited by
John Zarco
Dr. Etezady holds academic degrees from Northwestern University, Yale University, and the University of Michigan. She has worked intensively with numerous composers, including William Bolcom, Martin Bresnick, Michael Daugherty, and Ned Rorem. Dr. Etezady's works have been commissioned by the Albany Symphony, Dartmouth Symphony, eighth blackbird, Music at the Anthology, and the PRISM Saxophone Quartet. Her music has earned recognition from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the Korean Society of 21st Century Music, the Jacob K. Javits Foundation, Meet the Composer, and ASCAP.
An active teacher, Dr. Etezady has taught at the Interlochen Arts Camp, Yale University, Saint Mary's College, and the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam. She has given masterclasses at Holy Cross College, the Juilliard School, and the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival.
P a r h e l i o n was commissioned for the 2019 retirement of Gary W. Hill from his post as director of bands at Arizona State University, by his former students. A parhelion, sometimes also called “sun dog,” or “whirling rainbow,” is an optical illusion caused by sunlight passing through ice crystals in the upper atmosphere, causing bright spots to appear around a “solar halo” that encircles the sun. The phenomenon causes a ring of brilliance to appear around the sun, with gems of light dotting the perimeter of the circle, evoking the appearance of three suns in the sky. In some folk traditions, parhelia signify a sign of great change or transition on the horizon.
Parhelion is dedicated to Gary Hill, whose warmth and brilliance enlighten everyone and everything in his radius. All of us who have worked with him, laughed with him, and learned from him are brighter because of his luminous curiosity and radiant energy. This piece is written in honor of his transition from full-time university professor into the next phase of his life and career.
[Program note from windrep.org and the composer]
wuw
Ralph Vaughan Williams was born on October 12, 1872 in Gloucestershire, England. He studied violin and piano during his youth, but focused on the piano during his adulthood. Among his teachers were Hubert Parry, Max Bruch, and Maurice Ravel. An avid collector of English folk music, Vaughan Williams traveled the countryside collecting folksongs and carols, notating down the melodies that had typically been passed down orally over the generations. While he was primarily an orchestral composer, Vaughan Williams wrote a handful of compositions for winds, a few of which are staples in the repertoire.
F o l k S o n g S u i t e was commissioned by the band of the Royal Military School of Music. It was premiered on July 4, 1923, at Kneller Hall, H.E. Adkins conducting. In three movements, the suite contains many different folk songs from the Norfolk and Somerset regions of England, including Seventeen Come Sunday, Pretty Caroline, Dives and Lazarus, My Bonny Boy, Green Bushes, Blow Away the Morning Dew, High Germany, and
The Tree So High. Historically, the suite is considered (along with Gustav Holst’s two suites for military band) to be a cornerstone work in the literature, and one of the earliest “serious” works for the wind band.
[Program note from windrep.org
wuw
Aaron Perrine earned his bachelor’s degree in trombone performance and music education with high distinction from the University of Minnesota, Morris. While an undergraduate, he received the Edna Murphy Morrison Award, Daisy Hansen Award, Chancellor's Award, and multiple awards in composition from the Minnesota Music Educators Association. After his time in Morris, Perrine moved to Minneapolis and began working on his master’s degree. While at the University of Minnesota, Aaron studied composition with Judith Zaimont and jazz arranging with Dean Sorenson. He completed a master's degree and a Ph.D. in composition from the University of Iowa, studying with David Gompper and Lawrence Fritts. Perrine has been commissioned and recorded by various colleges, high schools and middle schools across the country. One of his compositions, April, was a finalist in the first Frank Ticheli Composition Contest. His 2011 composition, Pale Blue on Deep and his 2014 composition, Only Light were awarded the prestigious ABA Sousa/Ostwald Prize.
T e m p e r a n c e was commissioned by a consortium of Minnesota universities, college, and high schools; it was premiered by the 2017 Intercollegiate Honor Band at the Minnesota Music Educators Association Midwinter Clinic. In his program notes, Perrine writes:
From the start, I knew I wanted the piece to be connected to the state of Minnesota: the place I’ve called home for most of my life. When I think of Minnesota, my mind tends to drift to the scenic stretch of Lake Superior between Duluth and Canada, locally referred to as the North Shore. While there are seemingly countless outdoor destinations along the North Shore from which to choose, the Temperance River has always been a personal favorite. Further, I knew this was an area many of the members of the consortium had likely visited. After contemplating some of the different directions I might take the work, I became intrigued by the word “temperance.” Most simply, the word is defined as “restraint.” From the chorale-like passages to the moments of nearly static harmony, the idea of “restraint” permeated my thoughts as I composed. Temperance is my response to the beauty, serenity and solitude found along Minnesota’s North Shore.
[Program note from windrep.org and the composer] wuw
Bruce Yurko received his bachelor's degree in music education from Wilkes College and his master's degree in performance/composition from the Ithaca College School of Music. He has studied horn with Douglas Hill and John Covert While at Ithaca College, he studied conducting with Thomas Michalik and was a composition student of Karel Husa. Yurko taught bands at Madison High School and Cherry Hill High School East in New Jersey. He
conducted the Princeton University Wind Ensemble and has taught at Messiah College and Rowan University. Wind band compositions by Yurko have been performed by the Florida State University Wind Orchestra, the Eastman Wind Ensemble, the Indiana University of Pennsylvania Wind Ensemble, and the University of North Texas Wind Symphony.
N i g h t D a n c e s for Wind Ensemble was composed and dedicated to Mr. Albert Muccilli and the Dover Middle School Concert Band. The piece was commissioned through a grant provided by the Dover Board of Education (Dover, New Jersey). The premiere performance was on May 2, 1994, with the composer conducting.
[Program note from windrep.org and the composer]
Dmitri Shostakovich studied at the Petrograd Conservatory where he wrote his Symphony No. 1 in F Minor, which brought him world attention. During his early years following graduation in 1923, he wrote music to serve the political needs of his country. After criticism from the government, he composed his famous Fifth Symphony. Shostakovich taught at the Leningrad Conservatory just prior to World War II. Again, he incurred government condemnation in 1948, but kept composing a series of serious works which surfaced after Stalin’s death. Shostakovich wrote in a variety of styles using folk music, humor, altered harmonies, and many other compositional techniques. Few composers have been as highly honored and few are as highly respected by the music profession as well as the concertgoing public.
G a l o p was originally written by Shostakovich for his third ballet, The Limpid Stream, a story about a group of ballet dancers who are sent to provide entertainment to a new Soviet collective farm in Kuban, known as The Limpid Stream. After complicated amorous intrigues, it turns out the country-folk have more to teach those from the city than the other way around. The Limpid Stream was by far the most popular of Shostakovich’s ballets. Its deliberately simple-minded melodies, banal harmonies, straightforward rhythms, and garish colors had the work playing successfully in both Leningrad and Moscow from June 1935 through February 1936.
However, The Limpid Stream and, by implication, its suite were condemned in Pravda in an editorial in early February 1936. Of the three ballets, The Limpid Stream was punished most grotesquely by the Soviet government - the co-librettist, Adrian Piotrovsky, was sent to a gulag and never heard from again, and the creative career of its choreographer, Fedor Lopukhov, was all but terminated. Fortunately, Shostakovich was able to salvage some of the music from the ballet and the suite in the first four ballet suites he and his friend Levon Atovmyan compiled in 1949-1953. Galop from "The Limpid Stream" became the sixth movement of the Ballet Suite No. 3.
[Program note from windrep.org]
