The UTSA Wind Symphony
The UTSA Wind Symphony is comprised of UTSA Students who have achieved an extreme high level of musicianship and who perform some of the most challenging music composed for wind band. Membership in this ensemble is open to all UTSA Students, regardless of major, who audition at the beginning of each semester. The UTSA Wind Symphony maintains a vigorous performance schedule of three demanding concerts each semester as well as an ensemble tour when schedule and budget permits.
Program Notes
Compiled and Edited by Ron Ellis
From the Director – Mus - ings
In the following pages, you’ll find details about each piece, but I wanted to share the deeper significance behind tonight’s program.
Each of the pieces you’ll hear tonight has shaped my personal journey in music and education. Some reflect broad, existential ideas about the transformative power of music, while others connect to simpler, more tangible moments. But together, they weave a story a concert that feels deeply personal, yet universal.
And speaking of personal, it is with great pride that I welcome one of my personal heroes, Roger Green, to guest conduct tonight. Mr. Green's 50-year career has left an indelible mark on the world of music education, but for me, his influence is far more profound. He’s the reason I first fell in love with music. He’s the kind of teacher who doesn’t just instruct; he shapes lives, instilling values that last far beyond the classroom.
It’s no exaggeration to say I wouldn’t be standing here today without his guidance and belief in me as a young musician. Watching him conduct this ensemble tonight feels like a full-circle moment, a chance to publicly honor someone whose legacy lives on in every note I conduct. I hope that, through this performance, you can feel even a fraction of the gratitude and respect I hold for him and the countless teachers like him who quietly, and powerfully, change lives.
As we all share this evening's performance, I invite you to reflect on the seeds planted in your own lives and the mentors who have inspired you to blossom. Together, let us celebrate the connections that help us thrive and the opportunities to sow new seeds of inspiration in one another.
You can find my thoughts on each piece this evening at the end of the “official” program notes.
Kenneth Hesketh is a British composer.
He began composing whilst a chorister at Liverpool Anglican Cathedral; he completed his first orchestral work at the age of 13 and received his first formal commission at 19 for the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra under Sir Charles Groves.
After attending Tanglewood in 1995 where he studied with Henri Dutilleux, Hesketh completed a Masters degree in Composition at the University of Michigan, USA. A series of awards followed including a scholarship from the Toepfer Foundation, Hamburg at the behest of Sir Simon Rattle, a Foundation for Sport and the Arts award and the Constant and Kit Lambert Fellowship at the Royal College of Music where he is now a professor in composition and orchestration.
Hesketh was New Music Fellow at Kettle's Yard and Corpus Christi College, Cambridge from 2003 to 2005 where he curated a series of new music chamber concerts. The Foundation André Chevillion-Yvonne Bonnaud prize was awarded to Hesketh at the 2004 Concours International de Piano d'Orléans after a performance of Three Japanese Miniatures by pianist Daniel Becker.
He has received numerous national and international commissions from, amongst others, the Fromm Foundation at Harvard University, the Continuum Ensemble, a Faber Millennium Commission for Birmingham Contemporary Music Group premiered under Sir Simon Rattle, the BBC Philharmonic conducted by Vasilly Sinaisky, Hans Werner Henze and the Endymion Ensemble (in honour of Henze's 75th birthday), the Munich Biennale, the Michael Vyner Trust for the London Sinfonietta and The Opera Group.
In September 2007 Hesketh began his two year tenure as Composer in the House with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra in a scheme devised by the Royal Philharmonic Society in partnership with the PRS Foundation.
The Masque has had a varied history, certainly a varied spelling (masque, maske, even maskeling). However, the historian E.K. Chambers in his book The Medieval Stage defines the word in the following way: "A form of revel in which mummers or masked folk come, with torches blazing, into the festive hall uninvited and call upon the company to dance and dice."
The above description, I think, can also serve as a description to the piece. The main theme is certainly bravura and is often present, disguised, in the background. The form of the piece is a simple scherzo-trioscherzo. Colourful scoring (upper wind solos, trumpet and horn solos alternating with full-bodied tuttis) with a dash of wildness is the character of this piece I hope it may tease both players and listener to let their hair down a little!
- Program Note by composer
Roger Cichy has a diverse background as both a composer/arranger and a music educator. Roger holds Bachelor of Music and Master of Arts in Music Education degrees from The Ohio State University. Although both are in the area of music education, he has studied composition and arranging as a second area of concentration during both degree programs.
As a music educator, Roger was a very successful band director in Mars, Pennsylvania covering grades 5 through 12 in instrumental music. After earning his Masters degree, Roger served as Associate Director of Bands at the University of Rhode Island, and at Iowa State University where he directed the Marching Band, Concert Band, and Basketball Pep Band and taught various music courses on the undergraduate level. In 1995, he resigned his position at Iowa State University to devote full-time to composing and arranging.
As a freelance composer and arranger, Roger writes for high school and college bands, professional orchestras, and the commercial music industry. He has over 275 compositions and arrangements accredited to his name. Included in those works are several published by Kendor Music, Psyclone Music, Heritage Music, Great Works Publishing, Band Music Press, Daehn Publications, Wingert-Jones Music, MSB Publishing, C. Alan Publications and Permus Publications. His composition mentors include Edward Montgomery, Marshall Barnes, and Joseph Levey.
Roger's works include Galilean Moons, commissioned by the University of Georgia Wind Symphony and premiered at the College Band Directors National Association (CBDNA) national convention in February 1997; Colours, a six movement work commissioned by the Kansas State University Symphony Band, and make a Joyous Sound, commissioned by the Des Moines Symphony, BBC Forever!, commissioned by the Brass Band of Columbus; Wisconsin Soundscapes, commissioned by the University of Wisconsin-Superior Symphonic Band to honor the 150th anniversary of Wisconsin statehood; Bugs, commissioned by the University of St. Thomas and premiered at the North Central Regional Conference of the College Band Directors National Association; and First Flights, commissioned by the University of Georgia to commemorate the upcoming 100th anniversary of flight. First Flights has recently been released on a recording by the University of Georgia Symphonic Winds, on the Summit label.
Most recent works include Festival!, T. Rex, and Wizards, all commissioned works for wind ensemble. Roger has completed a new work, Sounds, Sketches and Ideas, commissioned by the University of St. Thomas, and is in collaboration with his 12-year-old daughter, Rebecca. Roger has taken the melodies that Rebecca has created and employed them into a full symphonic work.
Divertimento for Winds and Percussion was written as a tribute to three American composers who shared a common interest: Aaron Copland, Leonard Bernstein and George Gershwin were each intrigued with jazz, and each incorporated elements of the idiom in his own music. Roger Cichy became interested in Bernstein's writings on the influence of African-American music and the effects of jazz on the works of Copland and Gershwin. He has used the musical notes C (Copland), B (Bernstein) and G (Gershwin) to form the nucleus for much of the thematic and harmonic material in Divertimento. These three notes are dominant in three of the work's four movements.
- Program Note from score
Music for Winds and Percussion – Elliot Del Borgo
Elliot Del Borgo was an American composer and educator.
Dr. Del Borgo held a B.S. degree from the State University of New York, an Ed.M. degree from Temple University, and an M.M. degree from the Philadelphia Conservatory of Music, where he studied theory and composition with Vincent Persichetti and trumpet with Gilbert Johnson. In 1973, he was granted the doctoral equivalency by SUNY.
Del Borgo taught instrumental music in the Philadelphia public schools and was professor of music at the Crane School of Music, where he held teaching and administrative positions from 1966 to 1995. An awardwinning member of ASCAP, he was a frequent consultant, clinician, lecturer, and adjudicator in the United States and abroad. Mr. Del Borgo was an internationally-known conductor of bands and orchestras.He was elected to membership in the American Bandmasters Association in 1993.
In addition to his music for the 1980 Olympics in Lake Placid, Del Borgo published nearly 500 compositions for a variety of media. His music reflects the aesthetics of twentieth-century musical ideals through its eclectic nature and vigorous harmonic and rhythmic style.
Make our Garden Grow from “ Candide Su ite ” – Leona rd Bernstein /Clare Grundman
Leonard Bernstein was an American composer, pianist, and conductor.
Bernstein was born to Russian immigrants and attended Boston Latin School, Harvard University, and the Curtis Institute of Music. His studied with composers Edward Burlingame Hill and Walter Piston as well as conducting with Fritz Reiner. In the summers of 1940 and 1941 he studied conducting at Tanglewood with Serge Koussevitzky along with Frederick Fennell, Lukas Foss, and Walter Hendl. He become assistant conductor of the New York Philharmonic in 1943 and it was in this role he became famous by filling in last minute for Bruno Walter for a national broadcast on 14 November 1943.
His Symphony No. 1, "Jeremiah" was premiered by the Pittsburgh Symphony in January 1944 followed by Fancy Free and On the Town by the end of the year. These successes led to numerous opportunities overseas, including being the first American to conduct at La Scala. In 1951 he become the head of conducting at Tanglewood and seven years later became Music Director of the New York Philharmonic (1958-1969). In this position he promoted new music, developed a series of Young People's Concerts, and recorded the symphonies of Gustav Mahler but was limited in his time to compose.
Bernstein was able to compose more in the 1970s. His achievements included Kennedy Center Honor for Lifetime of Contributions to American Culture Through the Performing Arts, 11 Emmy Awards, election to the Academy of the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters, and the Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.
Clare Ewing Grundman was an American composer and arranger, one of the 20th century's most prolific and highly respected composers for band.
Grundman's schooling included Shaw High School in East Cleveland and Ohio State University (BS, 1934; MA, 1939). He also attended the Berkshire Music Center where he studied composition with Paul Hindemith. From 1937 to 1941 he taught arranging, woodwinds and band at Ohio State; during World War II he was in the Coast Guard.
Grundman credited Manley R. Whitcomb with first encouraging him to write for band and Paul Hindemith with providing practical techniques for composition. During a span of 50 years, he wrote more than 100 compositions for school, university and professional bands. His works also include scores and arrangements for radio, television, motion pictures, ballet and Broadway musicals. His music has become repertoire standards in school and college bands throughout the world. Some of Grundman's most popular band scores include American Folk Rhapsody No. 4 (1977), Norwegian Rhapsody (1979), Overture on a Short Theme (1978), The Spirit of '76 (1964), and Tuba Rhapsody (1976).
His lively, inventive compositions combined substance, playability and audience appeal, and are regarded as standard repertoires in the field. Also valuable are his settings of works by Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Copland, Gustav Holst, and Edward Elgar.
Candide was Leonard Bernstein’s third Broadway musical, following On the Town and Wonderful Town. Adapted by Lillian Hellman from Voltaire’s 18th-century satire on blind optimism, Bernstein’s Candide is an operetta set in the castle of the Baron Thunder-ten-Tronckh in the mythical European land of Westphalia. Within these walls live the Baron and Baroness; Cunégonde, their beautiful and innocent virgin daughter; Maximilian, their handsome son; Candide, their handsome bastard nephew; and Paquette, the Baroness’ buxom serving maid. They are taught by Dr. Pangloss, who preaches the philosophy that all is for the best in “The Best of All Possible Worlds.”
Candide and Cunégonde kiss, and Candide is banned from Westphalia. As he leaves, Bulgarians invade, kidnap him and slaughter everyone except for Cunégonde, who they prostitute out to a rich Jew and the Grand Inquisitor. Candide escapes and begins an optimistic, satirical journey, taking with him his sweetheart Cunégonde and Pangloss. Candide journeys to Lisbon, Paris, Buenos Aires, and even the legendary El Dorado, only to discover reality in the forms of crime, atrocity, and suffering. He returns to Venice with Cunégonde, stripped of his idealism. His ultimate emotional maturation concludes in the finale with “You’ve been a fool, and so have I, But come and be my wife, And let us try before we die, To make good sense of life. We’re neither pure nor wise nor good; We’ll do the best we know; We’ll build our house, and chop our wood, And make our garden grow.”
Opening on Broadway on December 1, 1956, Candide was perhaps a bit too intellectually weighty for its first audiences and closed after just 73 performances. Bernstein was less concerned over the money lost than the failure of a work he cared about deeply. The critics had rightly noted a marvelous score, and Bernstein and others kept tinkering with the show over the years. With each revival, Candide won bigger audiences. In 1989, the already seriously ill Bernstein spent his last ounces of vital energy recording a new concert version of the work. “There’s more of me in that piece than anything else I’ve done,” he said.
Make Our Garden Grow, has Candide realizing that the only purpose of living is to cultivate the earth and to create a garden.
- Program note by San Luis Obispo Wind Orchestra concert program, 12 May 2012
The Frozen Cathe dr al – John John Mackey
John Mackey is an American composer.
Mackey holds a Master of Music degree from The Juilliard School and a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music, where he studied with John Corigliano and Donald Erb, respectively. Mr. Mackey particularly enjoys writing music for dance and for symphonic winds, and he has focused on those media for the past few years.
His works have been performed at the Sydney Opera House; the Brooklyn Academy of Music; Carnegie Hall; the Kennedy Center; Weill Recital Hall; Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival; Italy's Spoleto Festival; Alice Tully Hall; the Joyce Theater; Dance Theater Workshop; and throughout Italy, Chile, Japan, Colombia, Austria, Brazil, Germany, England, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States.
John has received numerous commissions from the Parsons Dance Company, as well as commissions from the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra, New York City Ballet’s Choreographic Institute, the Dallas Theater Center, the Alvin Ailey Dance Company, the New York Youth Symphony, Ailey 2, Concert Artists Guild, Peridance Ensemble, and Jeanne Ruddy Dance, among many others. Recent and upcoming commissions include works for the concert bands of the SEC Athletic Conference, the American Bandmasters Association, and the Dallas Wind Symphony.
As a frequent collaborator, John has worked with a diverse range of artists, from Doug Varone to David Parsons, from Robert Battle to the U.S. Olympic Synchronized Swim Team. (The team won a bronze medal in the 2004 Athens Olympics performing to Mackey's score Damn.)
John has been recognized with numerous grants and awards from organizations including ASCAP (Concert Music Awards, 1999 through 2006; Morton Gould Young Composer Award, 2002 and 2003), the American Music Center (Margaret Jory Fairbanks Copying Assistance Grant, 2000, 2002), and the Mary Flagler Cary Charitable Trust (Live Music for Dance commissioning grants, 1998, 1999, 2000, and 2005). He was a CalArts/Alpert Award nominee in 2000.
In February 2003, the Brooklyn Philharmonic premiered John’s work Redline Tango at the BAM Opera House, with Kristjan Jarvi conducting. John made a new version of the work for wind ensemble in 2004 Mackey's first work for wind band and that version has since received over 100 performances worldwide. The wind version won the 2004 Walter Beeler Memorial Composition Prize, and in 2005, the ABA/Ostwald Award from the American Bandmasters Association, making John the youngest composer to receive the honor.
In 2009, John's work Aurora Awakes received both the ABA/Ostwald Award and the NBA William D. Revelli Composition Contest.
John served as a Meet-The-Composer/American Symphony Orchestra League "Music Alive!" Composer In Residence with the Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphony in 2002-2003, and with the Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra in 2004-2005. He was Composer In Residence at the Vail Valley Music Festival in Vail, Colorado, in the summer of 2004, Composer In Residence at the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music in August 2005. He has held college residencies at Florida State, University of Michigan, Ohio State, Arizona State, University of Southern California, University of Texas, among many others. Mr. Mackey served as music director of the Parsons Dance Company from 1999-2003.
To entertain himself while procrastinating on commissions, John is a photography enthusiast.
The Koyukon call it Denali, meaning “the great one,” and it is great. It stands at more than twenty thousand feet above sea level, a towering mass over the Alaskan wilderness. Measured from its base to its peak, it is the tallest mountain on land in the world, a full two thousand feet taller than Mount Everest. It is Mount McKinley, and it is an awesome spectacle. And it is the inspiration behind John Mackey’s The Frozen Cathedral.
The piece was born of the collaboration between Mackey and John Locke, Director of Bands at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Locke asked Mackey if he would dedicate the piece to the memory of his late son, J.P., who had a particular fascination with Alaska and the scenery of Denali National Park. Mackey agreed, and immediately found himself grappling with a problem: He had never been to Alaska.
How could I tie the piece to Alaska, a place I'd never seen in person? I kept thinking about it in literal terms, and I just wasn’t getting anywhere. My wife, who titles all of my pieces, said I should focus on what it is that draws people to these places. People go to the mountains these monumental, remote, ethereal and awesome parts of the world as a kind of pilgrimage. It’s a search for the sublime, for transcendence. A great mountain is like a church. “Call it The Frozen Cathedral,” she said.
I clearly married up.
The most immediately distinct aural feature of the work is the quality (and geographic location) of intriguing instrumental colors. The stark, glacial opening is colored almost exclusively by a crystalline twinkling of metallic percussion that surrounds the audience. Although the percussion orchestration carries a number of traditional sounds, there are a host of unconventional timbres as well, such as crystal glasses, crotales on timpani, tam-tam resonated with superball mallets, and the waterphone, an instrument used by Mackey to great effect on his earlier work Turning. The initial sonic environment is an icy and alien one, a cold and distant landscape whose mystery is only heightened by a longing, modal solo for bass flute, made dissonant by a contrasting key, and more insistent by the eventual addition of alto flute, English horn, and bassoon. This collection expands to encompass more of the winds, slowly and surely, with their chorale building in intensity and rage. Just as it seems their wailing despair can drive no further, however, it shatters like glass, dissipating once again into the timbres of the introductory percussion.
The second half of the piece begins in a manner that sounds remarkably similar to the first. In reality, it has been transposed into a new key and this time, when the bass flute takes up the long solo again, it resonates with far more compatible consonance. The only momentary clash is a Lydian influence in the melody, which brings a brightness to the tune that will remain until the end. Now, instead of anger and bitter conflict, the melody projects an aura of warmth, nostalgia, and even joy. This bright spirit pervades the ensemble, and the twinkling colors of the metallic percussion inspire a similar percolation through the upper woodwinds as the remaining winds and brass present various fragmented motives based on the bass flute’s melody. This new chorale, led in particular by the trombones, is a statement of catharsis, at once banishing the earlier darkness in a moment of spiritual transcendence and celebrating the grandeur of the surroundings. A triumphant conclusion in E-flat major is made all the more jubilant by the ecstatic clattering of the antiphonal percussion, which ring into the silence like voices across the ice.
The Frozen Cathedral was commissioned by The University of North Carolina, Greensboro; The University of Michigan; Michigan State University; University of Florida; Florida State University; University of Georgia; University of Oklahoma; The Ohio State University; University of Kentucky; Arizona State University; and
Metro State College. The work received its world premiere on March 22, 2013, with the University of North Carolina Greensboro Wind Ensemble, conducted by John Locke.
- Program note by Jake Wallace
Ron Ellis Notes
Masque
This piece holds a special place in my heart as it was the first piece I conducted with the UTSA Wind Ensemble. In 2011, I had the immense honor of joining colleague and UTSA Band Director Emeritus Dr. Robert Rustowicz for their performance at the College Band Directors National Association Convention. The memory of standing before that ensemble, and him trusting and supporting me, remains etched in my mind, and I will forever cherish that moment.
Cichy Divertimento
Two works have left a lasting impression on me throughout my university years in music. The first is Symphony No. 6 by Vincent Persichetti, which had a profound impact during high school when I performed it under the baton of Roger Green. Later, at the University of Florida, it was the first piece I played with the UF Symphonic Band under Gerald Poe.
The second work came later when I found my musical home at the University of Central Florida with Director of Bands Richard Greenwood: Cichy’s Divertimento for Winds and Percussion. Until that time, I never thought a piece could excite me like Persichetti, especially a composer who “I” didn’t know about. Immediately,
I was captivated by the clever use of percussion, which adds texture and color throughout, beautifully complementing the wind instruments while enhancing the rhythmic drive. Each movement showcases different aspects of the ensemble, offering moments of lyricism, playfulness, and intensity that keep both performers and audiences engaged.
What I particularly love about this Divertimento is how Cichy skillfully balances traditional forms with contemporary influences. Its engaging contrasts, rhythmic energy, and rich orchestration create a dynamic experience that resonates deeply with me, making it a favorite in the wind band repertoire. To top it off, I was thrilled to discover his clever incorporation of the notes C-G-B as a dedication to Copland, Gershwin, and Bernstein (also incredibly important composers in my musical journey) in each movement definitely a moment that made me geek out!
Musi c for Winds and Percussion
Elliot Del Borgo's composing career coincided with a significant period of growth and evolution in concert band music, particularly in American public schools. During the mid-20th century, the concert band became an increasingly important part of music education, moving beyond traditional marches and transcriptions of orchestral works toward original compositions that explored new styles and techniques. Del Borgo contributed to this shift by creating accessible yet musically sophisticated works that catered to both educational and performance contexts.
His music resonated with school band programs due to its clear structure, engaging rhythmic elements, and opportunities for teaching fundamental musicianship. Del Borgo’s compositions, such as Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night and The Canterbury Tales, are regarded as staples in the concert band repertoire. These works not only challenged young musicians but also provided rewarding experiences for both performers and audiences.
Historically, Del Borgo played an important role in expanding the concert band repertoire at a time when educational institutions sought music that could both develop students' technical abilities and inspire artistic expression. His blend of traditional harmonic language with modern rhythmic vitality made his works enduring favorites in school bands, firmly establishing him as a key figure in the development of concert band music in public education.
Regarded as one of Del Borgo's best works, Music for Winds and Percussion is a dramatic, vigorous composition which exploits the potential of the symphonic band with striking effects.
It was also the one of the first pieces I played in the Baypoint Middle School Falcon Band, for contest in 8th grade (straight superiors, of course) under the baton of Roger Green.
Make our Garden Grow
Bernstein’s music has always resonated deeply with me as does his story. And as tonight’s concert is a tribute to mentors, and influences who have shaped our musical journeys those who have planted the seeds of inspiration within us. A shining example of this theme is Leonard Bernstein's Make Our Garden Grow, a powerful finale from his operetta Candide
This piece resonates deeply with me as it beautifully illustrates the transformative power of nurturing and growth. Under the direction of my esteemed mentor, Roger Green, who has been instrumental in my own development, we not only honor Bernstein's timeless message but also recognize the profound impact he has had on my life.
The poetry of having Roger conduct this piece is not lost on me. His unwavering belief in his student’s potential and dedication to fostering my love for music have helped me cultivate my own garden of creativity. Just as a garden flourishes with care, I have grown through Roger’s impact and resonance of my musical beginnings.
The Fro zen Cathedral –
Performance ded icated to Fernando Perez and R o ger Green
John Mackey’s music is amazing. His pieces are exciting, provocative, inspiring, and really really hard. His contributions to the wind band are significant and have pushed this art-form forward. I have had the pleasure and challenge of conducting some of his largest works with the UTSA Wind Symphony in my tenure, and two of his works stand out as pieces that are special to me.
The first, is the second movement from his symphony for band “Wine-Dark Sea.” In this poignant second movement of Wine-Dark Sea, “Immortal thread, so weak,” John Mackey invites us into the soul-stirring world of Kalypso, the immortal nymph who discovers Odysseus washed ashore. As she tends to his broken body, a profound love blossoms between them one that is both intoxicating and tormenting.
In contrast, Frozen Cathedral invites us into an expansive exploration of isolation and transcendence. The stark, icy imagery evokes a sense of solitude, mirroring the human experience against the backdrop of nature’s vastness. The longing expressed here is less about personal relationships and more about an existential quest for understanding. This movement evokes a spiritual connection to the grandeur of the world, encouraging listeners to reflect on their place within it. This is why Frozen Cathedral resonates with me as his best work.
Over the years, I have developed a different “take” on his piece that I use to inform my decisions. And I think works well for tonight’s concert.
My take on his work sets our music space as the actual “Cathedral.”
Tonight, we gather in our own “frozen cathedral” a concert hall where friendships and memories are both celebrated and stored. This space serves as a sacred vessel, much like the majestic Denali, inspiring awe and reflection as we remember those we’ve lost and the joyful moments we’ve shared.
In light of the recent passing of our student, Fernando, an aspiring percussionist, we dedicate this performance not only to the memory of J.P. Locke, whose fascination with Alaska inspired John Mackey's Frozen Cathedral, but also to the cherished moments Fernando brought into our lives. As Mackey’s work unfolds, we are invited into an ethereal soundscape that mirrors the heights of Denali towering, cold, and breathtaking. The piece begins with glacial tones, evoking an icy wilderness, yet it ultimately transforms into a celebration of warmth, nostalgia, and joy, reminding us of the beauty that exists even in the face of sorrow.
Adding depth to this moment is the presence of Roger Green, a profound influence on my life and the lives of countless students. His eternal impact is felt in every note we play tonight. Just as Frozen Cathedral transitions from desolation to catharsis, Roger’s unwavering support and guidance have helped me and many others navigate our own journeys through music and life. His presence in this "cathedral" serves as a testament to the seeds of inspiration he has planted and the lasting friendships forged under his mentorship.
As we perform this piece, let us honor Fernando's spirit, the indelible mark Roger has left on our community, and the connections that continue to shape us. May we embrace this moment together, allowing the music to bridge our pasts and our futures, celebrating the beauty of those we’ve lost and the mentors who have guided us along the way.
