New Music Festival 2024- UTSA Wind Symphony and Symphonic Band

PROGRAM

THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT SAN ANTONIO COLLEGE OF LIBERAL AND FINE ARTS SCHOOL OF MUSIC PRESENTS:

UTSA Symphonic Band and Wind Symphony

John Zarco and Ron Ellis

Monarch Migration (2023)

Nubia Jaime-Donjuan Consortium Premiere Performance (b. 1984)

Pteropod Terrors (2023)

Brandon Davis

World Premiere Performance - Winner, 2024 UTSA New Music Festival “Call for Scores” (b. 1998)

(in)Justice Now (2024)

Thomas Yee

World Premiere Performance (b. 1992)

March in G (2024)

Manuel Flores

World Premiere Performance - Honorable Mention, 2024 UTSA New Music Festival “Call for Scores” (b. 2005)

Overture No. 1 (2023)

Aidan Ramos

World Premiere Performance - Winner, 2024 UTSA New Music Festival “Call for Scores” (b. 2004)

When the Winds Speak (Cuando Hablan los Vientos) (2023)

Arturo Rodriguez Consortium Premiere Performance (b. 1976)

Rachel Woolf and Linda Jenkins, flute soloists

Suddenly the Lighted Living Hills (2024)

Jared Worman

World Premiere Performance - Honorable Mention, 2024 UTSA New Music Festival “Call for Scores” (b. 1999)

University of Texas at San Antonio Symphonic Band

F l u t e / P i c c o l o

Joaquin Carcamo

Music Education (Houston, TX)

Lauren Garcia

Music Education (San Antonio, TX)

Marisa Knopf

Music Education (San Antonio, TX)

Kylie Nix

Music Education (Cedar Creek, TX)

Andrew Przybyla

Music Education (San Antonio, TX)

O b o e

Makayla Aguilar

Music Education (San Antonio, TX)

Logan Odom

Music Education (Kyle, TX)

C l a r i n e t

Joshua Avalos

Music Education (San Antonio, TX)

Orlando Barron

Music Education (Boerne, TX)

Connor Boyson

Music Education (Helotes, TX)

Sarah Hamm

Music Education (Stafford, VA)

Jaden Hernandez

Music Composition (San Antonio, TX)

DeShona Jernigan

Music (Marshall, TX)

A l t o S a x o p h o n e

Sam Bowman

Music Education (Austin, TX)

Esau Hernandez

Music Education (Cedar Creek, TX)

Bryson Vincent

Music Education (Georgetown, 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

Rachel Blakeney

Music Education (Harker Heights, TX)

H o r n

James Gonzales

Music Education (San Antonio, TX)

Francis Maille

Music Education (San Antonio, TX)

Myrna Ramirez

Music Education (Lufkin, TX)

David Valdez

Music Education (San Antonio, TX)

Scott West

Music Education (Helotes, TX)

T r u m p e t

Kenedy Cardenas

Music Education (San Antonio, TX)

Xavier Contreras

Music Education (San Antonio, TX)

Alissa Esper

Communications (Boerne, TX)

Normandy Morzynski

Physics (Montgomery, TX)

Yoshi Murillo

Special Education (Universal City, TX)

Daniel Vazquez

Music Education (Los Angeles, CA)

T r o m b o n e

Molly Busch

Mechanical Engineering (Austin, TX)

Brandin Castillo

Music Education (San Antonio, TX)

Caroline Foster

Music Education (San Antonio, TX)

B a s s T r o m b o n e

Thomas Gonzales-Mata

Music Education (Corpus Christi, TX)

E u p h o n i u m

Finley Farrar

Music Education (San Antonio, TX)

Michael Hernandez

Music Education (Kyle, TX)

Aidan Ramos

Music Composition (San Antonio, TX)

T u b a

Frankie Rodriguez

Music Education (San Antonio, TX)

Christian Tapia

Music Education (San Augustine, TX)

Mikelis Teteris (SSG, USA. Ret.)

Music Education (Wildomar, CA)

P e r c u s s i o n

Erin Faehnle

Music Education (Marble Falls, TX)

Adam Jackson

Music Education (San Antonio, TX)

Gabriel Leal

Music Marketing (San Antonio, TX)

Juan Martinez

Music Education (Laredo, TX)

Fernando Perez

Music Education (Weslaco, 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 M u s i c i a n s

Brendan Tsai, bassoon

Jared Worman, bassoon

Michael Summers, bass clarinet

Heri Ayma, double bass

B a n d S t a f f

Jordan Rodriguez, music librarian

Jared Worman, music librarian

Brandin Castillo, manager

Alissa Esper, manager

Caroline Foster, manager

DeShona Jernigan, manager

Logan Odom, manager

Aidan Ramos, manager

David Valdez, manager

Roster is listed alphabetically to emphasize the important contribution made by each musician.

University of Texas at San Antonio Wind Symphony

Flute / Piccolo

Hannah Benitez

Zackery Cuellar

Jazmine Dearlove

Jordan Rodriguez

Abigail Valadez

Oboe

August Naranjo

Julian Rivera

Bassoon

Brendan Tsai

Jared Worman (also Contra Bassoon)

Clarinet

Sikander Ahmed

Kali Crist

Joel Hernandez

Kenedy Lerma

Madilynne Mohr (M)

Brenda Reynoso

Joanna Sanchez

Bass Clarinet

Michael Lee Summers

Alto Saxophone

1 Makenzi Costa

2 Gabriel Campa

Tenor Saxophone

Brianna Castilla

Baritone Saxophone

Nicholas Zars

Horn

Brandon Bayer

Macy Harminson

Caleb Jones

Noe Loera

Andrew Ramirez

Band Staff

Jordan Rodriguez - Music Librarian

Jarred Worman - Music Librarian

Trumpet

Chris Barrera

Jay Hidrogo

Caleb McDonald

Gustavo Medrano

Raymon Saldana

Myles Thornton (M)

Karim Vazquez

Trombone

Eva Ayala

Andrew Garcia

Ethan Gomes (M)

Jayden Zunker-Trevino

Bass Trombone

Javier Lopez

Euphonium

Alex Guzman

Brandon Ichavez (G)

Tuba

Matthew Bruns (M)

Kenyon McCrary (M)

Percussion

Zachary Cook

Gregory Felter

Nicolas Morales

Rebecca Palmer

Mark Sawyer

Charles Settles

Meaghan Trevino (GA)

Double Bass

Heriberto Ayma

Organ

Scott Rushforth

Guest Musicians

Sarah Hamm – Bass Clarinet

Ethan Aguilar - Piano

Graduate Assistants/Band Managers

Graduate students are listed with (G) above

Graduate Assistants are listed with (GA) above Band Managers are listed with (M) above

J ohn Za 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.

R o n E l l i s serves as Director of Bands and Associate Professor of Music at the University of Texas at San Antonio. Prof. Ellis conducts the UTSA Wind Ensemble, UTSA Symphonic Band, UTSA University Band, and the UTSA Athletic Bands. His responsibilities also include teaching graduate and undergraduate courses in conducting, wind literature, and music education. A nationally recognized guest conductor, adjudicator, and composer/arranger, his works for concert band, orchestra, and choir are performed by university, community, high school, and professional wind bands as well as in Carnegie Hall. He currently serves as a music educator for Walt Disney Attractions Entertainment in Orlando, FL, where he has directed the Toy Soldiers and the student musician program since 1993

He is a member of the College Band Directors National Association, Texas Music Educators Association, Texas Bandmasters Association, Florida Music Educators Association, Florida Bandmasters Association, and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Music Fraternity. He is also an honorary member of Kappa Kappa Psi, Tau Beta Sigma, and Pi Kappa Lambda. Prof. Ellis received his Bachelor of Arts in Trombone Performance from the University of Central Florida and a Master of Music in Wind and Orchestra Conducting from the University of South Florida, where he was a conducting student of William Wiedrich.

Nu bi a J a i me - Don j u a n is a Mexican cellist and composer. Jaime-Donjuan began her cello studies at the age of six, and was a member of the Sonora Youth Symphony Orchestra. She continued his professional studies at the University of Sonora, studying composition with Arturo Márquez and Alexis Aranda, orchestration with David H. Bretón, and master class in composition with Brian Banks at UDLAP. Her music has been performed by the Orquesta Filarmónica de Sonora, Orquesta Sinfónica del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Dartmouth College Wind Ensemble of the National Polytechnic Institute, Dartmouth College Wind Ensemble, The Valley Winds, and University of Houston Wind Ensemble, among many others.

As a composer and performer, she is part of the project "Las Montoneras", which brings together the work of the work of women composers, performers and researchers, seeking to make visible the work of women in the musical women in the musical scene of the country. She is composer-in-residence with the Dartmouth College Wind Ensemble and the Tzintz Philharmonic Orchestra. Jaime-Donjuan navigates between two worlds, composition and performance, being cellist of the Quinteto Pitic, beneficiary of the FONCA 2021-2022, and founder of the Orquesta Philharmonic Orchestra of Sonora, where she currently serves as co-principal cellist.

Br a n don Da v i s is a Music Composition student minoring in Music Technology who hopes to one day compose music for primarily video games, but also music for other types of media too. He grew up playing video games, which inspired

him to study music and learn how it was made. He looks to especially get into Virtual Reality games, where the use of spatial technology is prevalent and filled with yet unexplored musical experiences. He has a huge interest on anything ocean and space-related. wuw

T h o ma s B. Y e e completed his DMA at the University of Texas at Austin and is Lecturer of Music Theory at the University of Texas at San Antonio. Some composers found their love of music at the symphony hearing Brahms or Beethoven

Yee discovered his from the beeps and boops of the family Super Nintendo. As a composer, his artistic mission is to transmute meaningful human stories into immersive, transformative musical works. Yee's music of Holocaust remembrance synthesizes his fierce commitment to musical meaning with a passion to spotlight acts of racial injustice throughout history and the world. Similarly, his research in music semiotics and ludomusicology explores the creation and interpretation of music as a meaningful, communicative, and quintessentially human activity.

Yee's opera Eva and the Angel of Death presents the powerful story of Holocaust survivor and educator Eva Mozes Kor, and will premiere starring Page Stephens in Austin, TX. His work has been performed by the NOW Ensemble, Ensemble Mise-En, Density512, Hear No Evil, Indiana University Symphonic Band, University of Texas at Austin New Music Ensemble, Kansas State University Percussion Ensemble, and Mary Pickford Ensemble. Yee has been honored as a finalist in the ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer Awards, ISCM World Music Days, and winner of the Hear No Evil and Voices of Change Composition Competitions His scholarship has appeared in the United States and internationally in journals, conferences, and a forthcoming monograph on musical meaning in video game soundtracks. His musical mentors include Donald Grantham and Nina C. Young in composition, Robert Hatten in music theory, and Jerry Junkin in conducting. Yee lives in Austin, Texas and can often be found cooking gourmet cuisine from the "Yee Bistro" with his wife Tori or on walks with their affectionate dog, Cassie the Kelpi.

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Ma n n y F l or e s is a first-year composition student here at UTSA. He studies composition under Dr. Ethan Wickman and classical saxophone under Dr. Rami El-Farrah. Flores also has experience with jazz guitar, as he plays in the UTSA Jazz Combo directed by Dr. Chris Villanueva Flores plans on pursuing a minor in Jazz Studies in the near future. After graduation, he would like to write music for video games as well as films.

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Ai d a n R a mo s is a current UTSA Music Composition student, class of 2026. Ramos’ musical journey began in middle school when he got involved with my band program. He began to write music in the 7th grade and had his first chamber piece and band piece premiered From there, Ramos continued to write on his own time in high school, even writing a piece for his high school band. It was in his senior year where Ramos decided to pursue a degree in music composition, eventually choosing to study at UTSA. Since coming to UTSA, Ramos has had an amazing experience with the music program and appreciates being in an environment where collaboration with other musicians provides regular opportunities to get music performed. Currently, Ramos has had two chamber music compositions premiered and he plans to continue writing and making music for the remainder of his degree program.

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Ar t u r o R o d r í g u e z is a Mexican composer, conductor and pianist living in Los Angeles. After his debut as a piano soloist at age 15, Rodríguez has had an active career as a pianist, composer and conductor. At age 17, he was the youngest recipient of México’s Mozart Medal, awarded by the Austrian Embassy in that country. He studied piano with Van Cliburn gold medalist José Feghali and orchestral conducting with Germán Gutiérrez and Stanley DeRusha.

Following his piano and conducting studies at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth (TX) and Butler University (IN), he studied film scoring at the Aspen Music Festival, the ASCAP Film Scoring Workshop in Hollywood, and was a composer fellow at the Sundance Music Institute. He was also assistant conductor for maestro John Williams for his Film Night concerts in Tanglewood with the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 2012. Rodríguez's first two symphonic

works, Mosaico Mexicano and From Earth to Mars, were premiered while he was still an undergraduate in college. His works have been performed and recorded by orchestras around the world like Philharmonia Orchestra, Boston Pops, San Francisco Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony and by most major orchestras in México.

In Hollywood, Rodríguez has worked as conductor for major films like Furious 7 and IT Chapter 2. and has orchestrated music for films like Lights Out and the Oscar-winning documentary Free Solo. He has collaborated with the San Francisco Symphony for their Día de los Muertos concerts and has made orchestral arrangements for Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic for their Noche de Cine and Power to the People concerts.

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J a r ed Wor ma n is a music education student at UTSA. He’s performed with a wide range of ensembles ranging from full orchestra to jazz combos. He got his start writing music by “pushing buttons” on his parents copy of Finale music software. In high school he began arranging stand tunes for the marching band to play and continued this into his time at UTSA. He’s done some arranging and transcribing for wind band, but “Suddenly the Lighted Living Hills” is Jared’s first original work to be premiered for this instrumentation.

S o l o i s t s

Dr. R a c h e l Wo o l f serves as Assistant Professor of Flute at the University of Texas at San Antonio School of Music. Accomplished as a multidimensional artist, Rachel is Principal Flute with the Victoria Bach Festival, flutist in Dallas based symphonic pop rock band, The Polyphonic Spree, regularly performs as Principal Flute with the San Antonio Philharmonic, and has performed and recorded with the United States Air Force Band of the West. She has performed at the National Flute Association Convention (NFA) eight times, and in the 2022 and 2023 conventions was a featured performer on the Friday Night Gala Concert. Additionally, she has been a featured artist at the 2023 North American Saxophone Alliance Convention (NASA), the International Clarinet Association, ClarinetFest, and College Music Society’s National Conference. Actively engaged with programming new and diverse works, her flute and marimba duo, Duo 彩 Aya, has commissioned four new works for flute and marimba for performances across the United States and Japan in the 2023-2024 season. Rachel has performed with Swedish-Argentinian indie folk singer Jośe González, multi-platinum operatic pop superstars Il Divo, GLEE and Emmy-winning Darren Criss, and has recorded with GrammyWinning producer John Congleton on experimental rock band Swans regard, The Glowing Man (2016). Not one to be boxed by notes on a page, she has sought out an array of opportunities to improvise from freeform to jazz to Indian ragas. Notably, she was selected to perform traditional Hindustani North Indian flute during the Dalai Llama’s visit to Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Under her leadership, the UTSA Flute Ensemble has been invited to perform twice at the National Flute Association Convention (NFA 2020, 2021) and at the Texas Music Educators Association Convention (TMEA 2023), the Austin Flute Festival (2022), the Texas Flute Society Festival (2021), and the San Diego Flute Guild Festival (2021). In 2021, Rachel commissioned four compositions for the UTSA Flute Ensemble to perform at NFA, three by UTSA alumni composers. Rachel previously taught flute and chamber music at Brookhaven College and extensively across the DFW metroplex. She has given masterclasses, recitals, and clinics at The University of Michigan, The University of Alabama, The University of Texas at Austin, The University of Wisconsin-Madison, Bowling Green State University, University of Oregon, SUNY Potsdam, Lamar University, Baylor University, Oklahoma State University, Texas Lutheran University, Grand View University, and Central College. She has been a Guest Artist Teacher at Texas A & M Commerce and has given clinics and recitals at the Austin Flute Society’s Festival, Texas Flute Society’s Festival, Texas Summer Flute Symposium, Floot Fire camps, among others. She has also been on judging panels for the NFA High School Soloist Competition, Texas Music Education’s Association (TMEA) All-State Convention, NFA Collegiate Flute Choir Competition, Myrna Brown Competition (Texas Flute Society), and VOCE Competition (San Diego).

An avid champion of contemporary music, Rachel has been a founding member of multiple new music groups in Ann Arbor and Los Angeles and has premiered numerous new works for flute and piccolo, including Paul Schoenfield’s

Psychobird (A Sonatina for Piccolo and Piano) with Paul Schoenfield on piano She can be heard premiering works by William Bolcom and Jennifer Higdon on the widely released Classical Structures with the University of Michigan Symphony Band on Equilibrium Records. Additionally, she can be heard playing principal and bass flute on the GIA Windworks label, Canvases and Offerings, with the UNT Wind Symphony.

Beyond her performances across the United States, she has performed in Sweden, Finland, Russia, Italy, Luxembourg, Germany, France, England, and Canada. She received her Bachelor of Music at the University of Michigan, obtained her Master of Music at Bowling Green State University, where she was the flute Teaching Assistant, and completed her Doctor of Musical Arts at the University of North Texas as a Teaching Fellow with a related field in Ethnomusicology. She has studied under the tutelage of Amy Porter, Dr. Conor Nelson, Terri Sundberg, Dr. James Scott, Marianne Gedigian, and Karen Reynolds.

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L i nda J enk i ns is an ardent collaborative musician and educator recently based in Denton, TX. She frequently collaborates with local composers as a soloist and chamber musician and can be heard playing with various ensembles in the Dallas-Ft. Worth Metroplex.

Linda is thrilled to join the music faculty at The University of Texas at San Antonio for Fall 2023 as a part-time Flute instructor, having taught flute at North Central Texas College and a variety of secondary schools in Plano and HEB ISD during her time in Denton. She competed live on a number of regional and national flute stages, including the NFA 2023 Young Artist Competition. Linda has recently been a guest performer at NFA, as well as the MidAtlantic, Atlanta, and Florida Flute Association Festivals. Her teachers have included Terri Sundberg, Molly Barth, Conor Nelson, Elizabeth McNutt, and Amy Taylor.

Linda was named Honorable Mention in the final round of Oklahoma Flute Society’s 2022 Young Artist Convention as well as in the Rochester Flute Association’s Piccolo Artist Competition in 2020. That year she was a finalist in the Central Ohio Flute Association’s Young Artist Competition, although the live final round was cancelled. In 2019 she was named first prizewinner of Atlanta Flute Club’s Carl D. Hall piccolo competition and presented a recital at the AFC’s Annual Flute Convention. Linda has been a guest performer at the biennial Oregon Bach Festival’s Composer Symposium, SEAMUS, University of Oregon’s Musicking conference, Greater Portland Flute Society’s Spring Flute Fair, National Flute Association, and has performed in master classes for Bonita Boyd, Carol Wincenc, Jim Walker, Elizabeth Rowe, and many other notable flutists.

Linda has a B.M. from Bowling Green State University and a M.M. from the University of Oregon where she studied with Dr. Conor Nelson and Professor Molly Barth, respectively. She recently completed a Graduate Artist Certificate with Professor Terri Sundberg at the University of North Texas and is pursuing a Doctorate in Music.

Dr. Tracy Cowden, Director, School of Music

Dr. Stacey Davis, Acting Director, School of Music

Dr. Kasandra Keeling, Associate Director, School of Music

Naomy Ybarra, Administrative Services Officer 1

Steven Hill, Administrative Associate

Wesley Penix, Senior Events Manager

Rolando Ramon, Marketing Coordinator

Mr. Donald Marchand, Music Program Specialist, UTSA 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

Of her composition,

Jaime-Donjuan writes:

I have always loved animals. Since I was a child, I have felt a lot of respect and admiration for native species. I feel that we are the “invaders.” While we were feeding our bunny, “Fleur,” my daughter Violetta told me: “animals are amazing beings full of mystery, and human beings will never have the ability to fully understand them.”

When Matthew Oyen commissioned this work from me, reading the project I immediately fell in love with the possibility of creating music that could truly describe the journeys of all this majestic species. As I entered the pages of Ann Hobbie’s book, Monarch Butterflies, I started to cry as I was imagining how the action of flight or the complicity and organization of the species could “sound.” It made me shudder. Our generations have grown up with the investigations of Monarchs and their migration. We have lived with the campaigns to protect the species; some of us have had the wonderful opportunity to go out into our backyard and see one or two of these queens.

As a Mexican composer and lover of nature, I tried to portray them from their conception, birth and the arrival of physical maturity, and then I put all my effort to capture them from the beginning of their flight, from the southeast of Canada and the northeast of the United States until they reached Meico, also portraying predators and the climate changes that attack them. In short, everything went hand in hand with Ann’s book; her texts are so descriptive and poetic, as are the illiustrations by Olga Baumert.

The monarch butterfly, as well as its music, will return home. Monarch Migration is in ABCBA form. My great friend, Brian Messier, who helped connect me to this project, suggested this approach to form. This composition presents us with an “A” theme – beginning of life and development, “B” – flying over the United States, “C” – Michoacán, México, “B” – return, and “A” – end and the beginning of a new cycle.

From the bottom of my heart, I thank the Monarch Migration consortium for having commissioned this work that I will love forever.

[Program note edited from the composer]

Brandon Davis provides the following program note about his piece, P t e r o p o d T e r r o r s :

Deep, underwater, there lies a colossal pteropod. You are on a mission to find out what is at the bottom. Beware, as you might not come back.

He adds:

It came from a collection of ocean-related pieces I was trying to make. One idea that called to me the most was writing something deep underwater, so I looked up what could be down there. I thought what if I took this transparent sea slug/snail called a pteropod and made it a colossal being, feared by all who venture downwards.

[Program note from the composer] wuw

In the program notes to his music for ( i n ) J u s t i c e N o w , composer Thomas B. Yee writes:

(in)Justice Now is, quite literally, the music of my dreams. In the tumultuous summer of 2020, during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic and the summer of racial reckoning following the murder of George Floyd, my restless dreams were haunted by a yearning melody. As over 11,000 anti-AAPI (Asian American, Pacific Islander) hate incidents were reported nationwide, this same melody in my soul, like an urgent call, rose to a fever pitch along with worldwide cries for racial justice. For a brief moment in United States history, it seemed that a racially just society was not only achievable, but imminent.

Four years later, it is difficult to say much has changed – yet still the yearning call for justice remains. This piece is my meditation on the tension between pain, indignation, and hope, accentuating the fierce urgency of forging a world free from fear and discrimination. Now is the time to act. Now is the time to make justice real.

This piece is dedicated to George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Vicha Ratanapakdee, John Cheng, the eight victims of the Atlanta spa shootings, and countless other victims killed or harmed by hate crimes and systemic racism.

"We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to tak the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice."

– Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

[Program note from the composer]

Manuel Flores writes the following about his composition, M a r c h i n G :

March in G is written in its titular style. Inspired by John Phillip Sousa’s vast repertoire, I decided to try my hands at this uniquely American style. The key of G, while an atypical choice for wind band, shows off the musical prowess of the musicians and the ensemble as a whole. The form of the work is in the typical march structure with multiple contrasting strains, a lightly orchestrated Trio with a sparkling piccolo feature, and a combative “dogfight” section. The piece’s final strains begin with a much slower version of the Trio which accelerates into the last phrase. As Sousa had written primarily in the late 19th and early 20th centuries (during which railroad travel had reached the height of its popularity) I imagine a large locomotive leaving a station. Slowly chugging its cast iron frame until it reaches its ultimate and glorious speed.

[Program note from windrep.org and the composer]

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Of his piece, O v e r t u r e N o 1 , Aidan Ramos provides the following:

Often for ballets or opera, they are preceded by a purely instrumental piece that introduces the ideas of the entire work before it begins. In a way, it's an entire story, whether told in 20 minutes or 3 hours, told in the span of one piece! I've found this to be fascinating and amazing, so I thought why not give it a try myself! From works like Bernstein's Overture to Candide, Verdi's Overture to La Forza del Destino, it's always a thrill to listen to these kinds of works! Overture No. 1 is meant to be a stand alone work that works in the same way as the many overtures of the past : a way to introduce and tell a story. And this story in particular is composed of 3 large sections, the first being a energetic and lively kind of music. We then hear a dramatic transition with the first theme being played in minor and leading us to the more moving and ecstatic section of the piece. It's after this then we transition to something more emotional and contemplative, like the characters taking a darker turn in the story. But after all that we return back to the top and end the piece with a fantastic and grand coda! Quite the journey! Who knows, maybe one of these days a larger work can come after this overture!

[Program note from the composer] wuw

When the Winds Speak(CuandoHablanlosVientos) is a composition written for two solo flutes and wind ensemble. Composer Arturo Rodriguez collaborated with Jonathan Borja, associate professor of music at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, to create a piece filled with character and virtuosity. Prof. Ron Ellis, The University of Texas at San Antonio Wind Symphony and UTSA Professor of Flute, Rachel Woolf, were contributors to this consortium-funded work.

[Program note from the composer]

I heard this “dancing” motive in my head which had this weird off-beat feel to it. This idea sat for a while until I was reading the following poem by e.e. cummings:

Composer Jared Worman includes in his program notes to S

between green mountains

sings the flinger of

fire beyond the red rivers of fair perpetual feet the sinuous riot

the flashing bacchant.

partedpetaled mouth,face delirious. indivisible grace of dancing - e.e. cummings

The music was now representative of two things: Mountains and Dancing. The mountains are depicted through harmonic stacking and melodic ascension. Dancing is portrayed through the lively percussion and woodwinds throughout and celebratory motives in the full ensemble.

The opening looks upon a grand mountain range, stacks and layers of mountains stretching into the horizon, this is shown in the very opening of the piece, layering chords one row of the ensemble at a time all the way from the high winds to the percussion. Later in the opening it is a harmonic stacking of intervals moving up from the bottom of the ensemble to the top. We then arrive at the “dancing” section where the woodwinds and percussion give us the rhythmic and tonal basis for our dance, and the low brass and winds help us climb. The middle sections of music are a sort of struggle, the things that hinder us on the way up. This abstraction is cleared as the full ensemble returns to the primary thematic material as we drive the last section of the mountain until slowly taking our final steps to the peak and celebrate as we arrive together.

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