Fall Concert
Friday, October 7, 2022, at 7:30 pm, Woolsey Hall, Yale University
ALEXANDRA GARDNER
JOHN PABLO CONTRERAS DAVID HOLSINGER
CAROLYN BREMER
Perseids (2015)
Mariachitlán (2016)
On a Hymnsong of Philip Bliss (1989)
Early Light (1995)
Wayne Magee, guest conductor
~ intermission ~
JOAQUÍN RODRIGO
VIET CUONG
Adagio for Wind Orchestra (1966)
Re(new)al (2019)
I. Hydro
II. Wind III. Solar
Yale School of Music percussionists, guest artists
Jessie Chiang MM ’24
Sijia Huang MMA ’23
Makana Madeiros MM ’23
Mingyu Son MM ’24
About Tonight’s Music
Perseids (2015)
ALEXANDRA GARDNER (b. 1967)
The composer writes of her piece:
“The Perseids are a meteor shower visible in the Northern Hemisphere during the months of July and August. Each year at that time, the earth passes through a cloud of debris left from the Comet Swift-Tuttle, creating a prolific display of nat ural fireworks as the rubble enters the earth’s atmosphere and burns through the sky. For the past several years, a group of friends and I have taken a summertime trip to Ocracoke Island in North Carolina, where we spend hours every night watching this natural display of fireworks from a crow’s nest deck. Far from city lights, it is possible to see deeply into the night sky, which is punctuated by ‘shooting stars’ from every direction.
“I am fascinated by the idea of the sky as time machine—that most of what we are seeing is infinitely old, because the light from those stars has been traveling for eons. By the time it reaches our eyes, the star may have transformed completely, or it might not exist at all. Perhaps this is why the fleeting sight of a meteor feels like a special event: It is science of the present moment.
“The music of Perseids draws upon experiences of those nighttime sky-watching ses sions—the glowing band of the Milky Way, pulsing satellites moving quickly across the sky, constellations, and layers of clouds, and of course, plenty of shooting stars. Beginning with slow, overlapping layers of sound underneath a melody that works its way through the wind instruments, the music gradually coalesces into a vigorous, celebratory verse-chorus song structure.”
Mariachitlán (2016)
JUAN PABLO CONTRERAS (b. 1987)
Juan Pablo Contreras wrote Mariachitlán (Mariachiland) in 2016 as an orchestral homage to his birthplace, the Mexican state of Jalisco, where mariachi music originat ed, and rescored it for wind band in 2022. The work recounts his experience visiting the Plaza de los Mariachis in Guadalajara, the capital of Jalisco, a place where mariachis play their songs in every corner and interrupt each other to win over the crowd.
In Mariachitlán, traditional rhythms such as the canción ranchera (ranchera song) in 2/4 time (choon-tah, choon-tah), the vals romántico (romantic waltz) in 3/4 time (choon-tah-tah), and the son jaliscience (Jalisco song) that alternates between 6/8 and 3/4 time, accompany original melodies inspired by the beautiful landscapes of Jalisco. The trumpet, a traditional mariachi instrument, is featured as soloist, and the clarinets emulate the strumming patterns of vihuelas, while the contrabass and tuba growl like guitarrones.
Near the end of the piece, a policeman blows his whistle in an attempt to stop the party. However, the crowd chants “Ma riachitlán,” gradually increasing in intensity, and is rewarded with more vibrant music that ends the work with great brilliance.
On a Hymnsong of Philip Bliss (1989)
DAVID HOLSINGER (b. 1945)
On A Hymnsong Of Philip Bliss is a radical departure of style of this composer. The frantic tempos, the ebullient rhythms we associate with Holsinger are replaced with a restful, gentle, and reflective composition based on the 1876 Philip Bliss-Horatio Spafford hymn, “It Is Well with My Soul.” Written to honor the retiring principal of Shady Grove Christian Academy, On A Hymnsong Of Philip Bliss was presented as a gift from the SGCA Concert Band to Rev. Steve Edel in May of 1989.
Early Light (1995)
CAROLYN BREMER (b. 1957)
Early Light was written for the Oklahoma City Philharmonic and received its premiere perfor mance in July 1995. The material is largely derived from The Star-Spangled Banner. One need not attribute an excess of patriotic fervor in the composer as a source for this optimistic homage to our national anthem; Carolyn Bremer, a passionate baseball fan since early childhood, drew upon her feelings of happy anticipation at hearing the anthem played before ball games when writing her piece. The slapstick heard near the end echoes the crack of the bat on a long home run.
Adagio for Wind Orchestra (1966)
JOAQUÍN RODRIGO (1901-1999)
Joaquín Rodrigo lost his sight at the age of three due to an outbreak of diphtheria and an unsuc cessful surgery, yet he overcame the condition to become one of the best-known Spanish compos ers of his generation. After teaching himself to play piano, Rodrigo began lessons with Edoardo Lopez Chavarri, an eminent folklorist and composer. It was this mentor who engendered Rodri go’s enthusiasm for and love of Spanish folk music. The strong national flavor of Rodrigo’s music has been described as “a Mediterranean spirit which seems to be the essence of the historic seaport, Valencia,” his birthplace.
Adagio for Wind Orchestra, commissioned by Robert Boudreau and the American Wind Symphony, is composed of five sections of two contrasting moods. A lyrical melody flows from the upper woodwinds in the opening, middle, and closing sections, and a rhythmic, dance-like energy fills the brass in sections two and four.
Re(new)al (2019) VIET CUONG (b. 1990)
“I have tremendous respect for renewable energy initiatives and the commitment to cre ating a new, better reality for us all. Re(new)al is a percussion quartet concerto that is similarly devoted to finding unexpected ways to breathe new life into traditional ideas, and the solo quar tet therefore performs on several “found” instruments, including crystal glasses and compressed air cans. And while the piece also features more traditional instruments, such as snare drum and vibraphone, I looked for ways to either alter their sounds or find new ways to play them. For in stance, a single snare drum is played by all four members of the quartet, and certain notes of the vibraphone are prepared with aluminum foil to recreate sounds found in electronic music. The en tire piece was conceived in this way, and even the accompaniment was written these ideas in mind.
“Cooperation and synergy are also core themes of the piece, as I believe we all have to work together to move forward. All of the music played by the solo quartet is comprised of single musical ideas that are evenly distributed between the four soloists (for those interested, the fancy musical term for this is a hocket). The music would therefore be dysfunctional without the presence and dedication of all four members. For example, the quartet divvies up lightning-fast drum set beats in the second movement and then shares one glockenspiel in the last movement. But perhaps my favorite example of synergy in the piece is in the very opening, where the four soloists toast crystal glasses. We always toast glasses in the presence of others, and oftentimes to celebrate new beginnings. This is my simple way of celebrating everyone who is working together to create a cleaner, more efficient world.
“Re(new)al is constructed of three continuous movements, each inspired by the power of hydro, wind, and solar ener gies. The hydro movement transforms tuned crystal glasses into ringing hand bells as the wind ensemble slowly submerges the soloists in their sound. The second movement turns each member of the quartet into a blade of a dizzying wind turbine, playing seemingly-impossible ’90s-inspired drum and bass patterns. The closing movement simulates a sunrise and evokes the bril liance of sunlight with metallic percussion instruments. This piece was originally written with a sinfonietta accompaniment, and in its original form was commissioned for the 2017 American Music Festival by David Alan Miller and the Albany Symphony’s Dogs of Desire in partnership with GE Renewable Energy. A full orchestra version was commissioned in 2018 by the Albany Symphony, and this version for wind ensemble was commissioned by a consortium of universities and community ensembles. Heartfelt thanks to everyone who has been involved in any of the three versions of this piece.”
— Viet Cuong
YALE CONCERT BAND
About Tonight’s Guest Artists
Percussionist Jessie Chiang, from Kaohsiung, Taiwan, is currently pursuing her Master of Music de gree at the Yale School of Music under the mentorship of Robert van Sice. As a soloist and chamber musician, Ms. Chiang has performed in several renowned concert halls including the Kaohsiung Con cert Hall and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. In addition, she is passionate about sharing music with various social communities through public events and private parties.
Ms. Chiang was the winner of the 2014 Taiwan National Student Marimba Competition. In 2019, she attended the Yellow Barn Young Artist Summer Program, where she performed pio neering chamber pieces with many talented young musicians from all over the world. Following her first summer at Yellow Barn, she was again invited to attend for the next two years. In 2022, she performed with the acclaimed Percussion Collective Robert van Sice at Cornell University.
Ms. Chiang earned her Bachelor of Music degree at the Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University as a student of Robert van Sice.
A native of Shenzhen, China, percussionist Sijia Huang is currently pursuing her Master of Musical Arts degree at the Yale School of Music under the tutelage of Robert van Sice. She earned her Bachelor of Music degree as a student of Don Liuzzi, Robert van Sice, and Eric Millstein at the Curtis Institute of Music, where she was the recipient of the 2017 Avedis Zildjian Company Honorary Award.
Ms. Huang serves as principal percussionist of New Jersey’s Symphony in C and has performed as a substitute percussionist with the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra. She has participated in sev eral festivals, including the Aspen Music Festival and School, Brevard Music Center, and Juilliard Summer Percussion Seminar. She has also performed as a soloist alongside the Percussion Collective Robert van Sice with the acclaimed Curtis Symphony Orchestra and was a speaker in the 2021 Tedx ShenzhenSeniorHS event.
Makana Medeiros is a percussionist emerging as a musician participating in many genres ranging from jazz to classical to contemporary music.
As a chamber musician, Mr. Medeiros has performed with ensembles and festivals includ ing the Yale Percussion Group, New Music New Haven, Eastman Percussion Ensemble, Eastman Jazz Combos, Nief-Norf Summer Festival, and Chautauqua Festival Orchestra. He has performed with established artists in the contemporary music genre including Pamela Z, Caroline Shaw, and Eighth Blackbird. With a reputation as an advocate of contemporary music, he has held leadership positions and participated in peer-managed ensembles including Ossia New Music at the Eastman School of Music and Versicolor New Music at Yale University, both with a mission to promote in novative music of the last century.
Mr. Medeiros holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the Eastman School of Music, where he was also awarded the presti gious Performer’s Certificate and Arts Leadership Certificate. He is currently pursuing a Master of Music degree at the Yale School of Music under the tutelage of Robert van Sice.
Mingyu Son, born in Daegu, South Korea, was formerly a percussionist with the Daegu Art Sym phony Orchestra (DASO). He has won multiple competitions, including the Seoul National Univer sity Competition, the Yonsei University Competition, and the 10th Italy Fermo International Per cussion Competition. He was also awarded second prize in the 17th Jeju International Competition. Additionally, Mingyu has participated in the Young Artists Program at the Yellow Barn Summer Festival on a full scholarship, and has performed at the John F. Kennedy Center, Alice Tully Hall, and the Kimmel Center.
Mr. Son earned his Bachelor of Music degree in Percussion Performance from the Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University. He is currently pursuing a Master of Music degree at the Yale School of Music under the tutelage of Robert van Sice.
Upcoming Yale Bands Performances
•Wednesday, November 9 – 7:30 p.m Yale Jazz Ensemble Big Band, Wayne Escoffery, Music Director. Celebrating Slide Hampton and George Coleman. Featuring Hampton’s seminal octet music with new big-band orchestrations by Michael Philip Mossman, in addition to Hampton’s early works, including Frame for the Blues and others, written for The Maynard Ferguson Orchestra. Morse Recital Hall in Sprague Memorial Hall. Free/no tickets required.
• Sunday, November 13 – 2:00 p.m. Yale Concert Band, Thomas C. Duffy, Music Director. Rick Fleming (Director of Bands, Buffalo State University), guest conductor - The Alcotts (Charles Ives/trans. Richard Thurston) and Splinter (Holly Harrison). Other rep - Serenade No. 10 [Gran Partita] K. 361 (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart), Come Sunday (Omar Thomas). Trains! - Two Railroad Marches (Lamont Downes), Little Train of the Brazilian Countryman (Heitor Villa-Lobos), Ghost Train I (Eric Whitacre), and The Midnight Fire Alarm (Harry Lincoln). Woolsey Hall. Free/no tickets required.
• Friday, February 10 – 7:30 p.m. Yale Concert Band, Thomas C. Duffy, Music Director. Feat. Amen by Carlos Simon. Other repertoire TBA. Woolsey Hall. Free/no tickets required.
• Tuesday, February 14 – 5:00-6:00 p.m. Yale Concert Band, Thomas C. Duffy, Music Director. “Pre-Commute Concert.” Attend a short concert to end your workday on the right “note” before heading home. Woolsey Hall. Free/no tickets required.
• Wednesday, March 1 – 7:30 p.m. Yale Jazz Ensemble Big Band, Wayne Escoffery, Music Director. Program TBA. Morse Recital Hall in Sprague Memorial Hall. Free/no tickets required.
• Friday, April 14 – 7:30 p.m. Yale Concert Band, Thomas C. Duffy, Music Director. The Seer by Erik Santos, feat. guest artist Albert Lee, tenor. Other reperoire TBA. Woolsey Hall. Free/no tickets required.
• Tuesday, April 18 – 5:00-6:00 p.m. Yale Concert Band, Thomas C. Duffy, Music Director. “Pre-Commute Concert.” Attend a short concert to end your workday on the right “note” before heading home. Woolsey Hall. Free/no tickets required.
Fall 2022 Audience Policy: Open to asymptomati patrons with an up-to-date vaccination status. Patron should carry vaccination documentation and be prepared to show it if asked. Yale-approved masks (N95 or other ASTM style) are required for all audience members.
YALE CONCERT BAND
About the Guest Conductor
Wayne Magee is a native northeastern Ohioan, where he earned a Bachelor of Music degree, cum laude, from one of the nation’s oldest music schools, Youngstown State University’s Dana School of Music. During his time at YSU, he was privileged to perform in the University’s Symphony Orchestra America’s oldest collegiate orchestra. He later earned a Master of Science degree in Leadership Science from Northeastern University’s College of Pro fessional Studies in Boston.
Mr. Magee began his music career working with the Warren Junior Military Band, a community youth touring field and concert band composed of students from all over the state of Ohio. He later served a summer as brass and marching instructor for the Liberty High School Golden Leopards Marching Band in Youngstown, OH.
Mr. Magee is a proud Eagle Scout and holds professional affiliations, memberships with the National Eagle Scout Association (NESA), the Col lege Band Directors National Association (CBDNA), and the National Band Association (NBA). He has worked in the University of Massachusetts sys tem, serving at Massachusetts Maritime Academy since 2008, in the Residential Life and Student Services depart ment as the administrator in charge of the 7th Company student dormitory complex. He has the distinct honor of being the first director of the Pride of the Regiment, the Regimental Band, Honor Guard, and Drill Team. He also serves as adjunct management professor at Bridgewater State University (MA).
Mr. Magee is a freelance trumpeter, music educator, and conductor, and has performed in local bands, enjoying genres from gospel, jazz, Americana, to the contemporary sounds of today. He is also a passionate consul tant to many, advising leaders on developing others within their organizations, as well as internal and external best practices on effective communications, coupled with strategic planning. A published author, photographer, poet, and essayist, he has written on topics ranging from diversity, professional career development, personal growth, and personal finance.
$$$ Mexican Repertoire Initiative with two schools in Mexico City: Núcleo Integral de Composición (NICO) and CIEM
The Yale Bands have joined the Mexican Repertoire Initiative, a consortium of thirty United States university band programs, headed by Dartmouth College. This initiative has partnered with two music composition schools in Mexico City – Núcleo Integral de Composición (NICO) and CIEM to educate Mexican composers on composing for United States/International-style wind bands. Each U.S. school in the Initiative coalition will read and record a wind band piece written by one of the Mexican composers.
Tuition for the Mexican composers is $125 per person. The Yale Bands would like to subsidize tuition for at least two composition students. We invite you to join us in that effort. Checks (payable to Yale University Bands) or cash may be deposited in the receptacle at the foot of the stage. Thank you.
About the Music Director
Thomas C. Duffy is Professor (Adjunct) of Music, Director of University Bands, and Clinical Professor of Nursing at Yale University, where he has worked since 1982. He is known as a composer, a conductor, a teacher, an administrator, and a leader. His interests and research range from non-tonal analysis to jazz, from wind band histo ry to creativity and the brain. Under his direction, the Yale Bands have performed at conferences of the College Band Directors National Association and New England College Band Association; for club audiences at New York City’s Village Vanguard, Birdland, Dizzy’s Club, and Iridium; Ronnie Scott’s (London); the Belmont (Ber muda); as part of the inaugural ceremonies for President George H.W. Bush; and concertized in twenty-one countries in the course of eighteen international tours. Duffy produced a two-year lecture/performance series, Music and the Brain, with the Yale School of Medicine; and, with the Yale School of Nursing, developed a musical intervention to train nursing students to better hear and identify body sounds with the stethoscope. He combined his interests in music and science to create a genre of music for the bilateral con ductor – in which a “split-brained conductor” must conduct a different meter in each hand, sharing downbeats. His compositions have introduced a generation of school musicians to aleatory, the integration of spoken/sung words and “body rhythms” with instrumental performance, and the pairing of music with political, social, historical and scientific themes. He has been awarded the Yale Tercentennial Medal for Composition, the Elm/ Ivy Award, the Yale School of Music Cultural Leadership Citation and certificates of appreciation by the United States Attor ney’s Office for his Yale 4/Peace: Rap for Justice concerts – music programs designed for social impact by using the power of music to deliver a message of peace and justice to impressionable middle and high school students. Duffy has served as associate, deputy and acting dean of the Yale School of Music. He has served as a member of the Fulbright National Selection Committee, the Tanglewood II Symposium planning commit tee, the Grammy Foundation Music Educators Award Screening Committee, and completed the MLE program at the Harvard University Institute for Management and Leadership in Education. He has served as: president of the Connecticut Composers Inc., the New England College Band Directors Association and the College Band Directors National Association (CBDNA); editor of the CBDNA Journal, publicity chair for the World Asso ciation of Symphonic Bands and Ensembles; and chair of the Connecticut Music Educators Association’s Pro fessional Affairs and Government Relations committees. He is a member of American Bandmasters Associa tion, American Composers Alliance, the Connecticut Academy of Arts and Sciences, Connecticut Composers Incorporated, the Social Science Club, and BMI. Duffy has conducted ensembles all over the world, including the National Association for Music Education’s National Honor Band in the Kennedy Center, Washington, D.C.
(More extensive data is available at www.duffymusic.com, including a high resolution downloadable photo.)
YALE CONCERT BAND
YALE CONCERT BAND 2022-2023
THOMAS C. DUFFY, Music Director
STEPHANIE HUBBARD, Operations and Production Manager
Piccolo
Salena Huang YSEAS ’26*
Flutes
Rosa Kleinman BF ’23 principal
Emily He DC ’24*
Allie Gruber PC ’26*
Raaghav Malik BF ’26
Seb Seager SM ’23
Elijah Bakaleynik DC ’24
Peter Nelson JE ’26
Mei Hao YSEAS ’28
Oboes
Miranda Margulis-Ohnuma BR ’23* principal
Ana Rodrigues BR ’25*
Zara Ashford SY ’25
Sophia Graham DC ’26*
English Horn
Ana Rodrigues BR ’25W
Eb Clarinet
Margalit Patry-Martin GH ’24
Bb Clarinets
Jalen Li PC ’23*, Keith L. Wilson Principal Clarinet Chair †
Ben Swinchoski BF ’25*
Margalit Patry-Martin GH ’24*
Michael Cheng BK ’26
Michael Ying BK ’24
Joshua Rothbaum TD ’23
Avery Maples PC ’26
Daniel Denney ES ’24
Jessica Liu GH ’25
Alexandra Schoettler SM ’26
Peilin Lu PC ’26
Meiling Laurence BF ’26
Kayleigh Hackett SY ’25
Bb Bass Clarinet
Lloyd Van’t Hoff YSM ’23
Bassoons
Sharif Hassen ES ’26* principal
Anjali Pillai YSM ’23
Darius Farhoumand YSM ’24*
Keith Buckholz BF ’26
Contrabassoon
Darius Farhoumand YSM ’24 principal
Soprano Saxophone
Tony Ruan BF ’25
Alto Saxophones
Tony Ruan BF ’25 principal
Alina Martel TC ’23
Dennis Lee DC ’24
Felix Gong SM ’26
Bb Tenor Saxophones
Aaron Yu MC ’25 principal Esteban Figueroa MC ’25
Eb Baritone Saxophone
Michael Chen GH 23
Cornets/Trumpets
Aidan Garcia MC ’26*
Izzy Lopez MY ’23*
Risha Chakraborty SY ’25*
Josh Bialkin YSM ’23*
Shania Cordoba YSM ’23
French Horns (rotating)
Rory Bricca ES ’26*
Zane Glick ES ’26*
Kate Hall ES ’26*
Michelle Ross GH ’26* Kate Warren YSM ’23*
Trombones
Theo Haaks BR ’24*
Declan Wilcox YSM ’23*
Cody Uman MC ’25*
Euphonium
John Liu TD ’25
Tubas
Bridget Conley YSM ’23*
Julia Chen YSE ’24*
Piano
Serina Wang SY ’26
String Bass Chelsea Strayer YSM ’24
Percussion
Madeline Chun SM ’26*
Kyle Thomas Ramos MY ’26*
Max Su SY ’25*
Nate Mathew TC ’26
Nikolai Stephens-Zumbaum BF ’26*
Music Librarian
Michael Chen GH ’23
* playing on Adagio for Wind Orchestra
† Friends of Keith L. Wilson (Director of Yale Bands from 1946-1973) honored him by endowing the principal clarinet chair in the Yale Concert Band in his name. If you would like information about naming a Yale Concert Band chair, please contact the Yale Bands Office.
YALE CONCERT BAND OFFICERS
President: Alina Martel
General Managers: Theo Haaks, Tony Ruan
Publicity Chair: Seb Seager