The West Virginia University Wind Symphony will perform a winter concert this weekend as part of WVU s annual High School Invitational Honor Bands activities.

The Wind Symphony concert begins at 7:30 p.m. Friday (Feb. 15) in the Lyell B. Clay Concert Theatre at the WVU Creative Arts Center.

Guest conductors will be William Galvin Jr., band director at Trinity High School in Washington, Pa.; David L. Mills, director of bands at the University of Connecticut; and Samuel R. Hazo, an award-winning symphonic band composer and educator from Pittsburgh.

The program, directed by John Hendricks III , will featureTo Tame the Perilous Skiesby David Holsinger;Contre Qui, Roseby Morten Lauridsen;Overture in Cby Charles Simon Catel (edited by Richard F. Goldman and Roger Smith);Shortcut Homeby Dana Wilson;Fanfare and Allegroby Clifton Williams;Chorus Angelorumby Samuel R. Hazo; andSasparillaby John Mackey.

Perilous Skies,commissioned by the 564th Tactical Air Command Band, Langley Air Force Base, Va., received its premiere performance under the baton of Lt. Col. Lowell Graham in the fall of 1990.

Lauridsen has composed several musical settings of poems by Ranier Maria Rilke. He described these as charming, filled with gorgeous lyricism, deftly crafted and elegant in their imagery. They are primarily light, joyous and playful.

Overture in C,composed in 1792 for the Band of the National Guard, shows the French composer Catel at his best. The overture is in straightforward sonata form with a slow introduction.

Shortcut Homewas commissioned by the Hillsborough (N.J.) High School Band in celebration of the opening of a new building in 1998. A rousing fanfare that features each section of the ensemble, it draws upon various jazz styles.

Fanfare and Allegroby Williams was the first composition to win the Ostwald Award for original band literature.

Chorus Angelorum(Choir of Angels) explores how a song by a choir of angels would sound. The first note of the composition symbolizes the last moment of physical life and the first moment of spiritual life. The angelssong is both haunting and peaceful.

MackeysSasparillatells the tale of an Old West saloon; however, the specific tale seems to vary depending on the listener. Some hear a pony that goes on a joyride to Tijuana. Others suggest the song is about the Old West as viewed through the eyes of the old Warner Bros. cartoons.

For concert tickets, visit the Mountainlair or Creative Arts Center box offices or call 304-293-SHOW.