The West Virginia University Wind Symphony, the university’s premier concert band, will present a concert Friday, Feb. 15, featuring special guest conductors from the High School Honor Band event being held at the Creative Arts Center.

The performance begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Lyell B. Clay Concert Theatre of the CAC and will be conducted by John Hendricks III, and Dearl J. Drury.

Hendricks is the conductor of the Wind Symphony and also serves as director of bands at WVU and assistant dean of the College of Creative Arts.

Drury is assistant director bands at WVU, and director of the WVU Marching Band, the Basketball Pep Band, the Symphonic Band and the Concert Band.

Special guest conductors include: Stephen Pratt, director of bands at Indiana University, Bloomington; Jonathan Waters, director of the Marching and Athletic Bands at The Ohio State University; and Michael Luley, director of bands at Lake Braddock Secondary School in Virginia.

The guest conductors of this concert are also guest conductors for the 34th Annual Invitational High School Honor Band event, which brings to campus 375 talented high school students from an eight-state region for a three-day event of rehearsals, master classes, and concerts.

The 45-member WVU Wind Symphony is a select group of the finest wind and percussion performers within the University. Membership is earned through audition. The Wind Symphony performs at a near-professional level presenting at least four concerts each year comprised of the finest classical and contemporary wind literature.

The Feb. 15 Wind Symphony Concert program will feature:

“Cloudsplitter Fanfare” by Jack Stamp, is a one-minute, exciting fanfare that explores the compositional techniques of dissonance, octatonic scale sets and rhythmic ostinatos.

“La Procession du Rocio” by Joaquin Turina and arranged by Alfred Reed, is a musical depiction of a festival held annually in the city of Triana near Seville, Spain. This depiction includes dancing, fireworks and a religious procession.

“Song for Band” by William Bolcom, is a beautiful medley that has some very lush and chromatic harmonies and is very reminiscent of the music of Percy Grainger.

“Circus Franticus” by Julie Giroux, is a quasi-march portrays the fast action that surrounds the excitement of the circus.

“Sonoran Desert Holiday” by Ron Nelson, is a programmatic piece that musically depicts the desert southwest, including the influences of the Native American and Hispanic peoples.

“Rest” by Frank Ticheli, is a concert adaption of Ticheli’s choral work entitled “There Will Be Rest.” Deeply felt lyricism and melodic warmth are some of the characteristics of this expressive piece.

“Praise to the Lord” by Vaclav Nelhybel, is a piece that combines the styles of the Renaissance and the Baroque with contemporary harmonies. The material is based solely from three hymns: “Praise to the Lord,” “Now Thank We All Our God” and “Doxology” (Old 100th). The piece will feature antiphonal trumpets and many special guests from Morgantown area churches.

For tickets and information, contact the WVU Box Office at (304) 293-SHOW.

-WVU-

cl/02/13/13

CONTACT: Charlene Lattea, College of Creative Arts
304-293-4359, Charlene.Lattea@mail.wvu.edu

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