On Friday, November 22 at 7 p.m. in beautiful Jackson Auditorium, the TLU Bands, comprised of the Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Winds, will present their second concert of the 2024-25 school year. Entitled “Mid-Century Modern,” the concert will feature classic repertoire for wind band originating in the mid-20th century.
The bands will perform music from the 1950’s, 60’s, and 70’s, which featured unique compositional devices including polytonality, alternating choirs of instruments, and unique, inventive treatments of melody. In addition, both bands will present pieces featuring the famous Shaker melody, “Simple Gifts.”
Under the leadership of Director of Bands and Baenziger Professor of Music Dr. Brett A. Richardson, the Symphonic Winds will begin the concert with Frank Erickson’s band masterwork “Toccata for Band,” and Karl King’s “Allied Honor,” a standard march in cut time. Concluding the first half of the concert will be John Zdechlik’s revision and setting of his most popular work, “Chorale and Shaker Dance II,” which features a combination of original melodies and “Simple Gifts,” using mid-20th century compositional techniques.
The second half of the concert will feature TLU’s premier wind band, The Wind Ensemble. The group will open with Walter Piston’s demanding “Tunbridge Fair,” a playful, yet jazz-influenced work that depicts the famous Tunbridge Fair in Vermont. The band will also perform a new transcription of Florence Price’s “Adoration,” composed in 1951 and originally set for organ. Next, the Wind Ensemble will present two pieces both composed around 1944: a modern version of Aaron Copland’s classic “Appalachian Spring” and Darius Milhaud’s masterwork “Suite Française,” featuring traditional French folk songs set in five movements, and presented in the order in which each province was liberated by the U.S. Army during World War II.
This will be a concert you won’t want to miss! It will be held in Jackson Auditorium beginning at 7 p.m. The performance is free and open to the public.