Wind ensemble will ‘wow’

The+Wind+Ensemble+rehearsing+for+the+upcoming+concert+directed+by+Scott+Meier%2C+Ph.D.

Jeanette Fournier

The Wind Ensemble rehearsing for the upcoming concert directed by Scott Meier, Ph.D.

Jeanette Fournier, Contributing Writer

The Wind Ensemble, led and conducted by Scott Meier, Ph.D, will be giving a concert on Wednesday, May 11, at 4 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center.
The ensemble, made up of about 40 instrumentalists, will be offering a variety of pieces, including one significant work, Hammersmith by Gustav Holst, as well as a newer, but equally as important, work by Mark Camphouse, Fantasia (on Black is the Color of My True Love’s Hair).
“Hammersmith is one of the top 10 wind ensemble pieces,” said Meier.
“Fantasia is a really dramatic orchestration of ‘Black is the Color of My True Love’s Hair’.”
The concert will also include a world premiere of a short piece by John Cross titled Flight of the Flutes.
John Cross, the father of Jennie Cross, a senior Music Education major, was inspired to write this piece for his daughter, Jennie, and for the three other flute seniors also graduating with Jennie this year: Kayleigh Ferguson, Navada VanTine and Sabrina Sosa.
Flight of the Flutes is a musical journey through four contrasting landscapes, in which each of the four flute soloists will play a cadenza on their “scene theme” of Water, Sky, Earth and Fire.
“The third theme was actually inspired by the theme music from the Disney ride Soarin, which is Jennie’s favorite ride,” said Cross.
“The inspiration for the piece itself came from a light show concert we saw at the World Showcase at Epcott.
After seeing how blocks of color were used with the music in the show, I wanted to compose something based on mood or color.”
The concert will include a nice variety of songs to go with the two large pieces that “serve as examples for the future high school band directors in the ensemble,” Meier said.
“About eight to 10 of the wind ensemble members are Music Education majors.”
The concert will include Fate of the Gods, a programmatic, movie-like score, as well as a piece based on a traditional Spanish song.
“We have a very exciting group of pieces,” said Meier,
“It’s a tuneful concert that will flow nicely.”
General admission tickets are $5 and student and faculty tickets are $2.