Weather permitting, concert will feature original composition by student composer
In
its Tuesday, Feb. 28, concert, the Concert Band will match Ralph Vaughan
Williams’ 1920s “English Folk Song Suite” with the premiere of an original
composition by Matthew Masse, a junior music composition major. The concert
starts at 7:30 p.m. in the Concert Hall in the Fine Arts Center, 105 Upper
College Road, Kingston. For tickets, go to the event webpage.
Masse’s
suite, “Fictional Folk Songs,” was inspired by Vaughan Williams’ work and other
classic wind-band folk song settings, said Brian Cardany, director of the
Concert Band and Wind Ensemble.
“I am very grateful that Dr. Cardany and the Concert Band have put so much work into bringing the piece to life,” said Masse, of Richmond, who will play flute and piccolo on the composition. “Digital mockups never compare to the sound of a real ensemble, and our ensemble plays it incredibly, almost exactly how I want.”
While
an original march written by Masse was performed by The Westerly Band, this is
the first large public performance of one of his pieces, he said. At more than
12 minutes, tied together by four movements, “Fictional Folk Songs” is the
longest he’s written.
“I’ve
always loved the idea of simple folk songs being reimagined in a band/orchestra
setting to add color and complexity to known tunes,” Masse said. “It is fitting
we are playing the Williams’ piece alongside it because the audience will be
able to directly see my inspiration and how I incorporate ideas established in
the genre with my original songs.”
Bookending
the two suites, the Concert Band will perform Richard Saucedo’s “American
Bandstand,” Clifton Williams’ Symphonic Dance No. 3 (“Fiesta”), and Frank
Ticheli’s “Joy Revisited.”
The
Wind Ensemble will open the night with a variety of works by major composers
from the early 19th and early 20th centuries.
The program features Charles Ives’ suite “Old Home Days” and includes
Mendelssohn’s “Overture for Winds,” Wagner’s “Trauersinfonie” and Leonard
Bernstein’s “Slava!”
On
Thursday, March 2, the
Jazz Big Band will play original music and arrangements by
artist-in-residence Jen Allen, a visiting assistant professor at Trinity
College in Hartford. The concert is at 8 p.m. in the Concert Hall. For tickets,
go to the event webpage.
Allen,
an educator, author and active recording artist, has performed frequently in
New York and the Northeast, along with venues throughout the world. In 2011,
she was chosen as one of eight pianists from around the world to participate in
the Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Workshop at the Kennedy Center in
Washington, D.C., and she is a member of the prestigious BMI Jazz Composers
Workshop in New York City.
“One
of the things I’ve been trying to do as director of jazz studies is make sure
that diversity, equity and inclusion are part of what we do,” said Emmett
Goods, director of the Big Band. “I thought this was a unique opportunity to
turn the reins of the Big Band over to an excellent conductor and arranger to
really highlight what women are doing in jazz from that position. We don’t see
enough female composers and arrangers in jazz.”
The
Big Band will play three of Allen’s original compositions – “Begin Again,”
“Tempest on Monhegan,” and “Ajar” – along with several of her arrangements of
jazz and pop tunes, including Mulgrew Miller’s “Hand in Hand,” “Everybody Wants
to Rule the World,” and “How Deep Is Your Love.”
Emily
Redmond, a senior who plays trumpet in the band, says Allen’s compositions are
complex in the way they use harmony and build on ideas, while also blending
brass sounds by using trumpet, muted trumpet and flugelhorn at the same time.
Her arrangements, Redmond adds, respect the original pieces, but she added her
own touches in arranging them for big band.
“It
has been a pleasure to work with Jen Allen for this upcoming concert,” said
Redmond, a music history major from South Kingstown. “Being able to play a
female jazz composer’s pieces and have the opportunity to work one on one with
her has been such a great experience. It really allows the band to learn
exactly what a composer is intending for their pieces, and getting feedback
from the composer directly is very beneficial to me as a musician.”
On
Wednesday, March 8, the
Symphony Orchestra will perform its first concert of the spring at 7:30 p.m. in
the Concert Hall. For tickets, go to the event webpage. The concert will feature selections from
Aaron Copland’s ballet “Rodeo” and Mozart’s Symphony No. 40 in G minor. “Both
are thrilling pieces and all-time classics that we have thoroughly enjoyed
exploring,” said Samuel Hollister, orchestra director.
Along
with concerts by the Music Department’s major ensembles, the spring is full of
smaller shows, including student recitals, jazz combo concerts, music
convocations and other events. For a list of music events, go to the department’s events
page.