Wind Symphony Masterworks Concert

TICKET PRICES
$5 / Free w/ GC ID

Premieres Friday, March 31, 2023

The Sunderman Conservatory Wind Symphony, conducted by Dr. Russell McCutcheon, presents a program that spans continents, centuries, and artistic visions. From the folksingers of rural England to the mythological depths of ancient Greece, from a pioneering American composer's sacred meditation to a monster's rampage through Las Vegas, this concert celebrates both the wind band's rich heritage and its boundless creative future.

The evening opens with Adam Gorb's Bells Across the Atlantic, composed in 2012 as part of a commissioning consortium led by McCutcheon and the Sunderman Conservatory Wind Symphony. This tribute to the transatlantic exchange of wind band music celebrates the vital connections between British composers and American ensembles, honoring the advocates who have championed new music across the ocean.

Percy Grainger's monumental Lincolnshire Posy follows, widely considered his masterwork for wind band and a cornerstone of the repertoire. This 1937 piece presents six "musical wildflowers," folk songs Grainger collected in Lincolnshire, England in 1905-1906. Each movement is a musical portrait not only of the folk song itself, but of the individual singer who sang it, capturing their personality, rhythm, and style. From the lilting "Lisbon" to the fierce "Lord Melbourne" and the joyful dance-song "The Lost Lady Found," these portraits celebrate the "kings and queens of song" who preserved England's folk music heritage.

Florence B. Price's lyrical Adoration showcases the artistry of this pioneering African American composer. Originally composed for organ in 1951, the work receives new life in Cheldon Williams' 2022 transcription for wind band. Price was the first black woman to have her music performed by a major American orchestra. As critic and author Alex Ross writes, despite an impressive output of over 300 works, “[Price] is mentioned more often than she is heard,” a fact which is only now beginning to be remedied.

The program features the consortium premiere of Paul Richards' Triton's Trumpet. This brand-new work was commissioned by McCutcheon and sixteen colleagues to honor their teacher and mentor, David Waybright, Director of Bands at the University of Florida. Richards plunges listeners into the depths of Greek mythology, following the mighty Triton, son of Poseidon, through four dramatic episodes: rising from the deep to terrify giants with his fearsome shell trumpet, calming storm-tossed waves, receiving hymns of thanksgiving from the Argonauts as he transforms into a sea creature, and finally riding cerulean steeds across the waters in triumph.

The evening closes with pure entertainment: Eric Whitacre's outrageous Godzilla Eats Las Vegas! Complete with screaming musicians, marching Elvises, and styles from mambo to cheesy lounge music, this 1996 crowd-pleaser includes a tongue-in-cheek script for the audience that transforms the concert hall into a campy monster movie.

Tickets are $5.00 for adults; FREE for children 18 and under or those with a Gettysburg College ID.