Category: Concerts

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NWWS 26th Season – “Musical Journeys”

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The theme for this year’s season will be Musical Journeys. In October, we begin our journey in New York City, a specific street in NYC in fact:  Broadway, around 42nd street, the “theater district!”  The music that emanates from this neighborhood has literally defined American Musical Theater.  But this is just the beginning of our journey.

In January, we travel north on Broadway from 42nd street to the “more established center of great art” that defines NYC: the Metropolitan Opera.  We stay only briefly before we’re off across the Atlantic to theaters in Paris, Berlin, Moscow, Vienna, Dresden, and of course the Beyreuth Festspielhaus.  You see, before there were movies, television, Nintendo, video games, and ipads, there was Opera!

In April, we’ll extend our journey in Europe for a bit longer as we experience wind Transcriptions of some of the world’s greatest music. This music was originally written for strings or other groups, but has now been arranged for wind instrument ensemble. We hope you will join us for this exciting trip!

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Spring Concert: “English Fare”

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The NWWS’s Spring concert, “English Fare,” takes place April 16, 2016, at Corbet Theatre at 7pm. This final concert of our 25th season reminds us of the roots of our American wind music heritage. Featured are works of a newer breed of composers, some of which you’ve never heard. The music, however, is pure delight!

Commissioned in 1985 for the 10th anniversary of the Bolton Youth Concert Band, Festivo was premiered at the WASBE (World Association of Symphonic Bands and Ensembles) convention in July of that year.  Many of Edward Gregson’s works for wind band have become staples in the band world.  Besides Festivo, the NWWS has performed his Tuba Concerto, and Celebration, a veritable concerto for wind ensemble.

Adam Gorb studied Music at Cambridge University and Composition at the Royal Academy of Music in London, where he graduated with the highest honors and has a PhD in Composition from the University of Birmingham. He currently is Head of School of Composition at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester. Downtown Diversions was composed for a consortium of fourteen American colleges and universities; it was premiered at the 2001 National Conference of the CBDNA (College Band Directors National Association).  Its style is witty with a subtle hint of jazz and is a tour de force for both the ensemble as well as the trombone soloist. This piece features NWWS’s own Rich Pasko on trombone.

When Lincolnshire Posy was first performed by the Milwaukee Concert Band, only three movements were performed: one, two, and four. This was because Grainger believed that the performers cared “more about their beer than the music.” As a completed work, it was premiered at the ABA (American Bandmasters Association) convention in 1937. The work of “musical wildflowers,” as Grainger referred to it, was a portrait of the singers, many of which died in poor houses. It has blossomed into a staple of the wind band repertoire.

Thanks to Hollywood, the Colonel Bogey March enjoys world-wide popularity. It was composed by Lieutenant F. J. Ricketts (a.k.a. Kenneth J. Alford), a British Army bandmaster who later became the director of music for the Royal Marines at Plymouth.

The four movements of Songs & Refrains are each based on a different folksong of various origins. Each movement can be seen to adopt a ‘micro’ theme-and-variation form, in that a melody is initially presented simply, and is then played around with. All the songs had verses that link the songs most closely to the music.

Our 25th season then concludes with Edward Elgar’s Military March No. 1 – perhaps the most often performed military march in history.

Tickets for the concert can be purchased at the door or Book ‘n’ Brush in Chehalis for $12 general admission. Kids and students are free. Children under 16 must be accompanied by paying adult. Please visit our Concerts or Tickets page for more information.

 

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Winter Concert: “Music of the Americas”

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The Northwest Wind Symphony’s Winter concert, “Music of the Americas,” takes place on February 6 at Corbet Theatre. The concert begins at 7p.m. and will feature music of North and South America.

The program begins with the staples of American concert band music – “American Overture” by Joseph Wilcox Jenkins, and “Chorale and Alleluia” by Howard Hanson, as well as works by relative newcomers Anthony Plog and Kathryn Salfelder. And of course, no concert of American music would be complete without John Philip Sousa!

The second half of our program turns south to the joyous sounds of the Fiesta! Celebrate with us as we welcome to our stage Jameson Bratcher on tuba, Dane Hurd on trumpet, and John Welsh, guest conductor.

Tickets are $12 (general admission) and can be purchased at the door or at Book ‘n’ Brush in Chehalis and Heymann Whinery in Centralia. Students are free with a paying adult. For more information, visit our Tickets or Concerts pages, or email the NWWS Secretary.

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Fall Concert: “Hollywood”

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The Northwest Wind Symphony opens its 25th season this fall on Saturday, October 24th, at 7 p.m. in Corbet Theatre on the Centralia College campus.

To begin our Silver Anniversary Season, we’re taking you to Hollywood. From the Walt Disney studio that garnered more Oscars than any other (a total of thirty-three) to the music of John Williams, we’ll walk down memory lane. Included are works of lesser known and perhaps surprising musical luminaries such as Aaron Copland, Randy Newman, Michael Giachino, and even John Phillip Sousa (yes, he did in fact write music for the movies!).

Enjoy classic movie medleys, including music from Mary Poppins, and “Days of Wine and Roses.” Fast-forward to modern spy movie music from the Leonardo DiCaprio/Tom Hanks movie, “Catch Me If You Can,” featuring Nicklas Waroff, alto saxophonist. Experience lesser-known music of famous composers Copland and Sousa. We’ll bring the evening to a close with music from Pixar hits “The Incredibles” and “A Bug’s Life,” and of course, such a concert would not be complete without the venerable “Star Wars” theme music.

Tickets are available at the door or from Book ‘n’ Brush in Chehalis. General admission tickets are $12. Children and students are admitted free with paying adult.

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“Silver Anniversary” Concert Season

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This 2015-2016 concert season marks our 25th year! The season opener this fall will feature music of Hollywood. Winter’s concert presents music of North and South America, and in the spring, we’ll wrap up our silver year with a tribute to the English heritage of concert band music.

The NWWS has a tradition of featuring fine guest artists, and our silver season won’t disappoint. Our fall concert features Nicklas Waroff, alto saxophonist, on soundtrack music from the Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks movie, Catch Me If You Can. Jameson Bratcher, tuba, and our own Dane Hurd, trumpet, play a double header on our winter concert. Another of our own, Rich Pasko, trombone, helps close our season with the modern and funky “Downtown Diversions” on our spring concert.

Mark your calendars for October 24, February 6, and April 16th. Please see our concert repertoire page for more details on programming, or our ticket page for purchasing information.

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NWWS Winter Concert – “All That Jazz”

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The Northwest Wind Symphony will be in concert at 7pm, January 24, 2015 at Corbet Theatre on the Centralia College Campus. If you prefer music with a groove or a swing, this is the show for you! Tickets are $12 for general admission and are available at the door or at Book n Brush in Chehalis. Students are admitted free; younger students must be accompanied by an adult.

The program features a mix of jazz old and new:

Shortcut Home by Dana Wilson (b. 1946)
Clarinet Concerto by Artie Shaw (1910 – 2004), arr. Daniel Heuschen
All Blues by Miles Davis, (1926 – 1991), arr. Michael Simpson
Bayou Breakdown by Brant Karrick (b. 1960)
Symphonic Dance #5  “New Generation”  by Clifton Williams (1923 – 1976)
Salute to American Jazz by Sammy Nestico (b. 1924)
Awayday by Adam Gorb (b. 1958)

The evening will begin with a fanfare of sorts. Shortcut Home is a rather elaborate fanfare that features each section of the ensemble.  Drawing upon various jazz styles, the music proclaims and cascades, always driving towards the “home” of the final C major chord! Dana Wilson holds a doctorate from the Eastman School for Music, and is currently a professor of Music in the School of Music at Ithaca College.  Known primarily for his symphonic and chamber compositions (not jazz), it is curious to note that he is a proficient jazz pianist.

Tonight’s Clarinet Concerto celebrates Artie Shaw, widely regarded as “one of jazz’s finest clarinetists of his generation. He was also an early proponent of what became known much later as “third stream” music, which blended elements of classical and jazz forms and traditions. A self-proclaimed “very difficult man,” Shaw was married eight times and his wives included actresses Lana Turner, Ava Gardner, and Evelyn Keyes; he also briefly dated Judy Garland.

Few jazz musicians have had greater impact on American music than Miles Davis. He bridged the gap between Bebop and Cool jazz! Principal hornist Mike Simpson will be featured as the NWWS performs his arrangement of Miles Davis’ All Blues.

In his brief introductory notes, composer Brant Karrick indicates that Bayou Breakdown is a fugue in the style of J.S. Bach. The four-part fugue begins with woodwinds, transitions to the brass, and eventually the entire ensemble gets into the fray!  Bach? Well . . .  maybe Bach in the style of some back woods, down home, hillbilly banjo pickin’ jazz!

Clifton Williams is a venerated composer, well known to all of us in the band world: taught at UT in Austin Texas, played horn in the San Antonio, winner of the very first American Bandmaster’s Ostwald Award for composition, and also a second one a year later. Although he composed for all types of ensembles, he devoted his final years to creating new works for the wind band.  Symphonic Dance #5 was originally composed for the San Antonio Symphony orchestra as one of five commissions to commemorate their twenty-fifth anniversary. Williams felt that it signified the “wedding of symphonic music and old time big band jazz in one style.”

Upon graduation from Duquesne University, Sammy Nestico joined the Air Force as staff arranger for the Air Force Band. He also kept busy as a freelance arranger for the US Marine Band and even performed functions at the White House.  He also wrote arrangements for the Count Basie Band and even arranged entire albums for that band.  Salute to American Jazz features melodies from famous jazz tunes such as “Night in Tunisia,” “It Don’t Mean a Thing if it Ain’t Got That Swing,” and “Birdland.”

Our final selection, Awayday, features a work by Adam Gorb who first studied music in Cambridge, and then Royal College of Music in London, England. It is a thoroughly classical wind piece, in which elements of jazz are interwoven. Jazz rhythms, “licks,” and break-neck speeds give this work a solid place in the world of “Third Stream” music.

For more information, contact us at secretary@northwestwindsymphony.org or visit our Tickets page.