UTC Music Dept presents the Symphonic Band Concert
Stuart Benkert and Erika Schafer, Directors
Wednesday, April 15, 2009, 7:30 PM
Roland Hayes Concert Hall, UTC Fine Arts Center
Press Release date: 3/24/09
On Wednesday, April 15, 2009 at 7:30 PM the UTC Music Department presents the UTC Symphonic Band under Dr. Stuart Benkert, UTC Director of Bands and Assistant Director, Dr. Erika Schafer. The concert will be held in the Roland Hayes Concert Hall at the UTC Fine Arts Center (corner of Vine and Palmetto Sts.) and is open to the general public free of charge.
Dr. Benkert describes this program as “the most varied program yet” for the UTC Symphonic Band. Highlights of the program include John Philip Sousa’s march, “The Picador” and Darius Milhaud’s “Suite Francaise for Band”. Dr. Schafer will conduct the band in Howard Hanson’s “Chorale and Alleluia”. A special treat for the close of the concert will be Mayhew Lake’s transcription of Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture.
Sousa’s “The Picador” was written during one of his most prolific time periods, from 1888-1890. Despite its association with bullfighting (which Sousa later called “a worthless and unfair sport”) it is one his most light-hearted marches. Milhaud’s “Suite Francaise for Band” is considered one of the masterpieces of the wind repertoire and makes use of 11 French and English folk tunes. The “Chorale and Alleluia” of Howard Hanson, known as the Dean of American Composers, was, according to Frederick Fennell, conductor of the Eastman Wind Ensemble, "the most awaited piece of music to be written for the wind band in my twenty years as a conductor in this field". Marking Hanson’s first excursion in the field of wind band literature, it has become a standard among the repertoire. Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture, perhaps one of the world’s most overused pieces of symphonic music for any Fourth of July Celebration, is given a faithful representation in Mayhew Lake’s transcription making for a dramatic and rousing close.
The UTC Symphonic Band is one of the major instrumental ensembles in the UTC music department, existing to provide an advanced instrumental opportunity for music majors and non-majors. The repertoire consists of classic pieces of the wind band repertoire, as well as transcriptions of symphonic works. It is under the direction of Dr. Stuart Benkert, UTC Director of Bands, as well as of Dr. Erika Schafer, UTC Assistant Director of Bands. Dr. Benkert emphasizes the role of this ensemble in preparing future music educators to experience the great works of band music in preparation for their own careers as music directors in addition to providing an opportunity for music performance majors to further their ensemble skills.
For further information contact the UTC Music Department at 423-425-4601 or visit our website at http://utc.edu/music.
