Wind Ensemble Heads Overseas
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The Ithaca College Wind Ensemble will be the lone United States representative at the gala concert of the British Association of Symphonic Bands and Wind Ensembles (BASBWE) conference at the Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury, England, on September 27. The student ensemble, from the Ithaca College School of Music, will give the concert during a week-long tour of England and Ireland. The tour includes performances on September 24 at the Duke's Hall of the Royal Academy of Music in London, September 25 at the Ithaca College London Center, and September 29 at the University Concert Hall of the University of Limerick. The concerts are being billed as "An Evening of American Wind Band Classics," with each selection on the program chosen for its connection with Ithaca College. The ensemble will perform William Walton's Fanfare; the overture to Leonard Bernstein's Candide; Calling, Ever Calling by Dana Wilson; From a Dark Millennium by Joseph Schwantner; Country Band March by Charles Ives; Duo Concertante for Two Marimbas by Gordon Stout; Music for Prague 1968 by Karel Husa; and Lincolnshire Posy by Percy Grainger.
"The music includes that of composers whose work has become a vital part of our wind ensemble's repertoire," says Winther. "These works, and the history of collaborative efforts by our performers, have not only created a rich legacy of literature, performances, and recordings, but they have had a significant impact on the direction and shaping of the musical life of each of us. "I therefore respectfully dedicate these performances to the talented faculty of the School of Music, their marvelous students with whom I have been privileged to work, and the administration and staff who have made it all possible." The Ithaca group is the only American ensemble invited to participate in this year's BASBWE program, "The Musical Imperative," hosted by the University of Kent. Scheduled for September 26-28, the conference will feature a number of concerts, clinics, exhibits, and workshops by and for teachers, players, conductors, and composers of wind music. Ithaca music faculty will be among those giving clinics. The London Center concert will take place in the gardens of the College-owned facility in the borough of South Kensington. Current and former students and faculty of the program have been invited to attend what will be a special musical celebration recognizing the center's 25th anniversary. The Limerick concert will also be part of a 25th-anniversary celebration, concluding a weekend's worth of activities noting the 1972 founding of the University of Limerick. Ithaca College has recently developed a special relationship with the university, resulting in a series of music faculty exchanges and performances on both sides of the Atlantic. School of Music dean Arthur Ostrander notes that, from its early days as a conservatory to its current position as a leading institution for professional music study in the United States, the school has a proud heritage. "The faculty, students, and I welcome the opportunity presented by this tour to extend awareness of that musical heritage to audiences in England and Ireland, believing that music is an international language that will strengthen mutual understanding of the cultures of the world." In the 1920s Patrick Conway established his band school at Ithaca. Each summer Conway crossed the United States with his band on a concert tour, rivaling the Sousa band in popularity. From 1932 to 1968 Walter Beeler was at the forefront of the developing band movement as conductor of the Ithaca College Concert Band. And for the last 15 years the most recent chapter has been written by Rodney Winther as conductor of the Ithaca College Wind Ensemble. The ensemble has presented countless performances at important music conferences and recorded several compact discs, including the forthcoming two-disc set of the wind music of Karel Husa. |
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Former School of Music professor Rodney Winther,
now at the Cincinnati College--Conservatory of Music, will conduct the 45-member
ensemble in each performance. Soloists will be Ithaca professors Steven
Mauk (soprano saxophone) and Gordon Stout (marimba), and former faculty
member Ted Rounds (marimba). Assisting at the BASBWE and Royal Academy of
Music concerts will be guest conductors Brendon Le Page, head of the Dartford
Music Centre, and Squadron Leader Rob Wiffin of the Royal Air Force's Central
Band.