The Andrews University Wind Symphony will perform their final concert of the year, titled “Scenes of Summer,” at 8:30 p.m. April 12 at the Howard Performing Arts Center. The concert will feature the works of many students, including three composers and three conductors.
As the semester comes to a close, both students and faculty are looking forward to the joys summer brings. Each piece on this program reflects on those feelings of summer. The concert begins with a piece composed by Carlos Lugo (senior, piano performance) titled “Danza Fantástica,” a piano concerto with wind symphony accompaniment. Lugo said the piece is “the consequence of several years of listening to composers such as Ginastera, Prokofiev and Stravinsky” and that he was also able to incorporate some Latin rhythms into his composition. “Danza Fantástica” is the final movement of a larger work that Lugo has been working on.
Yohance Mack (sophomore, composition) was commissioned to write a piece for the unveiling of the new Martin Luther King Jr. monuments in Benton Harbor and St. Joseph, Michigan, which took place just a few months ago. Mack chose to write an arrangement of the hymn “Precious Lord, Take My Hand” because it was King’s favorite.
“I arranged it in a way that is kind of triumphant in a way, so there’s a big triumphant part and then it gets more solemn and reflective,” said Mack.
“Mi Hogar Querido,” which means “My Beloved Home,” is the title of a composition by Naomi Pelayo Cang (senior, music performance and Spanish). The piece is based on the traditional Mexican bolero style.
“Originally I wanted to make an arrangement based on a famous bolero called ‘Piel Canela,’” said Cang, “but because of copyright issues I had to compose something from scratch. Still, I decided to keep the genre.”
A typical bolero includes instruments such as the guitar, clave, bongo, maracas and sometimes piano or trumpet. Cang took the general ideas of the sound and applied it to work for the larger ensemble.
The celebratory music and student features will continue in the second half of the performance with works conducted by graduate students. Earlon Cornwall (graduate student, instrumental conducting), will conduct the piece “Summer Dances” by Brian Balmages.
The piece “ties in with the theme pretty well,” said Cornwall. “It was written for a summer outdoor concert to capture the beauty and spirit of festivals and events of the season.”
Francis Aguilar Jr. (graduate student, wind ensemble conducting) will direct the piece, “The Purple Carnival” by Harry L. Alford, which also ties into the idea of summer festivals and celebrations.
Janelle Dobson (graduate student, choral conducting) will conduct “As Summer Was Just Beginning” by Larry Daehn. The composer dedicated this piece to actor James Dean who was killed in a car accident at age 24, but even in his short life made a lasting impact on the world. Dobson says that to her, the piece has another meaning as well.
“The best way I can describe it is that this piece gives you a bittersweet feeling,” Dobson said. “For example, the end of the school semester. You’re excited to start summer vacation, but there are some people dreading the end of the school semester because they’ll have to say goodbye knowing they’re not returning the next semester.”
Both Cornwall and Dobson are set to graduate this May, so this will be one of their final performances at Andrews University.
“We're gonna end the concert with the quintessential summer march, ‘The Stars and Stripes Forever,’” said Denisse Santos, director of the Wind Symphony.
This famous march is composed by John Philipps Sousa. Marches are the most common genre of music for wind symphonies to play, and Santos, as well as many conductors, view it as essential to have at least one march programmed on every concert. This piece once again captures the vibrant colors of summer and the anticipation of nearly reaching that time of year.
“I really like the idea that it's not just a concert that I just chose the music and I'm conducting it, but it's involving our students, which is what we should be doing as the university,” said Santos. “It's a great opportunity for them.”
Tickets for “Scenes of Summer”can be purchased at the HPAC website or in person at the box office.
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.