Masterworks performed by Appalachian Wind Ensemble Oct. 4

View larger image — John Stanley Ross conducts an Oct. 4 performance by the Appalachian Wind Ensemble.

Posted Sep. 18, 2015 at 4:22 p.m.

BOONE—Join members of the Appalachian Wind Ensemble for a performance of masterworks for winds Oct. 4 at 3 p.m. in the Schaefer Center for the Performing Arts at Appalachian State University. Admission is free.

The program is directed by John Stanley Ross with student conductors Matthew Brusseau and Onsby Rose assisting.

The program opens with Leonard Bernstein’s overture to “Candide” arranged for wind ensemble by Clare Grundman. Rose will conduct the ensemble.

Next is “O Magnum Mysterium” by Morten Lauridsen and transcribed for symphonic winds by H. Robert Reynolds. The composition has become one of the world’s most performed and recorded compositions by chorale ensembles, string orchestras, brass quintets and other ensembles since its premiere in 1994.

The ever-popular “English Folk Song Suite” by Ralph Vaughan Williams will be conducted by Brusseau. Written in 1923, it’s one of Williams’ most famous works and was inspirited by folk songs and carols that he collected and transcribed while traveling the English countryside.

Rose returns to the podium to conduct Robert Spittal’s “Consort for Ten Winds.” The composition was inspired by 16th century French wind music.

Closing out the performance is “Blue Shades” by Frank Ticheli and “Whip and Spur Galop” by Thomas Allen. Ticheli’s work was commissioned by a consortium of 30 university, community and high school concert bands through the Worldwide Concurrent Premieres and Commissioning Fund. The composition features blues harmonies, jazz rhythms and melodies that often are reminiscent of the Big Band era.

“Whip and Spur Galop” is based on a galop, a type of fast-paced music used to accompany circus acts and rodeo rides.

About Appalachian State University

As a premier public institution, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives. App State is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System, with a national reputation for innovative teaching and opening access to a high-quality, cost-effective education. The university enrolls more than 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and 80 graduate majors at its Boone and Hickory campuses and through App State Online. Learn more at https://www.appstate.edu.