Appalachian Wind Ensemble and tubaist Bethany Wiese perform Feb. 20

Posted Feb. 8, 2016 at 12:20 p.m.

BOONE— Tubaist Bethany Wiese will join the Appalachian Wind Ensemble for a Feb. 20 performance at 8 p.m. in the Schaefer Center for the Performing Arts at Appalachian State University. The ensemble is directed by John Stanley Ross, unless otherwise noted.

The concert is in conjunction with the Northwest District Band Clinic being hosted on campus by the Hayes School of Music. Admission is free.

Graduate student Onsby C. Rose will open the evening as he conducts his transcription of “The Olympic Spirit” by John Williams. The familiar composition was written in 1988 at the request of the NBC Sports Division to accompany parts of their visual presentation of the Olympic Games held in Seoul, South Korea.

Next on the program is a setting for wind band of Puccini’s “Nessum Dorma,” an aria from the final act of Puccini’s opera “Turandot.” Kevin Gray Richardson will direct the wind ensemble

The wind ensemble turns to Spain for its next piece, “La Procession Du Rocio” by Joaquin Turinia and arranged by Alfreed Reed. Turina’s composition was inspired by Spanish folk music. “La Procession du Rocio, which depicts a festival and procession, became one of his best-known works.

Bethany Wiese will be featured on Ralph Vaughan Williams’ “Concerto in F Minor for Tuba and Winds.” Composed for the golden jubilee of the London Symphony Orchestra, the short, three-movement piece demonstrates Vaughan Williams’ harmonic and rhythmic style.

The wind ensemble will also perform William Schuman’s rousing “George Washington Bridge,” inspired by the composer’s commute along the Henry Hudson Parkway in New York.

Graduate conductor Matthew Brusseau takes the podium to direct “Molly on the Shore” by Percy Aldridge. The composition features two contrasting Irish reels, “Temple Hill” and “Molly on the Shore.”

A reflective piece, “Give Us This Day” by David Maslanka, will conclude the concert. The composition was inspired by the writings of Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh regarding world peace, which he says will occur only if individuals become deeply mindful of themselves and deeply connected to who they are.

About Bethany Wiese
Bethany Wiese is an instructor of tuba and euphonium in Appalachian’s Hayes School of Music. Previously, she spent two years as a fellow of the New World Symphony in Miami Beach, Florida. She has been named the winner of several recent competitions, including the International, the Musician’s Club of Women Scholarship Competition in Chicago and the Union League Civic and Arts Foundation Scholarship Competition in Chicago,

She also was named a semi-finalist in the Aeolus International Wind Competition in Germany, a finalist in the International Tuba and Euphonium Conference Competition, and she received second prize in the Leonard Falcone International Tuba and Euphonium Competition.

Wiese has also participated in summer festivals including the Tanglewood Music Center, National Repertory Orchestra, National Orchestral Institute and Aspen Music Festival. She has been invited to give recitals nationally as well as internationally. She also has performed with U.S. and international orchestras.

Wiese is currently completing a Doctorate of Musical Arts degree at Northwestern University. She has a Master of Music degree from Yale University and a Bachelor of Music Degree from Lawrence University.

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, affordable education for all. 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.