SUNY Symphonic Band Plays Variety of Music for Wind Ensemble

NEW PALTZ — On Tuesday, December 4, the Symphonic Band of SUNY New Paltz, directed by Dr. William McCann, presents its annual fall concert at the Julien J. Studley Theatre. The concert begins at 8:00 PM. Tickets are available at the door one hour prior to the concert for $5 adults; $4 seniors, faculty and staff; and $3 students.

Over fifty student musicians, including a mix of music and non-music majors, comprise the Symphonic Band. The evening’s program, which includes compositions by Philip Sparke, Malcolm Arnold, and Guy Woolfenden, exemplifies the band’s commitment to performing a rich variety of music for the wind ensemble.

English composer Philip Sparke was commissioned by the Musikpreis Grenchen, a Swiss concert band festival, to compose a work for their 1990 festival. Theatre Music, the resulting composition, comprises three movements. The Overture opens with a fanfare and reply from the brass and woodwinds, and returns to this theme as it concludes. Entr’acte is a slow, tender movement with flute and alto saxophone solos. The Finale is a headlong gallop, beginning with a robust tune that is echoed in canon by the full band and ending with a brief reference to the Overture.

Prelude, Siciliano and Rondo was originally written by Malcolm Arnold for the brass bands for which England is well known. It was titled Little Suite for Brass. John Paynter’s arrangement expands it to include woodwinds and additional percussion, but faithfully retains the breezy effervescence of the original composition.

Gary Woolfenden’s composition, Gallimaufry, takes its name from the word meaning ‘a hodgepodge.’ Gallimaufry was inspired by Shakespeare’s Henry IV plays, and derives from music composed for the Royal Shakespeare Company’s production, which opened the Barbican Theatre, London in 1982.

Information on other upcoming arts events at SUNY New Paltz is available on the Web at www.newpaltz.edu/artsnews or by calling 845-257-3872.

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