The SUNY Fredonia Wind Ensemble will present its final concert of the semester on Wednesday, Nov. 20.
The event is slated for King Concert Hall at 8 p.m. The campus and community are invited to attend the free concert.
Join the group as they honor Olympians, Amelia Earhart, feathered friends, a jazz legend and the heroes of Cuba.
In celebration of SUNY Fredonia’s outstanding student heroes who are visionary leaders, the concert will open with “Summon the Heroes,” composed by John Williams for the 100th Olympics in 1984.
In preparing to perform another work, the group hosted Dr. Arthur Gottschalk, who provided insights into his composition, “Amelia,” tracing the heroic flight of Amelia Earhart, the courageous leader of women in aviation and an inspiration to all women.
Music and nature are extremely closely related as the ensemble will borrow from nature for inspiration and imitation. A prime example of music imitating nature is Olivier Messiaen's “Oiseaux exotiques.” Messiaen was a groundbreaking French composer who could also identify literally hundreds of birds by their call. “Oiseaux exotiques” uses bird calls from around the world performed by the winds and brass with an underpinning of Greek and Hindu rhythms by percussion. Father Sean Duggan, a professor of piano at SUNY Fredonia, will be featured on the challenging piano concerto with winds. The work has been described as “truly a masterpiece for piano while Father Duggan's incredible artistry will be truly captivating!” Also, the ensemble will have Dr. William Brown, professor of biology and ecology and animal behavior expert, link the sciences and music with his descriptions and actual calls of the birds followed by Messiaen's instrumental interpretation. Dr. Brown's expertise will bring the audience full circle in celebrating the link between nature and music.
In another work to be performed, Wynton Marsalis, world renowned jazz artist and composer, was commissioned in 1997 by the New York City Ballet. He drew inspiration from his New Orleans background in composing "Ragtime" which includes a Dixieland band quote.
To give the concert more international flair, Cuban guitarist Leo Brouwer composed “Cancion de Gesta” for the American Wind Symphony in appreciation for their conductor, Robert Boudreau, in appreciation for Boudreau's championing of Latin American composers. The work draws upon guitar artistry transcribed for a full wind ensemble as an homage to the revolutionaries who fought against Batista's dictatorship in Cuba.
