The University of Central Arkansas Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Band will present a joint concert in the Donald W. Reynolds Performance Hall at 7:30 tonight.
Dr. Ricky Brooks, UCA’s director of bands, will conduct the Wind Ensemble, which will perform “Vanity Fair” by Percy Fletcher, “The Running Set” by Ralph Vaughn Williams, “Seal Lullaby” by Eric Whitacre, “Danza #2” by Bruce Yurko, “Introduction, Theme and Variations” by Rossini and “The Black Horse Troop” by John Philip Sousa.
Senior Kevin Staggs, a winner of the 2012 UCA Wind Ensemble Student Spotlight Competition, will be the featured soloist in Rossini’s piece. The Spotlight Competition is held annually to recognize outstanding students in the UCA Wind Ensemble.
“Seal Lullaby” features graduate student Steven Shook as the pianist. “It’s a truly beautiful piece, and the piano part is prominent and exposed,” Brooks said.
Associate Director of Bands, Brantley Douglas, will conduct the Symphonic Band, which will play “Rapsodia Borealis” by Soren Hylgaard, “Punchinello” by Alfred Reed, “Lassus Trombone” by Henry Fillmore, “Inglesina” by David Delle Cese and “Kaddish” by the late W. Francis McBeth.
Douglas said “Kaddish” is a tribute to McBeth, the internationally acclaimed composer who died earlier this year.
The Symphonic Band will feature Josh Bledsoe, a trombone professor at UCA, as a guest soloist. Bledsoe will perform “Rapsodia Borealis.” “Several high school students from the Central Arkansas area will be invited to perform “Lassus Trombone,” a march, with the band,” Douglas said. “The audience can expect a variety in the pieces throughout the concert.”
While “Punchinello” is fun and vibrant, “Seal Lullaby” is gentler and calmer, Douglas said.
The Wind Ensemble and the Symphonic Band are composed of 50 and 65 members, respectively.
The Wind Ensemble has performed locally and internationally, including Carnegie Hall in New York, the International Music Festival in Vienna, Salzburg in Austria, and the Capitol in Washington D.C.
For more information, contact Brooks at (501) 450-5764; rickyb@uca.edu.