The Andrews University Wind Symphony performed their first full concert of the season on Saturday, October 15, 2022, in the Howard Performing Arts Center. Directed by Dr. Byron Graves, this concert featured a number of “old warhorses” – pieces that have been part of the standard repertoire for concert bands– as well as some more modern compositions.
In a typical wind ensemble, there are three different types of instruments: woodwinds, brass, and percussion instruments. Some commonly known brass instruments are tuba, trombone and trumpet, and the French horn. The horn is a middle-ranged brass instrument with a circular shape and a bell on one side. Horn parts typically support the rest of an ensemble, but occasionally they will have the melody. Due to their broad range, horns can share parts with many other instruments, or they can fill in where other sections are lacking. French horns are considered difficult to learn, and many players start playing another brass instrument before transitioning to the horn. The Wind Symphony currently has five players in the horn section, four of whom are graduate students and the fifth is an undergraduate.
Several of the pieces featured the French horn section in the melody with solis (solos played by a full section rather than just one person), including “Meridian” (Ola Gjeilo), Highlights from “The Music Man” (Meredith Wilson), and “El Camino Real: A Latin Fantasy” (Alfred Reed). Other pieces such as “Danzon” from ‘Fancy Free’ (Leonard Bernstein), “ABA Symphonic March ‘Kitty Hawk’” (John Cheetham), “Washington Post” (John Phillip Sousa), and “October” (Eric Whitacre) included the French horn section as a supporting role to the rest of the ensemble.
One of the members of the French horn section is Ricardo Navarro (graduate, music performance). His favorite piece from the repertoire is “Kitty Hawk,” because of the fun energy and the horn entrance at the beginning. The most difficult piece from the concert set was “El Camino Real: A Latin Fantasy,” according to Ricardo, because it had a quick tempo and went up into the horn’s higher register. I would agree with Ricardo that “El Camino Real: A Latin Fantasy” was the most difficult piece as it required me to work on my own flexibility while playing the French horn. I also think “October” was a challenge, due to the dissonances in the horn parts (when the notes aren’t in harmony but are very close together) which required a lot of practice to find the correct pitches. However, I would say my favorite piece from the repertoire was either Highlights from “The Music Man” or “Meridian.” I enjoyed the woodwind feature in “Meridian,” and it reminds me of a breeze carrying leaves to the ground. I also appreciated the horn melody in “Highlights from ‘The Music Man,’” as it is one of my favorite Broadway productions.
After the intermission, the ensemble began the second half of the concert with “Flourish for Wind Band” (Ralph Vaughan Williams), which was followed by “Light Cavalry Overture” (Franz von Suppé). “Light Cavalry Overture” was directed by undergraduate assistant and student conductor Jason Marquez (senior, music performance), who plays clarinet in the Wind Symphony, and the piece featured a clarinet solo which was played by Dr. Byron Graves. “Light Cavalry Overture” may give the audience an allusion of horses galloping in the cavalry in the supporting role of the French horn parts.
For those who wish to attend future Wind Symphony performances, the holiday concert will be held on November 19, 2022 in the Howard Performing Arts Center and a church performance will take place on December 3, 2022. This concert will feature some popular movie medleys and Christmas classics, presented by the ensemble. You can support the Wind Symphony by attending performances and inviting others to attend as well. More information about future concerts can be found closer to the concert dates.
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.