2008 Woodie Awards
Wind ensemble gives its first performance of year
By Dara Salley
Rocket Assistant Life/A&E Editor
Issue date: 12/2/05 Section: Entertainment
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The program included many diverse and challenging pieces by famous composers like Leonard Bernstein, and works by local artists including Samuel R. Hazo.
"My two favorite pieces were ones that we played in the first half of the concert," Matt Swallow, a freshman music education major who played the alto saxophone in the concert, said. "'Slava', by Leonard Bernstien, and 'Abram's Pursuit', by David R. Holsinger were exciting and fast paced. They were fun to play and probably fun for the audience to listen to."
One song that was fun for the audience to listen to was "Shepard's Hey" by Percy Aldridge Grainger, a cheerful song inspired by Australian folk songs.
"This piece is by one of my favorite composers," conductor James Berry said. "This is a little fiddling tune that Grainger transcribed for a symphonic band. It would be played by shepherds and accompanied by a fife. It is a very lively tune and you will probably leave the theater humming it because it is very catchy."
This semester has been the first time in a while that Berry has conducted the Symphonic Wind Ensemble.
"Preparing for this concert has been a lot of work," Berry said. "The students have been getting used to me and I have been getting used to them. But it has been a wonderful experience. It is a great honor for me to work with these students."
The students involved in the ensemble are also pleased with their new conductor.
"Mr. Berry was a really good professor. He addresses everything that needed to be addressed. These were very difficult pieces and he was able to help us bring them together," Swallow said.
It is the unanimous opinion of all involved that the most difficult piece was "Metamorphosis" by Daniel Kallman.
"Metamorphosis means changing or going through change," Berry said. "This is a very challenging piece. It starts out with a very lighthearted melody, a cakewalk melody which is, of course, a dance. The piece derails half-way through. The instruments are regrouped. The middle of this piece is very minimalist with not much melody."
