7ThirtyThursdays

Voci Altissime Emily Mercado, conductor

University of Utah Wind Ensemble Timothy Sexton, graduate student conductor

Friday, March 26, 2021 Virtual Venue - https://music.utah.edu/libby-live/index.php 7:30 p.m. Program

Faith is the Bird that Feels the Light Elizabeth Alexander (b. 1962) Text by Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941) Abby Gutherie, soloist

Voci Altissime Emily Mercado, conductor

Suite for 10 Winds and Harp, Op. 19 (1906) Leland A. Cossart Part 1: (1877-1956) I. Intrada II. Elegie III. Intermezzo

Elegy for brass (2005) Kevin M. Puts (b. 1972)

Serenade No. 1 Vincent Persichetti for 10 Wind Instruments, Op. 1 (1929, 1963) (1915-1987) I. Prelude II. Episode III. Song IV. Interlude V. Dance

University of Utah Wind Ensemble Timothy Sexton, graduate student conductor Suite for 10 Winds and Harp, Op. 19, Leland A. Cossart (1877-1956) Leland A. Cossart, a Portugese pianist and composer, briefly studied in France before beginning his formal education at the Lausanne Conservatory in Switzerland. After studying piano with Eugéne Gayrhos, Cossart moved to Germany to study composition in Dresden with Felix Draeseke. He then started his career as a choirmaster for the Stadttheater Magdeburg. This theater served a vital role in showcasing operas from its opening in 1878 until its destruction during World War II. In addition to being a choirmaster, Cossart served as a professor at the Dresden Conservatory until World War I. Cossart returned to Switzerland in 1921 and found a home in Montreux, where he taught music full time. Cossart’s Suite for 10 Winds and Harp, Op. 19 consists of a double woodwind quintet with an added harp. This beautiful, multi-movement work is comprised of six total movements, which are divided evenly in two total parts. This Suite is perceived as Romantic in approach and shows how Cossart was in the compositional lineage of “The New German School” under Draeseke. The first three movements of Opus 19 rely heavily on lyrical, song-like melodies coupled with technical virtuosity. Cossart utilizes chromatic harmonies, dramatic contrasts of dynamics, recurring themes, and freedom from strict form and design. The Intrada is written in 4/4 and has the half-note marked around 100 beats per minute, giving brisk opportunities for technical demand. A flute and oboe trade melodic responsibilities as the clarinet and horn present counter melodic content later in the work. One of the two quintets then have soloistic interjections throughout the development of this introduction. Elegie is in complete contrast to the prior movement, with a time signature of 12/8 and the dotted-quarter note at 40 bpm. The second movement is a prime example of Romantic lyricism, recurring motifs, and chromatic harmony. Alongside beautiful flourishes from the harps, one of the two quintets then exchanges the lyrical motif throughout this remarkable, musical poem. Cossart’s Intermezzo demonstrates how he wished to write thematically without adhering to predictable form and structure. This third movement contains several time signature changes and a variety of tempi markings. Ultimately, Part 1 of Cossart’s Op. 19 gives collegiate performers remarkable opportunities to grow as musicians while being exposed to rare, Romantic repertoire. Elegy for brass Kevin M. Puts (b. 1972) Kevin M. Puts, an American pianist and composer, was born in St. Louis, Missouri and grew up in Alma, Michigan. He studied piano and composition at Eastman School of Music and Yale University, later returning to Eastman to earn his Doctor of Musical Arts degree. His works included two operas, four symphonies, multiple chamber works, and several concerti. Dr. Puts is most notably known for winning the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for his debut opera Silent Night. From 1999 to 2005, he taught composition at The University of Texas at Austin. Since 2006, Dr. Puts has served as a member of the Composition Faculty at the Peabody Institute and is also the Director of the Minnesota Orchestra Composer’s Institute. Dr. Puts wrote Elegy for brass in memory of Dr. Stanton Schwartz at the request of Barry Jekowsky, Music Director and founder of the Walnut Creek-based California Symphony. This work was originally written for string quartet, yet later adapted for brass ensemble with the arrangement expertise of Robert Ward, a composer and hornist for the symphony. Commissioned by the Bay Brass in 2009, Elegy is in an A-B-A format. This musical poem features a beautiful, lyrical melody that develops as it is passed around the ensemble. An underlying, rhythmic ostinato based on Bb recurs throughout the entirety of the piece, creating a sense of nostalgia and sentimental ambiance. As this piece comes to a close, this nostalgic ostinato is all that remains as it pays homage to Dr Schwartz.

Serenade No. 1 Vincent Persichetti (1915-1987) Vincent Persichetti, an American composer and educator, was born and resided in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He began his musical studies at a young age, studying piano, organ, double bass, tuba, theory, and composition. Persichetti became a choir director at the Arch Street Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia at the age of 16 and held the appointment for 20 years. In 1935, he earned a degree in composition from Combs College after studying with Russel King Miller. By the age of 20, Persichetti was the head of the theory and composition departments at Combs College. He completed a diploma in conducting from the Curtis Institute and graduate degrees from the Philadelphia Conservatory. Persichetti joined the faculty at the Juilliard School of Music in 1947 and became the chair of the Composition Department in 1963. Writing more than 120 published works, his pieces for winds hold prestige as the most original and well-crafted compositions in the medium. Serenade No. 1, Op. 1 was first completed in 1929 when Persichetti was merely 14 years of age. The instrumentation of this piece consists of a combined woodwind and brass quintet. Though his composition teacher assisted in the completion of this work, Serenade No. 1 was not a part of his formal academic training. The Prelude begins with a dissonant melody stated by the flute as an unaccompanied solo, and his melody is then restated and elongated from the brass and woodwinds, respectively. Throughout the first movement, rhythmically juxtaposed ostinati set the aesthetic for Serenade No. 1. Virtuosic and lyrical dissonances then reoccur through the Episode as the melodic enterplay is passed from the woodwind quintet to the brass quintet. The bassoon and tuba perform a duet based upon the interval of a minor third to conclude this second movement. The Song during movement three begins with a beautiful melody that consists of a trio in the brass quintet and is then given to the flute throughout the remaining measures. The Interlude contains a cleverly syncopated melodic passage that is carried by the woodwind quintet through the fourth movement. Later, the Dance equally features both quintets as they present tense and rhythmic passages to conclude this serenade. Structured into five short movements, Persichetti demonstrates his notably intricate compositional style of polytonality and unique pairings of rhythmic to melodic interplay throughout the work.

Voci Altissime Personnel Ashley Anderson Abby Guthrie Betsy Andrews Emily Hackett Noelle Atkin Clara Kramer Marissa Badham Brenda Lee Alyssa Baldwin Alice Maguire Amber Bartlett Vincent Nguyen Caroline Castleton Victoria Orofino Nicole Cervantes Julia Prager Savannah Eggett Alexandra Ryan Anna Foulks Hannah Stark Lizzie Goodwin Kari Thomas Abigail Grow April Thorup

Nicole Cervantes, graduate teaching assistant John Paul Hayward, audio engineer Rachel Badauka, video engineer Wind Ensemble Personnel

Cossart Flute: Lily Hatch, Madison Hozdic Oboe: Ian Wagman, Abby McMullen Bassoon: Brian Dong, Isaac White Clarinet: Matthew Baldwin, Christian Manley Horn: Sean Dulger, Katie White Harp: Merinda Christensen, Addison Line

Puts Trumpet: Michael Weber, Eddie Johnson, Mariah Turner, Alec Clark Horn: Natalie Wang, Sean Dulger, Brian Larson, Justice Nugent, Hailey Hansen Trombone: Ammon Helms, Titus Larrieu, Joseph Montgomery (Bass) Euphonium: Carly Clark Tuba: Bryson Roberts, Brian Abel

Persichetti Flute: Perla Barreda Oboe: Amanda Wall Bassoon: Chet Rhodes Clarinet: Ryan Wing Trumpet: Will Ely, Maryna Pohlman Horn: Natalie Wang, Bradley Sampson Trombone: John Robinson Tuba: Wil Szwarc