Wind Symphony Erica Neidlinger, Conductor Phyllis Griffin, Narrator

Saturday, February 3, 2018 • 8:00 P.M. WIND SYMPHONY Erica Neidlinger, conductor Phyllis Griffin, narrator DePaul Concert Hall 800 West Belden Avenue • Chicago Friday, February 3, 2018 • 8:00 P.M. DePaul Concert Hall WIND SYMPHONY Erica Neidlinger, conductor Phyllis Griffin, narrator PROGRAM Charles Ives (1874-1954); arr. William Schuman; trans. William E. Rhoads Variations on America (1891) William Grant Still (1895-1978) American Scenes (1957) Grand Teton Berkshire Night Tribal Dance Tomb of the Unknown Soldier A New Orleans Street Joseph Schwantner (b. 1943); trans. Nikk Pilato New Morning for the World: Daybreak of Freedom (1982) Phyllis Griffin, narrator (The next piece will be performed without a break. Please hold applause.) Hale Smith (1925-2009) Abide With Me (1993) WIND SYMPHONY • FEBRUARY 3, 2018 PROGRAM NOTES Charles Ives Variations on America Duration: 8 minutes Charles Ives is widely regarded as one of the first American composers of international significance. His father was a former Civil War bandmaster who taught his son piano, cornet, and drums, while also encouraging him to experiment with polytonality, microtones, and other unusual techniques. Charles played in the town band and in churches as a child. He later attended Yale University where he studied composition. As a Civil War bandmaster, Ives’ father, George, was well aware of the power of vernacular music. He believed the value of music was not necessarily found in a beautifully composed and well-performed piece, but instead in the emotional reaction of the listener and performer. A very imperfect performance could be just as affective, if not more so, than a perfect performance. This line of thinking influenced much of Charles’ work, includingVariations on America. The familiar tune is capable of evoking profound emotions at it takes on many characters, sometimes with simple alteration to the melodic or accompaniment material, but also in variation that may challenge the tolerance of the listener through bi-tonality or tongue-in-cheek alterations. The text of America is ever present in the mind’s ear, making a more than century old composition still remarkably relevant and perhaps thought provoking. My country, ‘tis of Thee, Sweet Land of Liberty Of thee I sing; Land where my fathers died, Land of the pilgrims’ pride, From every mountain side Let Freedom ring. William Grant Still American Scenes Duration: 17 minutes William Grant Still’s career as an American composer, conductor, and musician spanned much of the 20th Century. Still lived during a time that, as a minority, recognition as a successful classical musician was rare. He was labeled a pioneer due to his many “firsts.” Still was the first African American to have a major orchestral work performed by a major American orchestra, conduct a major American orchestra, conduct a major American orchestra in the deep south, conduct a major network radio orchestra, have an opera produced by a major American company, and have an opera nationally televised in the United WIND SYMPHONY • FEBRUARY 3, 2018 PROGRAM NOTES States. It is rumored that George Gershwin studied orchestration with Still and that some of Gershwin’s musical ideas were actually Still’s melodies, perhaps subconsciously absorbed. Still was a gifted musician whose voice embraced a diverse population, but American society as a whole was not yet willing to receive it. Much of Still’s music represented some facet of nature or culture in America. The American Scene was written for orchestra as a set of five suites that were musical depictions of places across America. In this setting, Still transcribed select movements from these suites and compiled them for band. The five extracted movements contain diverse musical ideas based upon the people and locations represented. The movements Grand Teton and Tomb of the Unknown Soldier are both taken from the fifth suite, “A Mountain, a Memorial, and a Song.” Grand Teton National Park is in the state of Wyoming and encompasses the Teton mountain range. Still viewed this as, “a symbol of America’s strength” which is evident in his scoring. Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is subtitled, “Our boys will never be forgotten” and is eerily patriotic. From “The Old West” suite Tribal Dance seems to add Native American idioms to Still’s work, and Berkshire Night from “The East” suite conveys tremendous tranquility. Berkshire, Massachusetts was once filled with cottages as a vacation destination for the very elite. Finally,A New Orleans Street from “The South” suite employs Creole idioms to capture the festive Mardi Gras spirit. Joseph Schwantner New Morning for the World: Daybreak of Freedom Duration: 26 minutes A Chicago native, Joseph Schwantner has served on the faculties of the Eastman School of Music, the Julliard School, and the Yale School of Music. He has been composer in residence with the St. Louis Symphony and is the 1979 Pulitzer Prize winner in Music for his Aftertones of Infinity. While a faculty member at Eastman, the director of the school of music approached Schwantner with the idea of writing a work to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Schwantner commented: I was excited by the opportunity to engage my work with the profound and deeply felt words of Dr. King, a man of great dignity and courage whom I had long admired. The words that I selected for the narration were garnered from a variety of Dr. King’s writings, addresses, and speeches, and drawn from a period of more than a decade of his life. These words, eloquently expressed by the thrust of his oratory, bear witness to the power and nobility of Martin Luther King Jr.’s ideas, WIND SYMPHONY • FEBRUARY 3, 2018 PROGRAM NOTES principles, and beliefs. This work of celebration is humbly dedicated to his memory. The ideals of Dr. King remain intensely relevant in the 21st century as America continues to sort out its struggles with the past in order to inform the future. King understood that words have immeasurable power, and he chose them carefully. Words have the potential to inspire the masses, and to sustain profound personal impact on the individual. Meaningful words can be absorbed by the individual as both a means of expressing personal stories, or a means to light the way towards empathy and understanding of others. New Morning for the World combines the inspiration of King’s words with the brilliance of Schwantner’s music. For centuries humanity has marveled at the inherent power of music to express ideas that words alone cannot. In this case, Schwanter’s music brings tremendous humanity to King’s words, supporting and commenting on the narration. It uplifts the text in a sermon-like manner, moving the congregation to respond. Emotions evoked are sometimes spirited, sometimes sorrowful, and sometimes intensely vulnerable. The delicate balance is beautifully maintained as King’s words inspire and Schwanter’s music responds. Hale Smith Abide With Me Duration: 4 minutes Hale Smith was born in Cleveland, Ohio and as a child regularly attended concerts of the Cleveland Orchestra. He began studying the piano at age 7 and developed an interest in both classical and jazz music. Hale went on to study composition at the Cleveland Institute of Music and build a career as a professional composer and musician. During the 1990s Smith was commissioned to write several works for the American Wind Symphony Orchestra, Abide With Me being one of them. Its origin as a Christian Hymn and its prayerful text seem an appropriate “meditation” after the “sermon” in tonight’s program. Hale captures the original mood of the hymn, yet is able to bring tremendous hope through in his scoring. The music communicates where the words leave off - another moving example of the power of words, and the power of music. Abide with me, fast falls the eventide; The darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide. When other helpers fail and comforts flee, Help of the helpless, oh, abide with me. WIND SYMPHONY • FEBRUARY 3, 2018 Swift to its close ebbs out life’s little day; Earth’s joys grow dim, its glories pass away. Change and decay in all around I see. O Thou who changest not, abide with me. I fear no foe, with Thee at hand to bless. Ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness. Where is death’s sting? Where, grave, thy victory? I triumph still, if Thou abide with me. BIOGRAPHIES Erica Neidlinger is Associate Professor and conductor of the Wind Symphony at DePaul University. Additional responsibilities include teaching conducting and instrumental music education courses. Dr. Neidlinger has conducted performances across the United States and in Europe. She has traveled to Singapore and Canada as an ensemble adjudicator and clinician and has been featured as a guest conductor and clinician in Latvia. Presentations at international conferences include the World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles in Killarney, Ireland and the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic. She has also conducted honor bands and presented at many conferences across the United States. Before her teaching at DePaul, Dr. Neidlinger served as Assistant Director of Bands at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, where she conducted university concert ensembles and directed the marching band. She has been a member of the band and music education faculty at The Ohio State University and has also served as conductor of the Nebraska Wind Symphony. Under her direction the ensemble was selected to perform for the 2005 Association of Concert Bands National Convention and the 2007 Nebraska State Bandmasters Conference. Neidlinger completed her doctoral degree at the University of Minnesota under the supervision of Professor Craig Kirchhoff. In addition, she holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Kansas and a Master’s degree from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

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