Ryan ChartrandThe Cal Poly Wind Orchestra and Wind Ensemble will be performing “A Season Finale” Saturday at 8 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center.
Graduating music senior Mark Miller will be featured in Juilliard composition professor Eric Ewazen’s “Concerto for Bass Trombone and Wind Ensemble.”
Another graduating senior, Neil Jansen, a mechanical engineering major, is the Wind Ensemble’s principal euphonium player and will perform Edwin Franko Goldman’s “Scherzo for Euphonium and Band.”
Music junior Amanda Yoshimizu, a principal trombonist, will conduct the Wind Ensemble in Howard Hanson’s original work for the wind band titled “Chorale and Alleluia” as well as playing the trombone in other pieces.
The bands, which consist of around 60 students each, will also perform “Dynamica” by Jan Van der Roost, “A Moorside Suite” by Gustav Holst, “Watchman Tell us of the Night” by Mark Camphouse and “Awayday” by Adam Gorb.
The concert will also feature the world premiere of “Grand Opening” by film composer and former Wind Ensemble member Eric Schmidt and a performance of Frigyes Hidas’ “Piano Concerto No. 1” by music department chair and award-winning pianist W. Terrence Spiller.
The Wind Ensemble and Wind Orchestra met Hidas when they traveled to Budapest, Hungary last July and performed his cornerstone piece “Requiem for Choir, Wind Ensemble and Solo Voices.” Unfortunately, Hidas past away on March 7.
The bands are under the direction of professors and conductors William Johnson and Christopher Woodruff, who teach the year-long lab.
“They’re really top flight musicians,” said Johnson of the featured performers. “This is a chance for them to be soloists with us and play.”
The class performs five concerts per year, starting with Band Fest, where Wind Ensemble and Wind Orchestra unite and perform together and the Winter Concert where their performance opened a conference for the American Band Masters Association.
During spring quarter they perform in three more concerts including an Open House concert, this Saturday’s concert and a performance at Cal Poly’s commencement ceremonies at the end of the quarter.
The bands have been practicing for this performance since the Open House concert.
“Most of the students have played since fifth or sixth grade and will continue to play for the rest of their lives,” Johnson said.
Johnson said that both Miller and Yoshimizu are planning careers as professional musicians and conductors and while Jansen will be planning for a career in his field; “he’s so good we wanted to feature him.” Johnson estimated about 80 percent of the band are not music majors.
Tickets for the performance are $8 to $19 and can be purchased at the PAC box office or at the door.
The concert is sponsored by Cal Poly’s College of Liberal Arts, music department and Instructionally Related Activities program.