UW Wind Symphony Presents “Revolution: Celebrating 250 Years of Freedom” Nov. 19

The University of Wyoming Wind Symphony will present a special concert “Revolution: Celebrating 250 Years of Freedom” Wednesday, Nov. 19, at 7:30 p.m. in the Buchanan Center for the Performing Arts concert hall.

 

Tickets are available at www.tix.com/ticket-sales/uwyo/6984/event/1441426 , in person or at 307-766-6666 at the Performing Arts box office, Monday through Friday, noon-6 p.m., and one hour before performances.

 

The performance, directed by Matthew Schlomer, director of bands, will honor the upcoming 250th anniversary of American independence through powerful musical reflections on liberty, history and the American spirit.

 

The evening will feature an appearance by the Kelly Walsh High School Band, conducted by Sarah Hanson, performing a selection of compelling works. These may include the vibrant “Spirals of Light” by Sean O’Loughlin; the moving “O Magnum Mysterium” by Morten Lauridsen; the evocative “Songs of Old Kentucky” by Brant Karrick; and Pierre Leemans’ spirited “March of the Belgian Parachutists.”

 

Following the high school ensemble, the University of Wyoming Wind Symphony will take the stage with a program rich in historical context and dynamic composition.

 

The set opens with Kimberly Archer’s “Fanfare Politeia” with Jeffrey Arnold serving as assistant conductor. Archer’s piece, commissioned by the United States Marine Band, pays homage to the ancient Greek sources that influenced the U.S. Constitution, and celebrates the traditions of a free and fair election and peaceful transfer of power.

 

The concert continues with “When Jesus Wept” and “Chester Overture for Band,” both transcriptions by William Schuman from his “New England Triptych.” These pieces draw from the music of William Billings, a prominent American composer of the Revolutionary period, as well as a hymn that became an anthem for the Continental Army.

 

Next, the program will feature “Bells for Stokowski” by Michael Daugherty, a tribute to the influential conductor Leopold Stokowski that incorporates bell-like percussion, a Bach-inspired theme, and a blend of tonal and atonal variations to represent the legacy of American concert music, both past and future.

 

The concert concludes with the UW Wind Symphony, featuring guest conductor Malori Barnhart, performing “Early Light” by Carolyn Bremer, which uses the musical theme of “The Star-Spangled Banner” to celebrate the freedoms of the American experiment.

 

For more information, email Schlomer at matthew.schlomer@uwyo.edu or call (414) 507-1024.