Symphonic Winds Concert April 20 in CPA Concert Hall

Symphonic Winds of Illinois State University’s School of Music will present a concert at 3 p.m. Sunday, April 20, in the Center for the Performing Arts Concert Hall.

Admission is $6 for the general public, $5 for faculty-staff and $4 for students and senior citizens.  Tickets are available at the CPA box office from noon to 5 p.m. weekdays and prior to the concert.  The phone number is (309) 438-2535.

Stephen K. Steele, director of the band program, conducts the Symphonic Winds, and master’s degree student Kent Krause, former director of bands at Minooka Junior High School, will conduct Percy Grainger’s “Lincolnshire Posy.”

The program will begin with Philip Sparke’s “Fiesta,” written in 1998 as commissioned by the United States Army Field band to celebrate its 50th anniversary.  The British-born Sparke has won several composition competitions, including the Sudler Prize in 1997 for a work commissioned and recorded by the U.S. Air Force.

Grainger’s “Lincolnshire Posy,” which Krause will conduct, was commissioned by the American Bandmasters Association and performed at the organization’s convention in 1937 with Grainger composing.  The work is in six movements, all based on folk songs from Lincolnshire, England.  “Lincolnshire Posy” is recognized as a cornerstone of the wind band repertoire.

Alfred Reed’s “Russian Christmas Music” was written in 11 days in 1944 when Reed was staff arranger for the 529th Army Air Corps band.  The piece, which became a masterpiece of wind literature, was written for a holiday band concert in Denver designed to promote Russian-American unity during World War II.

Mark Camphouse, an Oak Park, Ill., native who received his formal musical training at Northwestern University, recently joined the faculty at George Mason University.  His piece, “Watchman, Tell Us of the Night,” portrays the loneliness, loss of innocence and yet enduring hope of the survivor of child abuse.  The work is a musical tribute to survivors, often dreamlike in nature, as seen through the eyes of the child.

David Maslanka’s “Hell’s Gate” will close the concert, and will feature student saxophone soloists Kevin Lomonof, Alex Teater and Heather Hojnacki.  Born in Massachusetts and currently a resident of Montana, Maslanka's works for winds and percussion have become especially well known.   He has written pieces for ISU bands and currently is composing a symphony which will be premiered by the Illinois State University Wind Symphony next school year, on Nov. 20.

“Hell’s Gate” is something of a soul journey, the soul being represented by the trio of solo saxophones, and especially the solo alto saxophone.