UPEI Wind Symphony in recital
The UPEI Wind Symphony will collaborate with the Montague Senior High School Concert Band in a recital on Thursday, October 25 at 7:30 pm at Montague High School.
The Wind Symphony will perform an eclectic set of pieces designed to engage the audience and showcase the unique sounds of the wind band. Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovitch's 'Festive Overture' will open their performance. Written in 1954, this work is a favourite of the orchestral repertoire as it is noted for its opening fanfare and rapid, lyrical melodies.
'Traveler,' by the American composer David Maslanka, is the centrepiece of the program. An emotional and virtuosic work, listeners will be immediately captured by its cascading runs, colourful orchestration, and spiritual melodies.
Saxophonist Kevin MacLean is soloist in the performance of Claud T. Smith's 'Fantasia.' This work exploits the technical and lyrical capabilities of the saxophone. MacLean is UPEI's sessional saxophone instructor and is known for his body of work as a soloist and chamber musician. He has been featured with the Prince Edward Island Symphony Orchestra.
The UPEI Wind Symphony consists of 25 music majors, other UPEI students, and community musicians. Its mandate is to provide opportunities for its participants to apply their performance skills and develop musically through the study and performance of original and transcribed wind band literature. In addition, it is a forum through which professional attributes of ensemble performance are developed. It is within its mission to give its audiences meaningful and personal experiences with quality wind music, in the widest possible range of musical style and expression. The Wind Symphony has one, two-hour rehearsal each week.
Each year the Wind Symphony tours selected areas of the region to provide its membership with additional performance experiences and share its musicking with a wider audience. As part of this process we have partnered with most of PEI's school band programs.
During the past fourteen years, the Wind Symphony has produced an annual CD featuring selected repertoire from each year's performances. Cathedrals, released in May 2010, received the 2011 Music PEI Award for Best Classical Recording. In February 2011, the Wind Symphony released its 'O Canada' CD, a project exclusively for PEI public schools. Its most recent CDs-'Freebirds,' (2011) and 'Lord of the Rings' (2012)-have been highly acclaimed.
The Wind Symphony last performed in Montague two years ago as part of the inaugural recital at the new high school and captivated the audience with its rendition of 'Angels in the Architecture.' The ensemble hopes to engage patrons in much the same way with its program this Thursday. The Montague Senior High School Band under the direction of Kirk White will open the recital.
