Utah State University Wind Orchestra Presents Fall Concert, 'The Winds Speak'

The Utah State University Wind Orchestra, under the direction of Thomas P. Rohrer, will perform its fall concert Friday, Nov. 3, in the Daines Concert Hall on the USU Logan campus. The concert begins at 7:30 p.m., and admission is free.

The concert title, “The Winds Speak,” refers to a feature piece on the program, entitled, “When the Winds Speak,” by Mexican composer Arturo Rodriguez. The work is part of an 11-school consortium, spearheaded by flutist Jonathan Borja — associate professor of music at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse — who will be on-site to perform this duo flute piece with Jeiran Hasan, assistant professor of flute at USU. Borja’s residence is sponsored by the Latinx Cultural Center.

The concert also includes the epic British work “The Kings Go Forth” by Edward Gregson. This three-movement work includes music from the composer’s interpretation of the British monarchy’s history in a dramatic production called “The Plantagenet Trilogy,” presented by the Royal Shakespearean Company in 1988.

Another dramatic work on the concert reflects on the 60th anniversary of the John F. Kennedy assassination. “The Dream of Abraham” by Daniel Bukvich includes numerology for its melodic and rhythmic sources but further presents an impressionistic view of the weekend beginning Nov. 22, 1963, that was documented on camera by a private citizen, Abraham Zapruder. The program concludes with “First Symphony for Band” by Frank Erickson and “Jubilant Overture” by Alfred Reed.

The Wind Orchestra, the flagship ensemble of the USU Bands, is a 50-member ensemble of the finest wind and percussion players in the school. The ensemble has earned an outstanding reputation in the region by performing at three of the College Band Directors National Association Western/Northwestern Division conferences since 2002 as well as the Utah Music Educators Convention. On an international level, the group is responsible for the premieres of several works that began their American lives on the stages at USU. The ensemble plays the finest in contemporary wind and percussion music as well as time-tested standards from the band repertoire. The Wind Orchestra performs two concerts each semester, and entrance is gained to the ensemble by audition at the outset of each semester.

The USU Bands upcoming schedule includes:

• Nov. 17: Aggie Marching Band performing “Sounds of the Stadium.”
• Dec. 1: Annual Tri-State Band Symposium Sampler.
• Dec. 2: Annual Tri-State Band Symposium Finale Concerts.
• Dec. 4: Symphonic Band featuring the Cache Wind Symphony.

For more information regarding the Wind Orchestra Fall Concert, visit the Caine College’s website.