K-State ISFA Land Grant Acknowledgement Statement
October 13th Wind Symphony Concert Band
Dr. Alex Wimmer, Conductor
Olivia Bazanos, Graduate Assistant Conductor
Cally Bitterlin, Graduate Assistant Conductor
Preston Thomas, Graduate Assistant Conductor
Travis Turner, Graduate Assistant Conductor
Concert Band
Jubilance (1997)………………….…………...………………….…............James Swearingen (b. 1947)
Conducted by Preston Thomas, Graduate Assistant
American Riversongs (1991)………………….………………………………..Pierre LaPlante (b. 1943)
Conducted by Travis Turner, Graduate Assistant
Kindred Spirits (2009)………………….………………………...……............Brian Balmages (b. 1975)
Conducted by Cally Bitterlin, Graduate Assistant
Courage (March) (1919)………………….…………...…………………....Harold Bennett (1881-1956)
arr. Nicholas Contorno (b. 1983)
Conducted by Olivia Bazanos, Graduate Assistant
Wind Symphony
Dr. Alex Wimmer, Conductor
William Byrd Suite (1924)………………….…………...…………………...Gordon Jacobs (1895-1984)
The Earle of Oxford’s March
Pavana
Jhon come and kiss me now
The Mayden’s Song
Wolsey’s Wilde
The Bells
Amparito Roca (1925)………………….…………...………………….…….Jaime Texidor (1884-1957)
arr. Aubrey Winter (1870-1955)
Concert Band Program Notes
Jubilance (1997) - James Swearingen (b. 1947)
Jubilance was written in 1997. It was dedicated to Duane H. Pangrac (1937-2016) and his father, Perry Pangrec (1904-1989), Kansas instrumental music educators. Perry taught in Junction City and Duane taught in Butler County. Jubilance is written in ABA form. The A theme features several time signature changes which gives the music a bouncy feeling. The lyrical B theme features a slower melody in triple time and several colorful chords which sets it apart from the main theme. The piece ends with a variation of the introduction and a dramatic timpani solo.
Notes prepared by Preston Thomas
American Riversongs (1991) - Pierre LaPlante (b. 1943)
American Riversongs is based on traditional and composed music of an earlier time, when the rivers and waterways were the lifelines of a growing nation.
American Riversongs begins with a rousing setting of “Down the River,” followed by an expansive and dramatic treatment of “Shenandoah,” or “Across the Wide Missouri,” as it is sometimes called. After a brief transition, a brass band is heard playing a quadrille-like version of Stephen Foster’s “The Glendy Burk.” As the “Glendy Burk” travels along, a second theme is introduced by piccolo, flutes and tambourine. The second theme is based on a Creole bamboula tune that probably originated in the Louisiana delta region. Other composers have used this melody, including Louis Moreau Gottschalk in his La Bamboula, Op. 2 for piano and his Symphony No. 1, subtitled A Night In The Tropics. The bamboula theme is marked by an incessant syncopated ragtime rhythm and used to good effect in the coda to bring American Riversongs to a rowdy, foot-stomping close!
Notes from the score to American Riversongs written by Pierre LaPlante.
Kindred Spirits (2009) - Brian Balmages (b. 1975)
On February 1, 2008, tragedy struck Balmages’ hometown in Maryland. A young high school boy, Nicholas Browning, made national headlines after being arrested for murdering his parents and two younger brothers. The entire community was thrown into shock because he was an honors student and the whole episode seemed so impetuous. Brothers Gregory and Benjamin were percussionists in Cockeysville Middle School Bands. It was shortly after this tragedy that their band director, Jonathan Sindler, approached Balmages about writing a piece for a memorial concert. This piece is offered up as a musical eulogy for the family. It is also written for Nicholas Browning, who despite the acts charged against him, must be in a great deal of pain. The music is quite mournful and reflective in nature, though periods of warmth project through, each becoming more intense and uplifting as the work develops. As the music grows more dissonant and intense, so does the feeling of unrest, confusion, and anxiety. Voices at the end accompany the sound of the piano, while a few woodwind soloists echo the powerful themes once more as the music fades to nothing. A closing statement in the piano offers a final musical outburst that carries both great joy and sorrow.
Notes from the score to Kindred Spirits written by Brian Balmages
Courage (March) (1919) - Harold Bennett (1881-1956) arr. Nicholas Contorno (b. 1983)
Courage March by Henry Fillmore, arranged by Nicholas J. Contorno, was composed in 1919 by Fillmore under the pseudonym Harold Bennett. The work begins in Eb major and modulates to Ab major at the trio following traditional march form. Originally included in Book No. 3 from the then well-known Bennett Band Book Series, this new edition does not contain the technical demands of some of Fillmore’s better known marches such as His Honor, Men of Ohio, and Americans We, but does demonstrate his gift for creating interesting melodies and countermelodies.
Program Note from The Instrumentalist
Wind Symphony Program Notes
William Byrd Suite (1924) - Gordon Jacobs (1895-1984)
Gordon Jacob considered William Byrd Suite "freely transcribed," as virginal players had no means of creating dynamic shading or timbral contrast on their instrument. Composers created dynamic intensity by adding voices above and/or below the melody. Similarly, composers created musical intensity by adding lines of increasing complexity, ornamenting the melody. Jacob remained mostly faithful to Byrd's original melody, harmony, form and figuration, but added his own orchestrational color and dynamic shading to intensify the aforementioned expressive qualities of the music.
It is an overstatement to describe each movement simply as growing louder and more complex due to layers of ornamentation, variation and imitation. Although Byrd utilizes these compositional devices in all the works represented, his genius lies in how he utilizes these effects in varying degrees to avoid monotony. In “The Earl of Oxford's March,” devices of crescendo, ornamentation and imitation are clearly evident. This movement, marked un poco pomposo, begins its stately procession through the two iterations of its form simply and very quietly, growing steadily stronger and more complex into the climactic final sections. Although originally attributed to Byrd, the slow, stately "Pavana" is now placed within Anthony Holborne's works list. Jacob alters the harmonic scheme of this movement, beginning each phrase in a different tonality, yet emphasizing Bb-major in them all. “Jhon come kisse me now,” “The Mayden's Song” and “Wolsey's Wilde” are sets of variations upon an eight and two sixteen bar melodies, respectively. Imitation and ornamentation are the primary developmental tools in the first two, while the third follows a more conservative approach with far less figuration and only one variation. Jacob's orchestration of “Wolsey's Wilde” takes advantage of the instrumental forces, alternating loud and soft dynamics, and effectively utilizing the timbral possibilities of the winds. “The Bells” is structured in large musical paragraphs, a continuous motivic variation emanating from a single two-note ground in the bass. The work culminates with a tubular bell solo amidst a grandiose layering of contrapuntal texture.
Program Note by Brian K. Doyle
Amparito Roca (1925) - Jaime Texidor (1884-1957) arr. Aubrey Winter (1870-1955)
This Spanish pasodoble march was written by Spanish bandleader and composer Jaime Texidor. The introduction and first strain are indicative of a bullfighter’s music, whereas the gentle, lighthearted trio section takes on the character of a couples dance, evoking the other essential element of the pasodoble. The powerful brass in the dogfight (bullfight), and the tutti texture of the maestoso section bring this piece to a grand conclusion.
Jaime Texidor Dalmau was a composer, conductor, and publisher who lived much of his life in Baracaldo, a picturesque city in northern Spain. In 1927 he became conductor of the Baracaldo Municipal Band, succeeding Sr. Alberdi who had founded the organization in 1902. Texidor conducted the band until 1936 and, during that time, composed and arranged so much music that he decided to establish his publishing company. Many of his works were republished by Editorial Musica Moderna of Madrid and Boosey & Hawkes of London.
Program Note by Aubrey Winter
Kansas State University Concert Band
Flute Oboe Clarinet Bass Clarinet Bassoon | Alto Saxophone Tenor Saxophone Baritone Saxophone Trumpet French Horn | Trombone Euphonium Tuba Percussion Piano |
*Denotes Principal Section Player | ||
Kansas State University Wind Symphony
Flute Oboe Clarinet Bass Clarinet Alto Saxophone | Tenor Saxophone Baritone Saxophone Trumpet French Horn Trombone | Euphonium Tuba Percussion Piano |
*Denotes Principal Section Player | ||
Concert Band Conductors
OLIVIA BAZANOS is originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and is one of the graduate assistants at Kansas State University. She earned her B.M. in Music Education from Slippery Rock University (SRU) in 2021. While at SRU she was extremely involved in marching band and was a section leader, fundamentals of marching chair, and head drum major during her undergraduate career. She has taught instrumental band grades 4-12 in public school teaching. Olivia was also an active performing member with the Slippery Rock University Winter Guard for two years.
Olivia has instructed as visual technician, guard instructor, and woodwind instructor at local high school marching bands and substituted within various Pennsylvania school districts. Olivia is also an active volunteer with Music For All, spending two weeks of every summer as a S.W.A.G. Team Member during her Summer Symposium held in Muncie, Indiana.
Olivia’s professional affiliations include Pennsylvania Music Educators Association, National Association of Music Education, Music For All, Kansas Bandmasters Association, Kansas Music Educators Association, Women Band Directors International, Tau Beta Sigma, and Mu Phi Epsilon.
CALLY BITTERLIN is a PhD Candidate and graduate assistant at Kansas State University. She earned both her B.M.E and M.M. from Kansas State University in 2008 and 201,1 respectively. While at Kansas State University, she was extremely involved in marching band and was a section leader and student staff during her undergraduate career. She has taught all grade levels K-12 in her 9 years of public school teaching. Cally has taught in Kansas, Texas, and Iowa.
In Texas, Cally taught at University High School where she oversaw the concert and symphonic bands and assisted with the marching, jazz, and mariachi bands. She also proposed and received a piano classroom and taught 3 sections of group piano lessons. Cally implemented a leadership program and training at the high school and continued to do the same in Iowa. She was a performing member in the saxophone section in the Waco Community Band and the Temple Symphonic Band. Cally was also a clinician and adjudicator for several schools and events for high schools and middle schools in Texas and continues to do so in Kansas. In Iowa, she oversaw the entire band program including color guard, athletic bands, concert, and jazz bands. The jazz and marching bands traveled in and out of state for several competitions during her tenure. Cally continued to perform on saxophone soloing for different occasions in the district and playing euphonium at Tuba Christmas.
Cally's professional affiliations include Texas Music Educators Association, Iowa Bandmasters Association, Kansas Music Educators Association, Women Band Directors International, Tau Beta Sigma, Kappa Delta Pi.
PRESTON THOMAS is from Lenexa, Kansas. He graduated from Kansas State University in 2019 with a Bachelor’s of Music Education Degree. During his time at Kansas State University, he was involved with the Pride of Wildcat Land Marching Band as section leader of the snare line and president of the percussion studio chapter of Percussive Arts Society. Preston also played in the Wind Ensemble, Concert Band, Brass Ensemble, Woodwind Ensemble, Volleyball Pep Band, Basketball Pep Band, and Percussion Ensemble.
After graduating Kansas State University, Preston went to Medicine Lodge, Kansas and taught grade 6-12 band and choir. During his time at Medicine Lodge, he was able to receive Superior ratings at both regional and state level competitions with all of his groups which had not been done in recent memory. He was also fortunate to be able to assist in acquiring new technology to the music department with a new digital sound and lighting system which helped bring a new energy to the concerts and performances.
TRAVIS TURNER is currently an M.M. candidate at Kansas State University. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree at Missouri Southern State University (MSSU) in 2020, where he was involved in the marching band, taking on the role of drum captain for the drumline and later a student staff position. He also performed with the MSSU Wind Ensemble, acting as principal trombonist, and the MSSU Jazz Orchestra. He also performed with Resistance Indoor Percussion, an independent open class ensemble based out of Tulsa, Oklahoma. While performing with Resistance, Travis took on leadership roles within the ensemble and earned the “Member of the Year” award in 2018 and 2019.
Travis has worked with several high schools in Southwest Missouri, as well as the Wichita and Tulsa areas, teaching drumline and visual fundamentals. In his most recent endeavor, he was the Assistant Percussion Coordinator for the Joplin High School Winter Drumline, where he helped lead the ensemble to their highest-scoring season in five years. He also worked with Resistance Indoor Percussion in the 2020 season, working with the bass drums and teaching visual fundamentals. Travis has also started a small design business with his brother, writing and arranging shows for marching bands.
Wind Symphony Conductor
ALEX WIMMER is currently serving as the Assistant Director of Bands at Kansas State University. His duties include directing the Wind Symphony, Cat Band (basketball pep band), Volleyball Band, Pub Crawl Band, Assistant Marching Band Director for the Pride of Wildcat Land (KSUMB), arranger and drill designer for the KSUMB, and instructor of undergraduate and graduate courses in conducting, arranging, and marching band techniques. During the summer he coordinates the K-State Summer Music Camp and K-State Leadership and Auxiliary Camp, and serves as one of the Assistant Directors of the Manhattan Municipal Band. Prior to his appointment at Kansas State University, Dr. Wimmer was a Graduate Teaching Assistant for the Kansas State University Bands. He assisted with all concert and athletic ensembles, undergraduate conducting courses, and Percussion Ensembles. His research interests include undergraduates conducting with expressivity and qualitative research.
Originally from Gretna, Nebraska, Dr. Wimmer received his Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Nebraska at Omaha in 2007, his Master of Music degree in Education with an emphasis in Wind Conducting from Kansas State University in 2014, and his Doctorate in Philosophy in Curriculum and Instruction from Kansas State University in 2017. Dr. Wimmer was the Director of Bands at Gretna High School and the Assistant Director of Bands at Gretna Middle School from 2007-2012. Under his direction his concert, jazz, and marching bands received consistent superior ratings. He was a recipient of the Jack R. Snider Young Band Director Award in 2011 and served on the Nebraska Music Educators Association Leadership Academy from 2011-2012.
Dr. Wimmer is in demand as a conductor, clinician, and adjudicator as well as a percussion specialist. His professional affiliations include the Kansas Music Educators Association, the Kansas Bandmasters Association, the National Association for Music Education, the College Band Directors National Association, the Percussive Arts Society, Kappa Kappa Psi, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, and Phi Kappa Lambda.
