Appalachian Wind Ensemble and Jazz Ensemble I Perform for Northwest District Band Clinic
From Feb. 17-19, the Appalachian Wind Ensemble and Jazz Ensemble I will perform their first Spring concerts for the campus, community, and Northwest District Band Clinic students.
During the Northwest District Band Clinic, advanced middle and high school band students come to Appalachian State University’s campus to learn from excellent guest conductors and experience performances by Hayes School of Music ensembles - a 50-year tradition of inspiring and teaching young musicians from Northwest North Carolina.
Join us for these concerts in the Schaefer Center:
- Thursday, February 17, 8:00pm - Jazz Ensemble I (Complete Concert)
- Friday, February 18, 8:00pm - Appalachian Wind Ensemble (Complete Concert)
- Saturday, February 19, 8:00pm - Wind Ensemble/Jazz Ensemble I
- This concert features abridged versions of the programs from Feb. 17 and 18 and is especially for the middle and high school band students visiting for the 2022 Northwest District Band Clinic.
- See the combined concert program here.
- Sunday, February 20, 1:00-1:50 (9-12), 2:50-3:40 (9-10), 4:40-5:30 (11-12) - Performances by high school honor band students attending the Northwest District Band Clinic.
Face coverings will be required for audience members and physical distancing is recommended. No tickets are required.
Jazz Ensemble I
Directed by Professor Todd Wright, the Jazz Ensemble I consists of nineteen excellent student musicians and, for this concert, guest trombonist Michael Dease.
Jazz Ensemble I will perform their full program on Thursday, February 17 and an abridged program on Saturday, Feb. 19.
“For decades, the Jazz Ensemble I has performed with guest artists as part of the Northwest District Band Clinic,” says Professor Todd Wright. “In the past, we have featured artists such as Benny Golson (tenor saxophone), Ingrid Jensen (trumpet), Randy Bracker (trumpet), Steve Wilson (drums), Peter Erskine (drums), and many others. I am excited for the band to collaborate with Michael Dease and for the visiting students to hear his performance.”
The program will be selected from the following pieces, which are favorites of Michael Dease and the Jazz Ensemble I:
- Strike Up the Band - George Gershwin, arr. Sammy Nestico
- When You Go - Ray Brown, arr. Geoff Keezer
- I’m Glad There Is You - Jimmy Dorsey, arr. Michael Dease
- In A Mellow Tone - Oliver Nelson
- Ms. Garvey, Ms. Garvey - Jason Marshall
- Soul-Leo - Mulgrew Miller, arr. Jason Hainsworth
- Two Bass Hit - John Lewis, arr. Michael Dease
See the complete Jazz Ensemble I program here.
Guest Artist: Michael Dease is one of the world's eminent trombonists, lending his versatile sound and signature improvisations to over 200 recordings and groups as diverse as Grammy-winning artists David Sanborn, Christian McBride, Michel Camilo, and Alicia Keys. Dease was part of the historic first class of jazz students at the Juilliard School, earning both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees, and quickly established a reputation as a brilliant soloist, sideperson, and bandleader.
Dease recently won the 64th Annual Downbeat Magazine Critic's Poll for Rising Star Jazz Trombonist, the 2017 Best Jazz Trombonist from NYC's Hot House Magazine, and is a sought-after and three-time Grammy award winning lead, section and bass trombonist with today’s leading jazz orchestras. He currently teaches jazz trombone and improvisation at the Michigan State University.
Appalachian Wind Ensemble
On Friday, February 18 at 8:00pm, the Appalachian Wind Ensemble will present an exciting program showcasing a variety of pieces for wind ensemble. Dr. John Stanley Ross, conductor, and Dr. Jason Gardner, associate conductor, will be joined by graduate conductors Cody Arington and T.j. Anderson.
See the complete Appalachian Wind Ensemble program and program notes here.
Summit City (2006), Brian Balmages (b. 1975) - This energetic concert opener is based on a single rhythmic cell that transforms over the course of a captivating musical journey.
Récitar, Vesti la giubba (2017), Ruggero Leoncavallo (1857-1919), arr. Jos van de Braak - In this famous aria from the opera Pagliacci, thecharacter Canio laments that he must go ahead with his evening performance and play the clown while his heart is breaking after discovering his wife has been in a love affair.
- Vocal Soloist: Praised for his “heroic timbre,” Hunter Rogers is a second-year graduate student in Voice Performance at Appalachian State University. In addition to his duties as the tenor in Quintessential! and the opera department, he can be found performing with the Asheville Lyric Opera.
Riften Wed (2013) Julie Giroux (b. 1961) - This love theme is the soundtrack for weddings from the epic video game world of Skyrim, portraying commitments in a deadly world of high fantasy and danger.
Wingspan (2015), Gary Kuo (b. 1965) - Portraying the magic, majesty, and beauty of flight, Wingspan is the first venture for solo horn and concert band by composer Gary Kuo, winner of six Emmy awards for his work in television.
- Horn Soloist: Dr. Dakota Corbliss currently serves as the Visiting Assistant Professor of French Horn at Appalachian State University. He is an avid chamber musician, helping found Vice City Brass, a collective of brass and electronic musicians aiming to bridge the generational gap between the past, present, and future. Corbliss is also the co-founder of a new group called PIVOT, a horn and saxophone duo dedicated to promoting perspective shifts among their audience.
Lincolnshire Posy (1937), Percy Aldridge Grainger (1882 - 1961) - This suite is in six movements, all based on folk songs from Lincolnshire, England. Composer Percy Grainger's settings are not only true to the verse structure of the folk songs, but attempt to depict the singers’ personalities from whom Grainger collected the songs.
His Honor (1934), Henry Fillmore (1881-1956), arr. Frederick Fennell - The title refers to Mayor Russell Wilson, a man who impressed the composer with his sense of humor as well as his executive ability. With its unexpected melodic and rhythmic changes and its various performance possibilities, His Honor is one of Fillmore's most popular marches.
2022 Northwest District Band Clinic
The Northwest District Band Clinic has been hosted by the Hayes School of Music for over 50 years. The clinic features two middle school honor bands and three high school honor bands whose musicians are selected by audition from Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Davidson, Davie, Forsyth, Iredell, Stokes, Surry, Wilkes, Watauga, and Yadkin counties.
The students rehearse over the course of several days under the baton of nationally prominent guest conductors, culminating in a performance in the Schaefer Center for the Performing Arts.
The 2022 guest conductors are:
- 11/12 Senior Band - Col. Don Schofield
- 9/10 Concert Band - Todd Ebert
- 9/12 Symphonic Band - Robert Johnston
- Middle School Symphonic Band - Katie Ebert
- Middle School Concert Band - Dee Raby
Middle school students rehearse and perform at Watauga High School in collaboration with WHS band director Taryn Wooten, who earned her BM Instrumental Music Education from the Hayes School of Music. High school students rehearse and perform at Appalachian State University.
The Hayes School of Music is essential to the clinic weekend. Students in the Rho Tau chapter of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia and the Iota Omicron chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi execute all of the behind the scenes work that enables the clinic to run smoothly and efficiently. Middle and high school students enjoy their experience on Appalachian State University’s campus, making memories and building musicianship for life.
