PRESS RELEASE
UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL ARKANSAS
COLLEGE OF FINE ARTS AND COMMUNICATION
February 8, 2013
CONTACT: Brantley Douglas, (501) 450-5022; bdouglas@uca.edu
SYMPHONIC BAND CONCERT SET FOR FEB. 20
By Callie France
College of Fine Arts and Communication Media Office
CONWAY — The University of Central Arkansas’s Department of Music will host a symphonic band concert on Wednesday, Feb. 20, in the Donald W. Reynolds Performance Hall.
The 7:30 p.m. concert, free and open to the public, should last approximately 90 minutes with a brief intermission.
“This is the only concert of the entire academic year that just features the Symphonic Band,” said Brantley Douglas, associate director of bands. “Typically we share concerts with the Wind Ensemble during the fall semester, and we will share a concert with the University Band in April of this year. Since this is our only opportunity to have a concert all to ourselves, we will be presenting a wide variety of music from the wind band repertoire.”
The concert program will consist of “Canzona” by Peter Menin, “Handel in the Strand” by Percy Grainger, “I Sit Alone in Martin’s Church” by Thomas Duffy, “Variations on a Korean Folk Song” by John Barns Chance, “Pele” by Brian Balmages, “Horns on the Run” featuring the UCA Horn Studio and “El Capitan” by John Philip Sousa.
“This work is a blend of Gregorian chant, renaissance, negro slave songs and jazz all combined into one piece that reflects the spirit of Martin Luther and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.” Douglas said of “I Sit Alone in Martin’s Church”.
Conductors of the UCA Symphonic Band include faculty members Douglas and Dr. Ricky Brooks, director of bands. Leslie Sellers, a graduate conducting student, will assist in conducting the concert.
Dr. Brent Shires, UCA horn professor, will perform as a guest soloist and will also be featured in “Pele.”
“ ‘Pele’ was composed by Brian Balmages who is taking the band world by storm with his excellent compositions,” Douglas said. “Brian was an undergraduate student in composition and trumpet performance at James Madison University when I was the assistant director of bands there.”
For more information, contact Douglas at (501) 450-5022 or bdouglas@uca.edu.
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