On the first of May, students from the Colorado State University Concert Orchestra and the Concert Band took the stage for an evening of Italian and water themes. The free performance was the final ensemble concert at the University Center for the Arts for the semester, and included students from almost every college at CSU.
The orchestra's program, directed by Leslie Stewart, included Concerto Grosso by Italian –American composer Vittorio Giannini. When selecting the repertoire for a concert, Ms. Stewart normally plans the program around the music that would best compliment a soloist. However, this time she found herself looking through the music library and came across the ‘new to her’ composer. “I was immediately blown away by the beauty and complexity of Giannini’s music,” she said. It turns out that the composer taught at both Julliard and the Manhattan School of Music, teaching some of the great musical minds of the 20th century including Herbie Hancock, David Amram, John Corigliano, and Adolphus Hailstork.
The decision to perform Concerto Grosso was also based on the opportunity to feature the Zinnia Quartet, one of CSU’s two graduate string quartets, which Stewart wanted to do both as a graduation present and as a “thank you” for their dedication to the Concert Orchestra. The members of the quartet worked as coaches for the orchestra, directly helping individual sections within the ensemble multiple times throughout the semester.
By selecting Concerto Grosso as the first piece, the remaining programming quickly spring boarded into an "Inspired by Italy" theme, with additional pieces by Italian composers including the Marcello Oboe Concerto, which featured CSU Oboe Professor Andrew Jacboson.
The 100-member Concert Band, directed by Dr. Erik Johnson, performed music inspired by water in many forms, which is fitting considering how much of Italy is submerged in water. When selecting the program, Dr. Johnson considered how “music can be reflective of many abstract things.” With so much music is inspired by water, Dr. Johnson had the band performing Aquarium by Johan de Meij, Eric Whitacre’s Seal Lullaby, Russian Sailor’s Dance by Reinhold Gliere, and John Philip Sousa’s famous Hands Across the Sea march. “The water pieces are all reflective of our world,” he added.
Similarly to the Concert Orchestra, the Concert Band performed a piece in collaboration with music graduate students, honoring the contributions they brought to the classroom during the year. Additionally, the band featured the CSU percussion studio, as they finished the evening by performing without a conductor!
Both directors are pleased with their ensembles and the students’ dedication to excellence. “I am really proud of the students’ work and their commitment to growing as artists, amidst a busy schedule,” said Johnson. Stewart echoed these thoughts, emphasizing that even though the two ensembles are non-auditioned, the students put in a tremendous amount of effort.
The Sunday night concert was a huge success, with both ensembles performing exceptionally. The final band concert at the UCA this spring will take place on Thursday May 5 at 7:30 p.m. in Griffin. Many of the students that performed in the Concert Band and Concert Orchestra performance will also be performing in the Symphonic Band concert. For the rest of the student performers, the focus now shifts to finals week, and for the seniors: graduation!