The CSU Symphonic Band will perform their first concert of the 2014-15 season on Wednesday, October 22, at 7:30 p.m. in the Griffin Concert Hall at the University Center for the Arts, located at 1400 Remington St.
Tickets are $7 for CSU students, $1 for youth (under 18), and $12 for the public. Please note that the University Center for the Arts (UCA) ticket office hours have changed. Tickets are available at the ticket office in the UCA lobby 90 minutes prior to any UCA performance and through intermission. Information about upcoming performances can be found at (970) 491-ARTS (2787). Advance or online purchase is recommended to avoid at-the-door fees.
After his tour with the Colorado State University Faculty Chamber Winds to the Mid Europe Festival for Wind Music in July 2014, Dr. Richard Frey has returned to CSU, bringing newfound inspiration and experience to lead the Symphonic Band in this fantastic concert.
The Symphonic Band has chosen to start its new season with great ambition. The concert focuses on works inspired by the music of the Renaissance and Baroque periods. The program includes Susato’s Selections from the Danserye, Bach’s Prelude and Fugue in G minor, Nelson’s Homage to Perotin, Persichetti’s Pageant, and more.
According to Dr. Frey, “using ‘old music’ as an inspiration led to a concert program filled with a lot of variety, but that still seems musically unified – a wonderful opportunity for the audience to experience the influence as well as the contrast between the old and the new.”
One of the challenges for Dr. Frey comes from the academic nature of the ensemble: there are new members every semester, and not many of them play Baroque and Renaissance works.
“They have certainly met this challenge,” said Frey. “They’ve been working hard and prepared this program beautifully from the very beginning by listening to others’ suggestions and finding one’s own strengths and weaknesses.”
While Susato and Bach works will be performed in their original orchestrations, Persichetti and Mennin works will receive a much more modern treatment. Also included in the program are pieces like the Nelson, a pre-existing melody from the Renaissance used in a modern band settings.
“The music is mostly tuneful and can be appreciated during a first listening,” Dr. Frey said.
With works dating from 1551 to the present day, the audience is invited to embark on a journey through centuries of musical innovations in terms of instrumentation as well as texture. This will truly be a great night for lovers of music and history.
About Richard Frey
The Associate Director of Bands and Assistant Professor of Music at Colorado State University, Dr. Richard Frey conducts the Symphonic Band, directs the Marching Band, and teaches courses in music education. With his works and experience with wind instruments and conducting, he has led the CSU Faculty Chamber Winds on a European tour and the CSU Marching Band under his direction has gained national and even international reputation. He has worked as an arranger and drill designer, percussionist and pianist.
About Symphonic Band
The largest of the concert ensembles of CSU, the Symphonic Band numbers 75-90 players with numerous college majors being represented. Symphonic Band performs various concerts on campus each year with a wide variety of literature including marches; show tunes, contemporary works, transcriptions and manuscript literature. The band utilizes outstanding performers within the music faculty, performers within the ensemble, and guest conductors as a part of the programming.
The University Center for the Arts at Colorado State University provides an enriched venue in which the study and practice of Art, Dance, Music, and Theatre are nurtured and sustained by building the skills and knowledge needed by future generations of arts professionals to become contributors to the essential vitality of our culture and society.
For more information, visit UCA.Colostate.edu.