University Band and Maryland Community Band Concert

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University Band and Maryland Community Band Concert

Thursday, April 7, 2022 . 8PM
Photo by Ken Rubin
Principal People: 

Craig Potter and Alexander Scott, conductors
Christine Higley and Alexander Scott, assistant conductors
Eric Aaron, student conductor

Special Announcement: 

Please note: The livestream for this performance will only be available live. The stream will not available for viewing afterwards.

Event Attributes

Presented By

Presented By: 
UMD School of Music
Accessibility: 

For more information regarding accessible accommodations, please click here.

Venue: 
Seating: 
General Admission
Estimated Length: 
This performance will last approximately 1 hour 20 minutes with no intermission.
Join us in person at The Clarice or watch the livestream from the comfort of your home.
 
Representing a variety of majors across campus, the University Band is joined by the Maryland Community Band for a concert of traditional and contemporary wind band music in a performance perfect for all ages.
 
Program:
Johannes Hanssen: Valdres - Norwegian March
William Schuman: When Jesus Wept
William Schuman: Chester - Overture for Band
Robert Jager: Third Suite
Norman Dello Joio: Satiric Dances
Percy Aldrige Grainger: Irish Tune from County Derry
John Williams: The Cowboys
 

Health + Safety

Patrons attending University of Maryland arts events are no longer required to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test. We continue to encourage audiences to wear a mask and stay current with vaccinations and boosters. Please see our Health & Safety information page for information about what to expect during your visit.

 
 
 
 
Maryland Community Band
 
Valdres – Norwegian March
Johannes Hanssen (1874–1967)
 
When Jesus Wept
William Schuman (1910–1992)
 
Chester – Overture for Band
William Schuman (1910–1992)
 
INTERMISSION
 
University Band
 
Third Suite
Robert Jager (b. 1939)
  1. March
  2. Waltz
  3. Rondo
 
Satiric Dances
Norman Dello Joio (1913–2008)
  1. Allegro pesante
  2. Adagio mesto
  3. Allegro spumante
 
Irish Tune from County Derry
Percy Aldrige Grainger (1882–1961)
 
The Cowboys
John Williams (b. 1932)

 

 
Valdres – Norwegian March
JOHANNES HANSSEN
Born December 2, 1874, Ullensaker, Norway | Died November 25, 1967, Oslo, Norway
 
Hanssen began writing this march in 1901; it was not completed until 1904. Following its premiere, during an open-air band concert in Oslo, the composer heard only two people applaud—his two best friends.
 
–Program Note by Alex Scott
 
When Jesus Wept
WILLIAM SCHUMAN
Born August 4, 1910, New York City | Died February 15, 1992, New York City
 
Based on the round of the American composer William Billings (1746–1800), this Prelude is intended to serve as an introduction to the composer’s Chester – Overture for Band based on Billings’ Hymn and Marching Song of the American Revolution.
 
–Program Note by William Schuman
 
Chester – Overture for Band
WILLIAM SCHUMAN
 
The tune on which this composition is based was born during the very time of the American Revolution, appearing in 1778 in a book of tunes and anthems composed by William Billings called “The Singing Master’s Assistant.” Chester was so popular that it was sung throughout the colonies from Vermont to South Carolina. It became the song of the American Revolution, sound around campfires of the Continental Army and played by fifers on the march. The music and words, both composed by Billings, expressed perfectly the burning desire for freedom which sustained the colonists through the difficult years of the Revolution.
 
–Program Note by William Schuman
 
Third Suite
ROBERT JAGER
Born August 25, 1939, Binghamton, New York
 
The Suite is a tuneful work for band, yet it has built into it certain elements which provide a challenge for the players and conductor, as well as added interest for the listener. In the first movement, for example, the steady feel and rhythm of a march are somewhat distorted by measures of unequal time values. One interesting aspect of this “March” is the percussion solo near the middle of the movement
 
In the “Waltz,” the same kind of distortion of time occurs as in the previous movement, but now it is the familiar ¾ which receives the treatment. Color and contrast are an added important feature in this movement. Near the end of the waltz, the opening flute theme is repeated and cut short, before the movement closes with a spirited “coda.”
 
The form of the “Rondo” is ABACABA. The movement opens with a five chord introduction in the full band. This introduction serves as an important connecting idea throughout the movement. A solo cornet states the “A” theme, which is repeated by the woodwinds. Then the mood shifts to minor for the “B” theme in the full band. After a repeat of “A,” the piccolo introduces the “C” theme. This too, is repeated, and again the 5 big chords are heard, followed by the third “A” statement. Suddenly, the tonal level shifts and the last “B” section is heard. This actually is a developmental section incorporating all three themes of the movement. After a loud timpani crash, the final “A” is heard “Presto.” This builds to a climactic finale based on the five notes of the introduction.
 
The Third Suite was written for Mr. Leo Imperial, director of the Granby High School Band of Norfolk, Virginia, and is dedicated to him and his very fine organization. The Suite received its first performance by them in December 1965 from manuscript.
 
–Program Note by Robert Jager
 
Satiric Dances
NORMAN DELLO JOIO
Born January 24, 1913, New York City | Died July 24, 2008, East Hampton, New York
 
Satiric Dances was commissioned by the Concord Band, Concord, Massachusetts, to commemorate the Bicentennial of April 19, 1775, the day that launched the American War for Independence. At the North Bridge, in what is now Minute Man National Historical Park, the first ordered firing upon British Regulars by Colonial militiamen resulted in "the shot heard ’round the world." Dello Joio, then Dean of Boston University's School for the Arts, agreed to do the commission, but stipulated it would be based on a piece he had used as background music for a comedy by Aristophanes. The most famous comic dramatist of ancient Greece, Aristophanes was born an Athenian citizen about 445 BC. His plays commented on the political and social issues of fifth century Athens and frequently employed satire.
 
The first dance movement is annotated as allegro pesante. The brass entry signifies the importance of the work, but the brisk tempo keeps the simplicity of "peasantry" from being ponderous. Taking a much slower adagio mesto tempo, the second dance begins with a melancholy tune from the flutes and low brass. The movement has light and delicate features that are quite exposed. Its central theme might evoke thoughts of a dance in a meadow that eventually reverts into a more solemn theme. Without a break in the music, the final movement is introduced by rolls from the snare drum. The tempo is indicated as allegro spumante and is the fastest of the composition. The quick turns and dynamics evoke images of the objects that were the titles of Aristophanes' plays: Clouds, Wasps and Birds.
 
–Program Note from Windband.org
 
Irish Tune from County Derry
PERCY ALDRIDGE GRAINGER
Born July 8, 1882, Melbourne, Australia | Died February 20, 1961, White Plains, New York
 
Irish Tune from County Derry is one of Grainger's most popu­lar works, familiar not only to classical music audiences but also to movie-goers and television viewers the world over. In the wind arrangement presented here the work was first pub­lished in 1918—a period of competing cultural pride and mourning throughout the British Commonwealth, in the wake of the staggering losses and ultimate victory in Word War I—as No. 20 of his British Folk-Music Settings. Grainger evidently was fully aware of the potential of the stunningly beautiful music presented here. The work exists in no fewer than seven substantively different versions for combinations ranging from chorus with optional piano through full orchestra, wind band (the version presented here) and harmonium with accompa­nying instrumental and/or vocal ensemble. Although the lush orchestral arrangement popularized by Leopold Stokowski from 1949 remains popular, the distinctively idiomatic scor­ing techniques of the wind-band arrangement seems to con­vey Grainger's genius more vividly.
 
–Program Note by John Michael Cooper
 
The Cowboys
JOHN WILLIAMS
Born February 8, 1932, Flushing, Island, New York
arr. JIM CURNOW
Born April 17, 1943, Port Huron, Michigan
 
This fast-slow-fast overture is based on the score in the 1972 John Wayne film The Cowboys. The story tells of an area in the U.S. Northwest Territory which has lost all of its grown men to the Ruby River, Montana gold rush. A local rancher, Wil Anderson, is forced to hire 11 young boys to help drive his 1,200 cattle to the railhead at Belle Fourche, South Dakota, 400 miles away. The boys overcome numerous hardships before rustlers shoot Wil (John Wayne) and take the herd. At this point, the “cowboys” become “cowmen” and manage to avenge Wil’s death and recover the cattle.
 
–Program Note by Norman E. Smith
 
 
ALEXANDER SCOTT is pursuing a master of music in wind conducting at the University of Maryland, College Park where he currently serves as an instrumental conducting graduate assistant. He is a conducting student of Michael Votta, with additional mentoring from Andrea Brown and Craig Potter. In addition, he serves as interim music director for the Maryland Community Band and assistant conductor for the Bel Air Community Band.
Before coming to the University of Maryland, Scott taught for nine years at the elementary, middle and high school levels in Maryland public schools. For seven years, he was the music department chair and director of instrumental music at Meade Senior High School in Fort Meade, Maryland, where he was responsible for conducting the concert band, string orchestra, philharmonic orchestra, marching band, jazz band, steelband and pit orchestra, as well as instructing International Baccalaureate (IB) Music, Advanced Placement (AP) Music Theory and guitar courses. Additionally, he served as the school’s advisor for the Tri-M Music Honors Society.
While teaching at Meade Senior High School, Scott’s bands and orchestras consistently earned excellent and superior ratings at county and state adjudication festivals and his marching band earned second place at the 2018 USBands Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships. His concert band was a member of a commission consortium for Anthony O’Toole’s Latin Dance Movements. Scott was a semifinalist for Music and Arts’ national “Music Educator of the Year” award (2016) and the Maryland winner for School Band and Orchestra Magazine’s “50 Directors Who Make a Difference Award” (2018). His departmental leadership was twice recognized by the NAMM foundation with a “Best Communities in Music Education” designation (2018, 2019).
​Scott earned his master of music in music education from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and his bachelor of arts in Music Education from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). While at UMBC, Scott served as the inaugural undergraduate conducting fellow with the wind ensemble. Scott is a member of the National Association for Music Education, Maryland Music Educators Association and the Flute Society of Washington.
​As a woodwind specialist, Scott enjoys performing flute, clarinet and saxophone in various community and amateur ensembles in the DMV area. He also plays the double seconds steel pan in the Baltimore-based steelband sextet Charm City Steel.

 

CRAIG G. POTTER
Craig G. Potter serves as the assistant director of bands for the University of Maryland School of Music, where he conducts the University Band, the Maryland Pep Band and the Tuba-Euphonium Ensemble. He has also served as an assistant conductor for the University of Maryland Wind Ensemble as well as a guest conductor for the University of Maryland Wind Orchestra. In addition, Potter is the assistant director of the 250-member Mighty Sound of Maryland Marching Band. His marching band arrangements have been performed across the United States by bands of the Big Ten, ACC, SEC, Big 12, Big East, WAC, NCAC and Sun Conference.
Prior to his appointment, he taught middle and high school band in the Catholic Diocese of Lexington (Kentucky). During his time at Lexington Catholic High School, the band earned distinguished ratings at the Kentucky Music Educators Association Concert Band Festival.
Craig remains an active performer on the tuba, with special attention to music with alternative accompaniments and electronics. He has soloed twice with the University of Maryland Wind Orchestra, most recently on David Lang’s Are You Experienced? for solo electric tuba. Craig has appeared as a soloist and clinician across the United States and has performed in music conventions and festivals around the world including the United States Army Tuba-Euphonium Workshop and the Jungfrau Music Festival.
Potter holds a doctor of musical arts degree in tuba performance from the University of Maryland, a master of music in wind conducting from the University of Louisville, and a bachelor of music in music education from the University of Kentucky. He is an alumnus of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia and Kappa Kappa Psi, an honorary member of Tau Beta Sigma, and a Sigma Alpha Iota Friend of the Arts. Originally from Raleigh, North Carolina, Craig lives in Annapolis with his wife, Mallory, and his children, Felicity and Hugh.

 

CHRISTINE HIGLEY
Christine Higley is a first year doctoral student in wind conducting at the University of Maryland, College Park, where she serves as a wind conducting graduate assistant and studies under Michael Votta.
Before coming to Maryland, Higley attended California State University, Los Angeles (CSULA), where she earned her Master of Music degree in instrumental conducting in Fall 2020, studying under Emily Moss and Christopher Gravis. In addition to her wind conducting responsibilities, Higley taught courses including “Intro to Music Education” and “Intro to Classical Music in Western Culture” at CSULA. She also served as the president of the CSULA chapter of the National Association for Music Education.
Before pursuing her graduate degrees, Higley was the band and orchestra director at Sunset Ridge Middle School in Salt Lake City, Utah, from 2014–2018. She also taught elementary school beginning band and served on staff for the Copper Hills High School Marching Band.
In addition to teaching and conducting, Higley enjoys life as a horn player. She was the horn section leader for the CSULA Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Band, and has played with the Salt Lake Symphonic Winds, the Brigham Young University Idaho Symphony Orchestra and various chamber groups. She has studied with Nathan Campbell, Jon Klein and Bruce Woodward. Higley earned her B.M. in music education from BYU-Idaho.

 

BRAD JOPEK
Brad Jopek is currently a first-year doctor of musical arts wind conducting student at the University of Maryland School of Music studying under Michael Votta, Jr. Jopek previously served as the music and artistic director of River Cities Concert Band in Louisville, Kentucky, where he worked to increase the band’s outreach in the Kentuckiana area, collaborating with local community bands and establishing chamber ensembles to reach underserved communities.
Jopek was an active assistant conductor for several ensembles at the University of Louisville. He led the University Symphony Orchestra in a performance of Fanfare for Louisville by Witold Lutosławski at the 62nd Annual College Music Society conference in Louisville, Kentucky, and he worked as a rehearsal conductor for the University Sinfonietta’s performances with the 2019 and 2020 Kentucky Music Educators Association (KMEA) Intercollegiate Choir and the University of Louisville Concerto Competition. He also served as assistant conductor and operations manager for the 2019 University of Louisville Sinfonietta Costa Rica tour and collaboration celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Instituto Costarricense Pro Música Coral.
Jopek served as assistant conductor of the University of Louisville Saxophone Ensemble, which performed at the 2017 KMEA Conference featuring student arrangements of standard wind and orchestral repertoire. Jopek also worked with the saxophone ensemble as an arranger, mentored student composers and conductors, and conducted a world premiere performance of When I Arrive by Jeffrey Fox. In addition, he also volunteered with the University of Louisville Community Band as assistant conductor and percussionist.
Outside of conducting, Jopek served as an administrative assistant at the University of Louisville for numerous departments including the Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition, the Committee on Academic Performance and NCAA Faculty Athletics Representative through the university president’s office, Academic & Professional Studies, Performance Studies, and the Dean’s Office for the School of Music and University Libraries.
Jopek holds a bachelor of music education from Grove City College and two master of music degrees from the University of Louisville in wind and orchestral conducting. He has studied conducting with Edwin Arnold, Joseph Pisano, Jeffery Tedford, Frederick Speck, Kimcherie Lloyd and Amy Acklin.

 

ERIC AARON
Eric Aaron is a senior at the University of Maryland, College Park pursuing dual degrees in music education and horn performance. As an educator, Aaron is growing a young private brass studio and serves as a brass coach at Brooklyn Park Middle School and Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School. He also serves on the board of UMD’s chapter of the National Association for Music Education. As a horn player, he has been a member of the UMD Wind Ensemble, Wind Orchestra, Repertory Orchestra and Symphony Orchestra as well as the New Leaf Brass Quintet. Aaron is thankful for his conducting teachers, Andrea Brown and Craig Potter, as well as the advice of graduate assistants Brad Jopek, Christine Higley and Alex Scott.
 
 
 
 
 
ENSEMBLE PERSONNEL
 
Maryland Community Band
 
Music Director
Alexander Scott
 
Piccolo
Kathleen Wilson
 
Flute
Samantha Cinnick
Elvira Freeman
Mary Kate Gentile
Kaity Mumma
Kelly Pasciuto
Kathleen Wilson
 
Clarinet
Helen Butt
Jim Coppess
Derek Corbin
Erin Engelbrecht
Lisa Fetsko
Jeri Holloway
Chad McCall
Stanley Potter
Amanda Rogers
Kristina Seabolt
Karen Trebilcock
Megan White
 
Bass Clarinet
Edgar Butt
David Wagner
 
Oboes
Gillian Engelbrecht
Andrea Schewe
 
English Horn
Andrea Schewe
 
Bassoon
Tom Cherrix
Kathy Emery
Kristi Engel
 
Alto Sax
Aaron Beczkiewicz
Caroline Cherrix
Sarah Flinspach
Richard Schiller
 
French Horn
Christine Higley
Jessica Jopek
 
Trumpet
Dale Allen
Ernest Bennett
LeAnn Cabe
Craig Carignan
John Carr
Tim Girdler
Richard Liska
Boris Lloyd
Doug McElrath
Richard Pasciuto
Pete Reiniger
 
Euphonium
Jermaine Fryer
Edward Kirk
Hayden James Kramer
Lin Wallberg
 
Trombone
Dave Buckingham
Kevin Corbin
Darrell Greenlee
Marianne Kassabian
Bob Schmertz
 
Tuba
Mike Drerup
Patrick FitzGerald
Dorothy Lee
Billy Snow
 
Percussion
David Galpern
Douglas Igelsrud
Alan Sactor
Jonathan Sotelo
 
University Band
 
Music Director
Craig G. Potter
 
Assistant Conductors
Christine Higley
Brad Jopek
 
Student Conductor
Eric Aaron
 
Piccolo
Rachel Huang
 
Flute
Rachel Huang
Cassandra Meyer
Nyla Ortiz
Sandra Radakovic
Namiko Randall
Sydney Weaver
 
Oboe
Jess Huang
Erica Hyde
Amanda Sames
 
Bassoon
Wyatt Humphrey
 
Clarinet
Thilini Amarasinghe
Alexis Castillo
Victoria Cheng
Daniel Coile
Julie Cooper
Miku Eubanks
Andrew Grupp
Katie Hagan
Hannah Holloway
Suhwan Hong
Erin Lea
Jade Miles
Angelina Mussini
Robert Northcutt
Alexis Paul
Michael Reed
Emily Schultz
Samantha Taskale
Kai Walter
Carissa Ward
 
Bass Clarinet
Erin McLamb
Brock Ryan
 
Alto Saxophone
Zachary Jarjoura
Nicholas Roesler
Jade Smith
Aiden Yeo
 
Tenor Saxophone
Peter Kozlov
 
Baritone Saxophone
Lauren Taylor
 
Horn
Joseph Florance
Lauren Hamilton
Sara Riso
Andrew Schuck
Rodrigo Slone
Ze-Wen Yu
Mia Zwally
 
Trumpet
Jason Chen
Caroline Davisson
Tim Freerksen
Brian Glover
Owen Hallock
Amy Hein
Scarlet Neilson
Dawson Reed
Samuel Robinson
Sanna Sprandel
Naaman Trumbull
 
Trombone
Daniel Barrios
Niya Burrows
Zane Curtis-Thomas
Connor Dunlop
Maddie Hamilton
Ellie Meeks
Avi Spector
Ze'ev Vladimir
 
Euphonium
Jakob Bowen
Scott Dansie
Anna Dyson
Logan Glauser
Liza Raney
Cassandra Rochmis
Sarah Rodeffer
 
Tuba
Lucas Barton
Joshua DeBell
Tenley Fahey
Vladimir Flores
Matthew Killian
Luca Rodriguez
 
Percussion
Eric Aaron
Thomas Glowacki
Samreet Juneja
Alexander Liu
Kalyn May
Chris Ortolf
Wren Poremba
Abel Solomon
 
Piano
Cassandra Meyer