HOMEPAGE MARCH 8th 2009
World News of wind ensemble and wind band music
Tim Reynish, Cornell University

STOP PRESS:
Naxos have published an interview with John Corigliano, discussing his epic work Circus Maximus. Click here to listen.

MAECENAS MUSIC CATALOGUE ONLINE
Click here for demonstration scores of part of over one hundred and forty works. Listen for hours to full recordings of over one hundred works in International, Millennium and Classic series

CBDNA Conference in Austin                 WASBE Conference in Cincinnati

                                                   
PHRASING – ARTICULATION – DYNAMIC CONTROL

Many greetings from the snows of New York State. Here at Cornell University we celebrated Lincoln’s birthday with a joint concert with the magnificent University Glee Club and Chorus under their inspiring conductor Scott Tucker. Their performances were an object lesson to us in phrasing, dynamic control, articulation, and I believe that our performances of Copland’s Lincoln Portrait and Grainger’s Marching Song of Democracy improved by about 20% after we had listened to the choir and watched Scott at work. Performing the Copland at this time of the inauguration of Obama was a special privilege, and the work and its message took on a new stature and gravitas. On March 7^th we shared a concert with the Cornell Symphonic Winds under their conductor Matthew Marsit; Americans love themes, so my theme is based on the much quoted message of Paul Revere and is made up of four of my commissions, mainly on the light side:

THE BRITISH ARE COMING
Vranjanka - Kenneth Hesketh
Passacaglia - Timothy Jackson
Trumpet Concerto - Richard Rodney Bennett
Awayday - Adam Gorb

My next Homepage will report on the Conference of the College Band Directors at University of Texas at Austin. Full programmes are printed in the Homepage for November 2008. Meanwhile, some news from round the world:

INDEX

1      England                   2009 Conducting Course
2      England                   RNCM Concert for July in Manchester and WASBE Cincinnatti
3      Canada                   New work by Norbert Palej
4      Germany                 Two premieres by students of Wolfgang Rihm
5      Holland                   A basically British programme
6      Hungary                  Site chosen for 2013 WASBE Conference
7      New Zealand/Florida  Chamber work by Chris Marshall premieres
8      Spain                      Prizewinning work by Jose Suner-Oriola
9      USA                       First Symphony for Band by William Bolcom

ENGLAND

Canford 2009

Repertoire and application details are now available for the 2009 Canford Wind Orchestra and Conducting courses. Located in the idyllic town of Sherborne, Dorset the courses offer great opportunities for personal growth as well as a vibrant and enjoyable atmosphere at the heart of the summer school which attracts hundreds of students each week. The Wind Orchestra promises to have a particularly vintage year under the helm of Tim Reynish and covering classic repertoire such as Ellerby's Paris Sketches, Gorb's Dances from Crete, Hindemith's Symphony in Bb, and Norfolk Dances by Philip Sparke. Visit the Basbwe Canford page or go straight to the School's website.

RNCM PROGRAMME

Programmes and clinicians for WASBE have yet to be confirmed, but the Royal Northern College of Music have announced their programme for Thursday July 2^nd in Manchester and Wednesday July 8^th in Cincinnatti.

ROYAL NORTHERN COLLEGE OF MUSIC WIND ORCHESTRA
Conductors: Clark Rundell, Mark Heron and Tim Reynish
Soloists: Melinda Maxwell, Oboe and Paul Vowles, clarinet

Toccata Marziale – R. Vaughan Williams
Torso – Michael Oliva
Elegy for Ur – Edwin Roxburgh
New commission – Gary Carpenter
Waves and Refrains – David Horne
Metropolis – Adam Gorb

INDEX

CANADA

The world premiere of the most recent wind work by Polish composer Norbert Palej, Souffle de lumière. Un hommage à Messiaen, was given by the Orchestre 21e Siècle in Montreal on November 8^th conducted by Paolo Bellomania. More information about this work from the composer, email Norbert.palej@utoronto..ca

GERMANY

Clemens Berger, WASBE-Vicepresident Section Germany writes:
Here are some information for your website about two world premieres from composition students of Wolfgang Rihm:

The Symphonic Youth Wind Orchestra Karlsruhe, under the direction of Clemens Berger, presented concerts in Bruchsal/Germany on January 5th and 6th with two world premieres. Two composers, Birke J. Bertelsmeier and Heera Kim wrote their first work for symphonic band. The character of the pieces is in a contemporary style with some special technical challenges like multiphonics, jet whistle, fluttertongue for woodwinds and slaps. Bertelsmeier and Kim are composition students by Wolfgang Rihm at the University of Music in Karlsruhe/Germany. Both composers were prize winners in several competitions for contemporary music.

...si tu'l dis... was the piece of Birke J. Bertelsmeier and the second, Monochrom, by Heera Kim. The last piece was inspired by the picture of Yves Klein, called Monochrom.

More information from Clemens Berger

Clemens Berger
WASBE-Vicepresident Section Germany
Schwandorfstr. 11/1
75015 Bretten/Germany
Tel./Fax: 07252/972265
mobil: 0172/7670632

Email: bergercl@web.de

INDEX

HOLLAND

THE BRITISH ARE COMING

My colleague Mark Heron was waving the British flag in two concerts given by the joint Conservatoires of Tilburg and Maastricht – a great programme.

Friday 23^rd Concertzaal, Tilburg 8.30pm
Sunday 25^th Theater aan het Vrijthof, Maastricht 4.30pm
Wind Orchestras of the Conservatoires of Tilburg and Maastricht

Adam Gorb – Awayday
Gustav Holst – Hammersmith
Stephen McNeff – Image in Stone
Kenneth Hesketh – Danceries
Richard Rodney Bennett – Reflections on a 16^th Century Tune
Percy Grainger – Lincolnshire Posy

INDEX

HUNGARY

The Hungarian city of Pécs will host the biennial international conference of the World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles (WASBE) in 2013.

NEW ZEALAND/FLORIDA

February 16 at the University of Central Florida, Richard Greenwood directed chamber musicians in the world premiere of two movements from 'Raptures', a work commissioned by Dr. Greenwood from Christopher Marshall as a tribute to Guy Woolfenden.
  

INDEX

SPAIN                                                     

Wasbe member Jose Suner-Oriola announced the publication of his Chamber Symphony for Symphonic Band no 1. This work won the Frederick Fennell Special Prize  in the First Tokyo Kosei Composition Competition in 2006, Third Prize in the SACEM Coups de Vent Competition in France in 2008 and is the selected obligatory work for the Certamen in Valencia in 2009.

It is published by Rivera Editores and more information is available, together with part of the score and a performance if you browse on Suner-Oriola.

INDEX

USA

William Bolcom’s First Symphony for Band
February 6^th, Hill Auditorium, University of Michigan

March 28^th, AT&T Convention Center at the University of Texas
Michigan State University Wind Ensemble 

Friday, March 27, 9:00-9:50 am - William Bolcom will participate in a discussion with Michael Haithcock, conductor of the University of Michigan Symphony Band, about this work

Saturday, March 28, 11-12:20 pm - a panel discussion moderated by Craig Kirchhoff with composers William Bolcom, John Corgliano, and Chen Yi

INDEX