Spring Finale Concert
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, April 19, 2016
STEPHENVILLE, Texas—Tarleton State University’s Wind Ensemble takes the stage one last time during the 2015-16 academic year at 3 p.m. Sunday, April 24, for a performance in the Clyde H. Wells Fine Arts Center Auditorium. General admission tickets are $5 or free with a Tarleton ID.
The performance begins with a reflection on this year’s composer-in-residence, Robert Sheldon, with Rhapsodic Celebration. The work includes three briefly connected musical tableaus that present their own distinct moods and style.
The opening Intrada is an uplifting fanfare that explores developed rhythmical motifs. The slower Serenade provides contrast that begins with an expressive solo from the alto saxophonist, which is soon joined by the entire ensemble to create a warm and rich atmosphere. The closing Galop is as tuneful as it is technical, providing the audience with an energetic and fast-paced conclusion to the opening of the concert.
Following the opening number, the Wind Ensemble steps back 100 years to offer a glimpse of the music scene around the time that Tarleton became a member of The Texas A&M University System in 1917, performing Robert Russell Bennett’s Suite of Old American Dances.
“As a member of the Centennial Celebration committee, I can tell you that Tarleton President Dominic Dottavio and Darrell Brown, executive director of Student Engagement, are preparing a very exciting 2017 that will involve every facet of the university and its affiliation with the Texas A&M System,” said Dr. Anthony Pursell, director of bands and Wind Ensemble conductor.
The ensemble’s concert also features the winner of the second annual Instrumental Concerto Competition, music education junior Ricardo Allen, performing Claude T. Smith’s Fantasia for Alto Saxophone. In addition to the Wind Ensemble, Allen is a member of The Sound and the Fury marching band and the Tarleton Jazz Ensemble I.
“The idea of a concerto competition actually came from several students a few years ago,” Pursell said. “In the past, we have featured faculty and guest artists and, while we plan to continue that, I am happy that we can honor one of our talented students from within the ensemble as a soloist.”
Claude T. Smith wrote his Fantasia in 1983 for U.S. Navy Band member Dale Underwood. It has become a staple for many classically trained graduate-level saxophonists.
The Wind Ensemble concludes with Hirokazu Fukushima’s, Eternal Memoir: Saga of the Lucky Dragon.
Tickets to the performance go on sale one hour prior to concert time. For more information, call the Fine Arts Center Box Office at 254-968-9291.
To learn more about bands at Tarleton, visit www.tarleton.edu/COLFAWEB/band.
Tarleton, a member of The Texas A&M University System, provides a student-focused, value-driven educational experience marked by academic innovation and exemplary service, and dedicated to transforming students into tomorrow’s professional leaders. With campuses in Stephenville, Fort Worth, Waco, Midlothian and online, Tarleton engages with its communities to provide real-world learning experiences and to address societal needs while maintaining its core values of integrity, leadership, tradition, civility, excellence and service.
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Contact: Kurt Mogonye
254-968-9460
mogonye@tarleton.edu
