Songs And Dances

FRANK TICHELI, conductor/guest composer
ANDREW TUCKER, guest conductor
LEONARDO AGUILAR, alto saxophone (2015 YOUTH WINDS CONCERTO COMPETITION WINNER)

Program

Dance of the Jesters, P.I. Tchaikovsky
Fantasia for Alto Sax and Band, Claude T. Smith
Dancing on Water, Frank Ticheli
Cajun Folks Song II, Frank Ticheli
Rest, Frank Ticheli
Korean Folksongs from Jeju Island, Frank Ticheli

Concert Description

The Lone Star Youth Winds welcomes world-renowned composer Frank Ticheli for a Mother’s Day celebration on Sunday, May 10th at the Eisemann Center in Richardson. Frank Ticheli will talk about and conduct his works including the beautiful “Rest” to his brand new work “Dancing on Water.” Assistant Conductor Andrew Tucker leads the LSYW in the music of Tchaikovsky along with the winner of the 2015 Youth Winds Concerto Competition. If you are a wind band lover, you will not want to miss this opportunity to see Frank Ticheli in person and in action!

Sample Music

http://youtu.be/s23vh1LnAo0

Guest Artist Bios

Frank Ticheli’s music has been described as being “optimistic and thoughtful” (Los Angeles Times), “lean and muscular” (New York Times), “brilliantly effective” (Miami Herald) and “powerful, deeply felt crafted with impressive flair and an ear for striking instrumental colors” (South Florida Sun-Sentinel).

Ticheli joined the faculty of the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music in 1991, where he is Professor of Composition. From 1991 to 1998, Ticheli was Composer in Residence of the Pacific Symphony.

Ticheli is well known for his works for concert band, many of which have become standards in the repertoire. In addition to composing, he has appeared as guest conductor of his music at Carnegie Hall, at many American universities and music festivals, and in cities throughout the world, including Schladming (Austria), Beijing and Shanghai, London and Manchester, Singapore, Rome, Sydney, and numerous cities in Japan.

Frank Ticheli is the recipient of a 2012 “Arts and Letters Award” from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, his third award from that prestigious organization. His Symphony No. 2 was named winner of the 2006 NBA/William D. Revelli Memorial Band Composition Contest. Ticheli was awarded national honorary membership to Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, “bestowed to individuals who have significantly contributed to the cause of music in America,” and the A. Austin Harding Award by the American School Band Directors Association, “given to individuals who have made exceptional contributions to the school band movement in America.”

Frank Ticheli received his doctoral and masters degrees in composition from The University

Leonardo Aguilar is a junior at Plano East Senior High School (PESH) and is the son of Leonardo Aguilar and Ana Arias, along with brother of Ana Sofia Aguilar. Leonardo receives private lessons from Dr. Brian Ransom of Plano, Texas. His other mentors include SFASU Saxophone Professor, Dr. Nathan Nabb and Associate Director of Bands, Mr. Lee Redfearn III.

Leonardo Aguilar is completing his second season in the Lone Star Youth Winds, currently in the PESH Wind Ensemble where he is first chair, serving as the woodwind captain in the PESH Marching Band, and the alto saxophone player in the Eastside Saxophone Quartet. In 2014, he placed 5th at the Texas Music Educators Association 6A All-Region 25 Band auditions. He has received 1st division ratings for UIL Solo and Ensemble Performances. This spring, Leonardo was accepted to attend the Eastman Summer Saxophone Institute where he will study with Associate Professor of Saxophone at the Eastman School of Music, Mr. Chien-Kwan Lin.

Outside of music, Leonardo is enrolled in the International Baccalaureate World School at Plano East where he is a candidate for the IB diploma. He also enjoys spending time with his family and friends, watching movies, and playing soccer. Leonardo plans to attend the University of Rochester in Rochester, New York where he will double major in Music Performance at the Eastman School of Music, and in Audio and Music Engineering.

Program Notes

Written and compiled by Andrew and Kendal Tucker

Dance of the Jesters (1880/1997)
Pyotr I. Tchaikovsky
Arr. by Ray E. Cramer

Dance of the Jesters was composed as incidental music for the ballet The Snow Maidens. The ballet is not based on the Hans Christian Andersen story, but on a contemporary Russian fantasy-play Snegourochka. The Snow Maiden, daughter of Father Frost, falls in love with a human, Misgir, and plans to marry him. However, Misgir is already betrothed to Coupava. The Snow Maiden follows him southward to interrupt his wedding, but she falls victim to the warmth of the sun and melts. The Dance is an incredibly lively affair that has stood out from the songs, dances, and choruses of the ballet. It captures the color and zest of Russian folk dance.

Fantasia for Alto Sax and Band (1983)
Claude T. Smith

Fantasia for Alto Sax and Band was composed for renowned saxophonist Dale Underwood. It was premiered at the 1983 International Saxophone Symposium hosted by the United States Navy Band. Fantastia is technically demanding throughout for the soloist and displays contrasting technique and lyrical tonality. Closing the piece, an extensive cadenza displays the full skill of the performer and range of expression available from the instrument.

Korean Folksongs from Jeju Island (2013)
Frank Ticheli

The composer writes, “Korean Folksongs from Jeju Island are almost all in compound meter (6/8 or 9/8) and employ a pentatonic scale (re-mi-sol-la-do). The words and folk melodies have evolved over the centuries, and address a wide range of topics – love, joy and sadness, the beauty of the island, farming and fishing, islands legends, etc. They are traditionally sung unaccompanied or with a light drum beat, providing a simple pulse.

In my setting, I endeavored to preserve the bright, bouncy spirit of the original folk melodies; however, I also enhanced the music using extensive counterpoint, extended harmony, a sense of fantasy, and other Western devices. The three movements are melodically interconnected: the second movement’s melody is foreshadowed in the middle of the first movement; the third movement’s melody is foreshadowed in the second: and the first movement’s melody makes a cameo appearance in the finale’s grand climax. This cross-pollination was not only fun to do, but also served to unify the three movements in a palpable way. Most importantly, I was delighted and galvanized by these buoyant, optimistic folksongs. I hope the joy I felt comes through to all who perform and hear this work.”

Cajun Folk Songs II (1997)
Frank Ticheli

Cajun Folk Songs II is the second set of folk songs composed as a tribute to the people of the old Cajun folksong culture. Cajuns are descendants of the Acadians, a group of early French colonists who settled in Nova Scotia and were driven south to Louisiana by the British in the mid-1750s. Louisiana-born Frank Ticheli based these works on folk melodies whose precise origins are unknown, freely combining them with original music. The melancholy “Ballad,” with its starkly beautiful textures and harmonies, is followed by a brash and lively “Country Dance.”

Rest (1999/2010)
Frank Ticheli

The composer writes, “Rest is a concert band adaptation of my work for SATB chorus, There Will Be Rest, which was commissioned in 1999 by the Pacific Chorale, John Alexander, conductor. The choral work, published by Hinshaw Music Publishers, is dedicated to the memory of Cole Carsan St. Clair, the son of my dear friends, conductor Carl St. Clair and his wife, Susan.

Rest was commissioned by Russell Mikkelson and family in memory of his father, Elling Mikkelson. In making this version, I preserved almost everything from the original: harmony, dynamics, even the original registration. I also endeavored to preserve carefully the fragile beauty and quiet dignity suggested by Sara Teasdale’s words.

However, with the removal of the text, I felt free to enhance certain aspects of the music, most strikingly with the addition of a sustained climax on the main theme. This extended climax allows the band version to transcend the expressive boundaries of a straight note-for-note setting of the original. Thus, both versions are intimately tied and yet independent of one another, each possessing its own strengths and unique qualities.”

Dancing on Water (2015)
Frank Ticheli

The composer writes, “Dancing on Water is a joyous seven-minute tribute to my longtime friend and colleague, Richard Floyd. The work, partly inspired by Dick’s love of sailing, begins as an exuberant dance expressing feelings of unabashed joy and suggesting images of the sea on a perfect morning. This dance gives way to a heartfelt song, sung broadly by the horns and euphonium and supported by a playful background of crisp 8th-notes derived from the opening dance. This “song and dance” might have been sufficient as the work’s material, but in the very center of the work appears something new – a kind of oasis, perhaps an island – a soulful interlude marked by mysterious solos and duos in the alto saxophone and clarinets. Then the work proceeds in reverse, suggesting an arch form, a return home by the same pathways, but with one final surprise: a massively full-throated coda, signaled by the horns, lifts the exuberance and majesty to new heights, driving this water journey to a powerfully exalted finish.”