Wind concert promises mixed repertoire

By: Sarah Sherry
Contributing Writer

“Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue,” the upcoming concert by the Monmouth Winds, will be on March 4 at 2 p.m. in the Kasch Performance Hall of the Dahl Chapel and Auditorium. This performance is free and open to the public.

The Monmouth Winds are under the direction of Stephen Richter, director of instrumental activities.

Patrick Murphy, a sophomore from Macomb, is student conducting Terry Riley’s “In C” as part of the requirements for a music education major. This tune is the “something new” portion of the concert; it helped launch the Minimalist movement in 1964. Murphy has conducted other pieces performed by the Winds, including a song at this year’s Christmas at Monmouth concert.

The other musical arrangements in this program are “Prince Igor Overture” by Alexander Borodin, “Grand Serenade in B-flat Major” by Mozart, “Balkan Dreams” by Kees Schoonenbeeck and “Suite of Old American Dances” by Robert Russell Bennett.

Melissa Lindsay, a French horn player from Spokane, Wash., said the “Prince Igor Overture” is “a Russian Opera originally written for orchestra,” and is the “something borrowed” portion of the concert. When asked how she feels about being featured as a solo performer and just being a freshman, Lindsay said, “It’s really nice that I go to a small enough college and can be actively involved. If I went to a bigger school, I wouldn’t be playing first chair. I feel like I am getting a good head start.”

“Grand Serenade in B-flat Major” by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is the “something old” segment of the performance. The piece was first performed in the 1780s, and many scholars say this composition belongs to a tradition intended as light and undemanding, to accompany meals and conversation in the courtyards or spacious houses of Austria’s wealthy aristocrats.

“Suite of Old American Dances” is the “something blue” part of the concert. This piece is a medley of the songs “Cake Walk,” “Scottische,” “Western One Step,” Wallflower Waltz” and “Rag,” all played in the blues key of C.

The final piece on the repertoire for this concert is “Balkan Dreams” by Kees Schoonenbeeck. Sophomore Heather Kness will be featured as a clarinet soloist. Kness is an elementary education major.

Sarah Pickrel, a senior who has been a member of the group all four years, stated, “I’m excited about this last performance because this band has grown so much since my freshman year, not only in numbers, but in quality of sound and by expansion of our repertoire. Overall, it’s been a great experience working with the winds and I’ll be excited to come back and listen next year.”