New Horizons Concert March

William Owens (b. 1963)

William Owens is an American composer, conductor, clinician and educator. He is a 1985 graduate of VanderCook College of Music in Chicago. A seasoned music educator, Mr. Owens is active as a composer, conductor, and clinician throughout the United States and Canada.

Mr. Owens has written nearly 200 commissioned and published works for concert band and string orchestra.

The Haunted Carousel

Erika Svanoe (b. 1976)

Alyssa Tang - iPad Theremin Soloist

Dr. Erika Svanoe is a conductor, composer, and educator, currently serving as the Conductor of the Augsburg Concert Band at Augsburg University in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

• D.M.A. in conducting from the Ohio State University
• M.M. in Wind Conducting from Oklahoma State University
• B.M.E. from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.

Her first major work, “The Haunted Carousel,” won the 2014 NBA Young Band Composition Contest. Her other works have been featured at the Midwest Clinic, the American Bandmasters Association National Conference, the Boston New Music Festival, Wisconsin Public Radio, and performed by “The President's Own” United States Marine Band. She currently lives in Menomonie, WI with her husband, designer and graphic novelist Erik Evensen.

Erika Svanoe wrote this eerie piece that very quickly transports the listener to a scene from an old-school scary movie. The "oompah" of the bass line in 3/4 gives that sense of riding an old-timey carousel. The piece was written with the theremin in mind. The piece, while melodic and consistent in its depiction of the up-down of a carousel, leaves the listener with a sense of foreboding, an unsettling emotion, which lends itself to the spooky title, The Haunted Carousel

Shadowlands

Ayatey Shabazz (b. 1971)

Ayatey Shabazz is an American composer, arranger, educator, and clinician.

Mr. Shabazz received his formal training from the University of Southern Mississippi. Mr. Shabazz is very active as an arranger/composer for many high school and college programs as well as other idioms of music such as drum corps, jazz, film and television projects. He also travels extensively conducting clinics, adjudicating concert festivals and marching band contests. Shabazz has taught beginning through high school band.

Shawdowlands is an exciting work for wind band that features a distinct cinematic style. A moving lyrical section follows the opening, highlighted with energetic rhythmic material for winds and percussion. A well-conceived work that brings the brilliant sounds of the movie screen to band halls and concert stages everywhere.

Highlights from Wicked

Stephen Schwartz (b. 1948)

Arr. Michael Brown

Stephen Schawrtz is an American musical theater lyricist and composer. In a career spanning over five decades, Schwartz has written such hit musicals as Godspell (1971), Pippin (1972), and Wicked (2003). He has contributed lyrics to a number of successful films, including Pocahontas (1995), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996), The Prince of Egypt (1998, music and lyrics), and Enchanted (2007). Schwartz has won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lyrics, three Grammy Awards, three Academy Awards, and has been nominated for six Tony Awards. He received the 2015 Isabelle Stevenson Award, a special Tony Award, for his commitment to serving artists and fostering new talent.

Wicked is a Broadway musical, with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and book by Winnie Holzman. It is based on the 1995 Gregory Maguire novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, itself a retelling of the classic 1900 novel, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum and the 1939 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film The Wizard of Oz.

The musical is told from the perspective of the witches of the Land of Oz; its plot begins before and continues after Dorothy Gale arrives in Oz from Kansas, and includes several references to the 1939 film and Baum's novel. Wicked tells the story of two unlikely friends, Elphaba (the Wicked Witch of the West) and Galinda (whose name later changes to Glinda the Good Witch), who struggle through opposing personalities and viewpoints, rivalry over the same love-interest, reactions to the Wizard's corrupt government, and, ultimately, Elphaba's private fall from grace.

Reminiscence

Kathryn Salfelder (b. 1987)

Kathryn Salfelder is a contemporary American composer, conductor and pianist, based in the Boston area.

Awards include Morton Gould Young Composer Award, Frederick Fennell Prize, Ithaca College Walter Beeler Memorial Composition Prize, and the USAF Colonel Arnald D. Gabriel Award. Her music has been performed by the Minnesota Orchestra, New England Philharmonic, Yale Philharmonia, and the Dallas Wind Symphony, and featured in over two hundred concerts at the nation’s leading universities and conservatories.

Kathryn was a Lecturer at MIT, and currently teaches composition and music history at the New England Conservatory

• DMA, New England Conservatory
• MM, Yale School of Music
• BM, New England Conservatory

Reminiscence is one of three pieces commissioned to honor Frank L. Battisti's 85th birthday, June 27, 2016. A five-note motive saturates every movement of the piece. In its entirety, the motive serves as the first five notes of the principal melody. The first three pitches (Bb C D) morph into a repeated hemiola, which rises sequentially in pitch as the piece progresses. The motive's range -- Major 3rd and minor 3rd -- is emphasized by third relations in the harmony.

Reminiscence evokes nostalgia, yearning and growth. Some moments are peaceful, while others are full of angst. We encourage both players and listeners to weave their own personal memories and stories into the musical narrative.

Nevermore

Brian Balmages (b. 1975)

Brian Balmages is an award-winning composer and conductor. His music has been performed throughout the world with commissions ranging from elementary schools to professional orchestras. World premieres include prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. His music was also performed as part of the 2013 Presidential Inaugural Prayer Service, which was attended by both President Obama and Vice President Biden. Mr. Balmages is in high demand as a conductor around the world.

This contemporary work based on Edgar Allan Poe’s "The Raven" tells the eerie story of a man confronted by a raven, and his slow descent into utter madness. A haunting piano line supports the opening melody in alto saxophone, surrounded by contemporary effects and textures. As the man becomes more irritated, the music picks up in tempo and becomes increasingly dissonant and violent until it erupts in a cacophony of chaos. Finally, the man “breaks,” and the unsettling sounds of the opening piano return.

Ritual Fire Dance

Manuel de Falla (1876 - 1946)

Arr. Jay Bocook

Manuel de Falla was a Spanish composer, and pianist. He was one of Spain’s most important musicians of the 20th century along with Isaac Albeniz and Francisco Tarrega.

He studied at the conservatoire in Madrid and also spent seven years in Paris where he met such composers as Debussy, Ravel, Stravinsky who influenced his style.

El Amor Brujo is a ballet composed in 1914 based on an Andalusian folk legend. The title translates to “The Bewitched Love” and the basic plot outline is that Candela is a young woman in Spain whose parents arranged a marriage with Jose even though she loves Carmelo. After they are married, Jose is killed in a knife fight. Candela is now free to marry Carmelo but the ghost of Jose haunts her. Candela and Carmelo must exchange a perfect kiss to banish Jose’s ghost.

The ballet includes the Ritual Fire Dance where Candela is joined by the village women and the village elder in a dance to banish Jose using fire and a voodoo doll of Jose

Freshman Concert Band

Flute - Sophia Bian, Grace Gao, Leilani Griffin, Sophia Guibas, Jonathan Pan, Nikita Sane, Ethan Shih, Alyssa Tang

Clarinet - Jerry Guo, Sabrina Han, Kanaan Kuartei, Kira Kuartei, Noah Murase, Jiho Seo, Zsa Zsa Sperow

Bass Clarinet - Lynzee Clay, Josh Shin

Alto Saxophone - Antonio Chang, Meni Gottesman, Ethan Hong, Neel Rangan, Daniel Zhang

Tenor Saxophone - Kunal Rajan

Baritone Saxophone - Alan Yue

French Horn - Keegan Green, Alice Ouellette

Trumpet - Kaden Cho, Miles Heilman, Brian Lum, Lev Miller, Martin Moshfeghi, Taita Nakayama, Andreas Quertermous, Edward Wang, Zachary Wiener, Stephen Zhang

Euphonium - David Kim, Samuel Ren

Trombone - Ryan Fitzhugh, Shengkai Jiang, Nina Spasojevic

Tuba - Cyrus Silva Rezvani

Percussion - Joshua Aguirre Tapia, Nitzan Drori Retvizer, Elise Hu, Kingsley Jin, Winston Li, Rudra Pal, Randy Kwoun

Symphonic Band

Flute - Sara Dou, Camille Huynh, Asha Kannan, Jenny Lee, Fiona Li, Medha Mandal, Sophia Park, Ashley Seow, Zinna Shin, Ethan Shong, Nimisha Sivaraman, Linna Xia

Clarinet - Marc Chen, Julian Detering, Alison Li, Anika Seshadri, Reva Shah, Lulu Sperow, Syb van den Bedem, Angela Zhou

Bass Clarinet - Jason Liu, Andy Vega

Bassoon - Gregory Gurevich

Alto Saxophone - Katryn Ashley, Tyler Featherman, Cole Ford, Nikki Robison, Amelie Sarrazin, Isaac Zou

Tenor Saxophone - Nic Mejia, Emilia Roessig

Baritone Saxophone - Rohan Gupta

French Horn - Timon Cappella-Pimor, Lukas Jelks

Trumpet - Chris Brown, Kyra Bryant, Zach Chin, Charlie Deggeller, Andre Delvaux, Kaden Fort, Cameron How, Eugene Hsieh, Axel Johnson, Adi Mittal, Audrey Norton

Trombone - Adi Lane, Joey Loeb, Timur Marcacci, Alex Peters, Quinton Sterling, Langston Wu, Destiny Xia

Euphonium - Emma Sachs

Tuba - Arthur Khang Tran, Nathan Kirner

Percussion - Michael Chow, Gregoire Figueiredo, Max Garcia Gutierrez, Alisa Novitskaya

Thank you!

As we conclude this evening's performance, we want to give our sincerest thanks to those who make music in the Palo Alto Unified School District possible.

Gunn Band and Orchestra Music Boosters

Booster Board Members

Greta Olbrich - President, Andrea Jelks – Treasurer, Catherine Phillips – Secretary, Claire Kirner – Membership, Elizabeth Lee – Publicity, Star Teachout - Volunteer Coordinator

TriM Music Honor Society (ushers and concert support) - Sandra Lewis, Advisor

Gunn Administration, Wendy Stratton - Principal

Kelly Martin, PAUSD VAPA Coordinator

Kari Johnson, PAUSD VAPA Administrative Assistant

Kyle Langdon, Supervisor of Theatre Facilities

Camille Kelly, Spangenberg Theatre Technician

Tonight's Parent Volunteers

Gunn Custodial Team