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Welcome to the Richland County High School 2022-23 Winter Concert featuring the Honors Wind Ensemble.
At this time, we ask that you place your phone on silent mode to prevent any distractions during tonight's performance.
In an effort to "go green", allow for more content, and to cut back on the cost for Richland County High School to print programs, the RCHS Bands concert program is digital. However, we know that many families would still prefer a paper copy of the program as a memento. If you would like a paper copy of tonight's concert program please fill out the form found within the link below. A paper copy will be mailed to your house within a week. https://forms.gle/JT1y2pyLR1JwuCaa9
PROGRAM NOTES - GREENSLEEVES ARRANGED BY ALFRED REED
It is generally agreed that the melody we know as Greensleeves is probably the second oldest piece of secular music in our Western culture, its origins having been traced back to about 1360. While we are not certain this was the original title, it is known that in the latter 14th century, English ladies wore gowns with great billowing sleeves, and the lyrics that have come down to us speak of a lover's lament over his lady's cruel treatment of him by a lady clad in a dress of green sleeves.
Alfred Reed (25 January 1921, Manhattan, N.Y. – 17 September 2005, Miami, Fla.) was an American composer, arranger, conductor and educator. Born into a family of Austrian descent that cherished music, Alfred Reed began his musical studies at age ten on trumpet, and by high school age he was performing professionally in the Catskills at resort hotels. He served as musician and arrangement during World War II in the 529th Army Air Force Band, for which he created more than 100 works, and following the war was a student of Vittorio Giannini at Juilliard. He was staff composer and arranger for both the National Broadcasting Corporation and the American Broadcating Corporation.
In 1953, Mr. Reed became conductor of the Baylor Symphony Orchestra at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, at the same time completing his academic work; he received his B.M. in 1955 and his M.M. in 1956. His Masters thesis was the Rhapsody for Viola and Orchestra, which later was to win the Luria Prize. It received its first performance in 1959, and was subsequently published in 1966. During his two years at Baylor, he also became interested in the problems of educational music at all levels, especially in the development of repertoire materials for school bands, orchestras, and choruses. This led, in 1955, to his accepting the post of editor at Hansen Publishing in New York.
In 1966 he left this post to join the faculty of the School of Music at the University of Miami, holding a joint appointment in the Theory-Composition and Music Education departments, and to develop the unique (at the time) Music Industry degree program at that institution, of which he became director.
With over 250 published works for concert band, wind ensemble, orchestra, chorus, and various smaller chamber music groups, many of which have been on the required performance lists in this country for the past 20 years, Mr. Reed was one of the nation’s most prolific and frequently performed composers. His work as a guest conductor and clinician took him to 49 states, Europe, Canada, Mexico, Japan, Australia and South America, and for many years, at least eight of his works have been on the required list of music for all concert bands in Japan, where he was the most frequently performed foreign composer today.
He left New York for Miami, Florida, in 1960, where he made his home until his death.
PROGRAM NOTES - BOBSLED RUN BY LLOYD CONLEY
Lloyd Conley vividly captures the feel of the cold wind in your face as you careen down the bobsled course. The magic of winter is evident in this captivating work, with some mild technical challenges such as repetitive eighth-note patterns for all sections. An excellent choice for the holiday concert, but you can program this work at any time of the year. Take a ride!
Lloyd Edgar Conley (b. 8 March 1924, Rogers City, Mich. - 2 November 2019, Rogers City, Mich.) was an American composer and band director. Conley played trombone in the Rogers City High School Band and the local community band. He earned degrees from Central Michigan University and Michigan State University. He played professionally while still in high school and served with the 440th U.S.A.A.F. Band during World War II.
Between 1950 and 1979, Conley taught in the Michigan towns of Harbor Springs, Greenville, and finally at Clare, where he taught for 25 years. He became associated with Kendor Music Company as an editor in 1963 and devoted full time to composing music for school groups. His publications totaled over 600. Lloyd became a member of ASCAP in 1971 and received 14 awards from that organization. His talents also included piano tuning.
PROGRAM NOTES - COURTLY AIRS AND DANCES BY RON NESLON
Courtly Airs and Dances is a suite of Renaissance dances which were characteristic to five European countries during the 1500s. Three of the dances (Basse Dance, Pavane, and Allemande) are meant to emulate the music of Claude Gervaise by drawing on the style of his music as well as the characteristics of other compositions from that period. The festival opens with a fanfare-like Intrada followed by the Basse Danse (France), Pavane (England), Saltarello (Italy), Sarabande (Spain), and Allemande (Germany).
Ron Nelson was born December 14, 1929, in Joliet, Illinois. He studied composition at the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester, earning a bachelor's degree in 1952, a master's degree in 1953, and a doctorate in composition in 1957. His teachers at Eastman included Louis Mennini, Bernard Rogers and Howard Hanson. In 1954–1955 he studied with Tony Aubin in France at the Ecole Normale de Musique and at the Paris Conservatory under a Fulbright Grant. In 1956, Dr. Nelson joined the faculty of Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, where he served as chairman of the music department from 1963 to 1973, retiring as Professor Emeritus in 1993.
In 1991, Dr. Nelson was awarded the Acuff Chair of Excellence in the Creative Arts, the first musician to hold the chair. His Passacaglia (Homage on B-A-C-H) was the first piece to win all three major wind band composition prizes during one period — the National Band Association Prize, the American Bandmasters Association Ostwald Award, and the Sudler International Prize. He was awarded the Medal of Honor by the John Philip Sousa Foundation in 1994. In 2006, he was awarded an honorary doctorate from Oklahoma City University.
Nelson has received numerous commissions, including those from the National Symphony Orchestra, the Rochester Philharmonic, the USAF Band and Chorus, Musashino Wind Ensemble, Aspen Music Festival and numerous colleges and universities. He has also received grants and awards from The Rockefeller Foundation, the Howard Foundation, ASCAP, and several from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Conductor Leonard Slatkin may have described Ron Nelson best: "Nelson is the quintessential American composer. He has the ability to move between conservative and newer styles with ease. The fact that he's a little hard to categorize is what makes him interesting." (Los Angeles Daily News, February 19, 1996)
Ron Nelson resides with his wife, Michele, in Scottsdale, Arizona.
IT IS THAT TIME OF THE YEAR WHERE STUDENTS REGISTER FOR THE 2023-2024 SCHOOL YEAR. IN AN EFFORT TO HELP STUDENTS NAVIGATE REGISTRATION, TRI-M HONOR MUSIC SOCIETY CREATED A 4-YEAR GUIDING DOCUMENT. WE HOPE IT MAKES YOUR LIFE EASIER!
Four students from Richland County High School shall participate in the 2023 Illinois Music Education Association (ILMEA) All-State All-State Ensembles. ILMEA will host the event on January 26-28, 2023 in Peoria.
These students were selected from a rigorous audition process as the top student-musicians representing over 12,000 schools throughout Illinois. Of roughly 2,400 students that auditioned, only a fraction of students were selected to participate in the event. The four RCHS students selected to participate were Kyle Rennier (senior/jazz band), Victoria Zwilling (orchestra/band), Evan Irvin (senior/jazz band), & Emma Wells (junior/band).
Congratulations to those that were inducted into the Richland County High School Tri-M Honor Music Society, Chapter 8170
The members of the 2023-2024 Tri-M Honor Music Society include the following (back row from left to right): Mr. Weitkamp, Ethan Zuber, Evan Irvin, Ryan Zhu, Aidan Gomez, Wyatt Baker, Sean Joyce, Kyle Rennier, & Mr. Jones. (In the front, from left to right): Rilley Harrolle, Jozalyn Houser, Emma Wells, Victoria Zwilling, River Logan, Ari Henby, & Carly Houchin.
Tri-M Music Honor Society, formerly known as Modern Music Masters, is a high school and middle school music honor society and is a program of the National Association for Music Education (NAfME). It is designed to recognize students for their academic and musical achievements and to provide leadership and service opportunities to young musicians. Each school has its own chapter, which is run by the student but supervised by an advisor or sponsor, usually a school teacher. There are approximately 6,200 participating chapters in several countries.
For more information pertaining to Tri-M Music Honor Society, visit https://www.rchsbands.net/tri-m-chapter-8170.html.