When I was writing Dancing Fire, I wanted to write a piece for my high school band program and its directors for the great pieces we played, the fun times we had, and the excitement our bands created at our concerts. The picture I had in my head before I began writing was a group of people surrounding a large bonfire during the night. These people began dancing around the fire, having fun, singing songs, and ultimately, celebrating life.
Once I had that picture in my head, along with the constant repeating motif that eventually became the melody for the entire piece, the rest of the work fit together nicely, and in two weeks it was done. The composition brings this mental picture I had to life in a fun and energetic way with dance-like percussion and a constant groove, as well as its contagious melody, a mysterious soprano sax solo, and a climactic ending.
This was written in dedication to the Arlington High School Band Program in Arlington, Texas, and to my former band directors, Michael Hejny, Nathan Burum, and Nathan Hervey.
The music of Johann Sebastian Bach remains a significant part of the western classical tradition. His lasting influence is reflected in the continuing research on his life and music as well as the frequency with which his works are performed, both in their original setting and in a wide variety of adaptions, transcriptions, and arrangements.
The melody used in “Herzlich thut mich verlangen” (How Fervent is My Longing) is of unknown ancient origin but was used by other composers prior to Bach, most prominently by Hans Leo Hassler (1564–1612), who arranged it in a variety of choral settings. Bach also used the melody multiple times in addition to his chorale prelude, most famously in his St. Matthew Passion.
Bach’s two fugues in G minor are usually referred to as the “Great” and the “Little” due to the difference in their length. The “Little” is a four-voiced fugue considered to one of his greatest masterpieces for the clarity and perfection of its form and counterpoint.
Lucien Cailliet was born in Dijon, France, on May 22, 1891. He came to the United States in 1920 and joined the Philadelphia Orchestra as clarinetist and saxophonist, playing under Leopold Stokowski and Eugene Ormandy. In 1938, he left Philadelphia for Los Angeles, where he taught at the University of Southern California. He also composed and conducted for Paramount Pictures, scoring (among other things) the music for the epic film The Ten Commandments.
Point Blank is inspired by the sounds, rhythms and virtuosity of New York City-based new music ensemble Alarm Will Sound, who premiered a chamber version of the piece in 2010. Featuring synthetic sound worlds and tightly interlocking percussion ideas, the drum set, timpani, and strings whirl the ensemble through an array of electronically inspired orchestrations. Point Blank is a central processing unit of floating point tremolos, discrete pizzicatos, multi-threading scales and random access modulations.
In the score Dooley adds: “Point Blank for wind ensemble is inspired by electronic music, in particular a style called Drum & Bass. I explore the interaction between computer-generated musical material and the human performer. For the wind ensemble’s percussion battery, I transcribe tightly interlocking electronic rhythmic material. The drum set, mallets and timpani whirl the ensemble through an array of electronically inspired orchestrations, while the winds and brass shriek for dear life!”
Raise the Roof is inspired by the construction of grand architectural wonders such as the Notre Dame Cathedral (1345) in Paris and the Empire State Building (1931) in New York City. I create a grand acoustic construction by bringing the timpani into the foreground and giving the timpanist the rare opportunity to play long expressive melodies, and a tour de force cadenza. I incorporate a wide variety of timpani performance techniques: extensive use of foot pedals for melodic tuning of the drums, placement of a cymbal upside down on the head of the lowest drum to play glissandi rolls, and striking the drums with regular mallets, wire brushes, maraca sticks and even bare hands.
Raise the Roof is in the form of a double variation. The first theme of the double variation, played initially by the tuba, is presented in various timbral and rhythmic guises such as “guaguanco.” The second theme of the double variation, first heard in the flutes and then the timpani, is reminiscent of a medieval plainchant. The two themes are passed around in canons and fugues and other permutations throughout the ensemble to create elaborate patterns, as in a gothic cathedral. Raise the Roof rises toward a crescendo of urban polyrhythms and dynamic contrasts, allowing the timpani and the symphonic band to create a grand acoustic construction.
Raise the Roof for Timpani and Symphonic Band was commissioned and premiered by the University of Michigan Symphony Band. The world premiere was performed by the UM Symphony Band, conducted by Michael Haithcock, with Andre Dowell, timpani, at the National Conference of the College Band Directors National Association, at Hill Auditorium in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on March 30, 2007.
The Time Traveler is a large-scale suite for advanced wind ensemble, a “Cinematic Suite” designed specifically for the musical world that we inhabit here in the 2020’s. My inspirations in this venture are both the programmatic suites of the past (The Planets, Pictures at an Exhibition, Carnival of the Animals, etc), and the great narrative music of today - film and soundtrack music. The suite tells a story and works to create sonic worlds. The extensive resources of the modern-day wind ensemble are perfectly suited for this task (especially those large percussion sections).
The Time Traveler has four movements – an overture, and then one movement each for Past, Present and Future.
The first movement, “Everywhen,” acts as the overture. It’s based on what I call a “motor,” a short rhythmic ostinato that is the basis for pretty much everything we hear. Every line, fragment and riff is generated by or spun off from the main ostinato. It’s a groove, but a very cerebral, technical kind of groove, very light, fast-moving and agile, almost scientific in nature.
“Remembrance,” the second movement, represents the Past. It’s very sparse, emphasizing feelings of stillness, quiet and isolation – a much slower world. It’s designed to be poignant and to tweak our memory sense – there are a lot of very expressive solos, including flute, trumpet, horn, trombone, tuba, a long wistful solo from the oboe, and a closing meditation by solo harp.
For the Present, I wanted to portray an almost out-of-control feeling of change, because, well..... Our world is indeed transforming at a radical pace these days, driven by an ever-advancing technology that seems to render our knowledge obsolete before we even have a chance to grow comfortable with it. “Acceleration” is driven by and features the percussion section, riffing mercilessly over a 7/4 meter, occasionally moving to a standard 4/4, but even then stacking up layered meters in a very disorienting fashion. The momentum in this movement never really lets up – one crazy section escalates to another.
“Here Among the Stars” is the final movement of the suite – portraying the Future. I decided on an optimistic version – I didn’t choose the dystopian outlook that seems so prevalent these days, but rather a vision of the human race progressing and moving out into the larger world of outer space. It starts out with a vast emptiness and gradually introduces human motion and activity as it grows. A delicate center section featuring mallets and solo winds portrays “quantum flickers” (some sort of combination of neurons firing in your brain and quantum threads shooting across the universe). The ending holds a little surprise – I won’t reveal it here, but think of it as a “hypercoda,” one step beyond what we usually would think of as a coda.
Jonathan Caldwell is director of bands and assistant professor of conducting at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro where he conducts the Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Band and teaches undergraduate and graduate conducting. Prior to his appointment at UNCG, Caldwell held positions at Virginia Tech, the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point, and Garner Magnet High School (Garner, NC).
Ensembles under Caldwell’s guidance have performed for the College Band Directors National Association Southern Division, the National Band Association–Wisconsin Chapter, and in Carnegie Hall. His writings have been published in the Journal of Band Research and the Teaching Music Through Performance in Band series. He has given presentations for the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic, the College Band Directors National Association, the Internationale Gesellschaft zur Erforschung und Förderung der Blasmusik (IGEB), and music educator conferences in North Carolina and Virginia.
Caldwell received a Doctor of Musical Arts in conducting from the University of Michigan and a Master of Music in instrumental conducting from the University of Maryland, College Park. He holds a Master of Arts in Teaching and a Bachelor of Music in performance from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Patricia Cornett is the Director of Bands at the Temple University Boyer College of Music and Dance where she conducts the Wind Symphony and teaches advanced conducting. Prior to joining the faculty at Temple, she was the Director of Bands at Cal State Fullerton where she conducted the Wind Symphony, Symphonic Winds, and taught courses in conducting and music education. She was also a Visiting Assistant Professor at SUNY Potsdam’s Crane School of Music.
Cornett taught at Essex High School in Essex Junction, Vermont from 2007–2010 where she conducted three concert bands, jazz band, and taught courses in guitar and history of rock. She was also the Director of Instrumental Music at Woodland Regional High School in Beacon Falls, Connecticut, from 2003–2005. She is published in the Teaching Music Through Performance in Band series, the CBDNA Journal, and has presented sessions at national CBDNA conferences, as well as numerous state conferences. She is a member of the College Band Directors National Association, the Conductors Guild, the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association, and the National Association for Music Education.
Scott Teeple serves as a professor of music, director of bands, and chair of the conducting area at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His duties include overseeing the UW–Madison Band program, conducting the wind ensemble, and teaching graduate conducting.
Mr. Teeple is in demand as a conducting clinician and guest conductor throughout the United States and abroad. He is regularly invited to teach conducting symposia and conduct all-state honor bands. He has conducted the World Youth Wind Symphony at the Interlochen Arts Camp, the American School in Singapore, and the IASAS Cultural Festival of the International American Schools in Doha, Qatar.
Under his leadership, ensembles have performed with guest soloists, composers, and conductors of international renown. The UW–Madison faculty frequently perform as guest soloists. The Wind Ensemble has performed at the Wisconsin School Music Educator’s Conference and at the College Band Director’s National Association. The ensemble has toured extensively throughout Minnesota, Wisconsin, the Midwest, while also performing in Carnegie Hall, (NY). The UW–Madison Band program continues to offer the “Wisconsin Summit,” a workshop for middle and high school band directors. The workshop regularly features internationally praised clinicians, including Andrea Brown, Eugene Corporon, Cheryl Floyd, Richard Floyd, Craig Kirchhoff, Mary Land, Allan McMurray, Russel Mikkelson, H. Robert Reynolds, and William Wiedrich. The Wind Ensemble recently recorded John Stevens’ “Concerto for Euphonium” with Dr. Matthew Mireles.
Before his appointment at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, Teeple served on the faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, the University of Michigan–Ann Arbor, and taught in the public schools at Port Huron Northern High School (MI). He has served on the executive board of the Wisconsin Music Educators’ Association and the Arts Alliance Executive Board. He has also served as president of the Big Ten Band Directors Association.
Mr. Teeple received degrees in Music Education and Conducting from the University of Michigan, where he studied with H. Robert Reynolds. He is a member of the College Band Directors National Association, the National Association for Music Education, and the World Association of Symphonic Bands and Ensembles. He is the 2012 recipient of the UW Edna Weicher’s Award. Other honors include membership in Phi Mu Alpha, Kappa Kappa Psi, Pi Kappa Lambda, and Phi Eta Sigma.
Dr. Andrea E. Brown was appointed the Associate Director of Bands at the University of Maryland in 2018. In this position she conducts the University of Maryland Wind Ensemble and serves as the Director of Athletic Bands in which she leads the “Mighty Sound of Maryland” and all aspects of the athletic band program. Brown is formerly a member of the conducting faculty at the University of Michigan where she served as the assistant director of bands. In this position, she was the conductor of the Campus Bands and director of the Campus Band Chamber Ensembles, associate director of the Michigan Marching and Athletic Bands, director of the Men’s Basketball Band, guest conductor with the Symphony Band and Concert Band, taught conducting, and was a faculty sponsor of a College of Engineering Multidisciplinary Design Project team researching conducting pedagogy technology. Previously Brown was the director of orchestra and assistant director of bands at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta where she also led research in conducting pedagogy technology and was a member of the Oxford Program faculty. She is a frequent guest conductor, clinician, and adjudicator in the US, Europe, and Asia.
Brown completed a DMA in instrumental conducting at UNC Greensboro where she was a student of John Locke and Kevin Geraldi. While at UNCG, she was named Outstanding Teaching Assistant and was both guest conductor and principal horn on UNCG Wind Ensemble’s fireworks! and finish line! CDs released on the Equilibrium label. Brown has also had several rehearsal guides published in the popular GIA Publications series, Teaching Music Through Performance in Band and has presented at the Midwest Clinic in Chicago, Music For All Summer Symposium, the Yamaha Bläserklasse in Schlitz, Germany, the International Computer Music Conference in Ljubljana, Slovenia, the College Music Society International Conference in Sydney, Australia, and multiple times at the College Band Directors National Association National Conference.
A proponent of inclusion and equity issues in the music profession, Brown is a frequent guest speaker on these topics. She currently serves on the CBDNA Gender and Ethnic Minority Committee, and as a member of the recently formed Drum Corps International Women’s In Step Committee. Brown is also the founder of “Women Rising to the Podium” – an online group of 2300 members supporting and celebrating women band directors. She also serves the chair of the Sigma Alpha Iota Women’s Music Fraternity Graduate Conducting Grant.
Brown currently serves as a brass consultant for Phantom Regiment and Spirit of Atlanta Drum and Bugle Corps. She has been on the brass and conducting instructional staff of the DCI World Champion Phantom Regiment since 2004. Other marching organizations with which she has instructed are the U.S. Army All-American Marching Band, Carolina Crown, Kennesaw Mountain High School (GA), Father Ryan High School (TN), and McGavock High School (TN).
As a performer, Brown was a member of the AA Brass Quintet, which won the International Brass Quintet Competition hosted by Fred Mills at the University of Georgia. She performed with the horn sections of the Boston Brass All Stars Big Band, North Carolina Symphony, Winston-Salem Symphony, and the Brevard Music Center Orchestra. Brown has studied brass performance and pedagogy with Abigail Pack, Jack Masarie, Freddy Martin, J.D. Shaw, Dottie Bennett, Randy Kohlenberg, Richard Steffen, and Ed Bach.
Originally from Milan, Tennessee, she is a graduate of Austin Peay State University where she was named “Outstanding Student in Music.” Brown earned a master of music degree in horn performance and a master of music education degree with a cognate in instrumental conducting from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Prior to her position at Georgia Tech, Brown was the assistant director of bands at Austin Peay State University and taught public school in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Dallas, Texas. She is a member of Phi Kappa Phi, Pi Kappa Lambda, and CBDNA. She was awarded the Rose of Honor as a member of Sigma Alpha Iota and is an honorary member of Kappa Kappa Psi and Tau Beta Sigma.
Praised as being “no[thing] short of amazing,” Xin Yin (Amy) is recognized as an up-and-coming force in percussion performance and pedagogy. Hailing from Shenzhen, Guangdong, China, Amy has been featured throughout Asia and the United States. She has appeared at the Percussive Arts Society's International Convention, Internasonal de Percusion (Columbia), and International Saxophone Symposium, as well as performed with the Beijing Ballet Orchestra, Shenzhen Orchestra, and Los Colinas Symphony Orchestra. As a principal performer while a graduate student at the University of North Texas, she recorded several CDs, one being Grammy-nominated in the Best Orchestral Performance category.
Featured as a soloist, Xin’s performance of Homage to KJ received a comment of “excellent performance” from the composer Gene Koshinski who expressed, “I can't tell you how much I love that.” It also received great comments from Gordon B Stout, “this is a truly wonderful performance in many ways. The person playing the lead marimba part is no short of amazing!” In 2018, Xin had an incredible opportunity to perform the duet Into the Air with its composer, Ivan Trevino. Ivan later commented on the performance video “(it) reminds me how awesome it was to play music with Amy Xin Yin. I like playing with Amy so much, I even learned the marimba 1 part.”
She studied with many outstanding teachers, including Sam Solomon, Nancy Zeltsman, Doug Perkins, Todd Meehan, Ivan Trevino, Edward Taylor, Mark Ford, Christopher Deane, Ed Smith, Paul Rennick, Jose Aponte, Stockton Helbing, Eric Willie, and Peter Zlotnick. Her accolades helped her to receive recognition for many scholarships and awards. As a student at the Boston Conservatory, she received the Boston Conservatory Talent Scholarship as well as the Nancy Zeltsman Marimba Festival Scholarship. With further undergraduate training at Baylor University, she received the President's Excellence Scholarship and the Larry Vanlandingham Scholarship. As a new Teaching Assistant for her Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the University of North Carolina Greensboro, Amy was named a “Minerva Scholar,” the highest recognition for a doctoral student.
As an educator, Xin has taught individual and group students from different skill levels. Xin is currently a Graduate Assistant at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, also a past Adjunct Instructor at Alamance Community College and a Teaching Fellow at the University of North Texas. She leads several Percussion Ensemble Groups, teaches Percussion Methods classes, and has a full-sized undergraduate studio. She also taught many younger students at UNCG Music Summer Camp, Salvation Army Carolinas Music & Arts Conservatory, Ryan High School (Denton, TX), and Baylor University Summer Music Camp.
As a traveler, Xin is grateful that art has taken her to study or perform in 11 countries. As a creative writer in Chinese, her article “These Crazy Musicians” is included in the study-abroad advising book, My U.S. Study Journal, published by the University of Science and Technology of China Press. Xin is a proud endorser of Vic Firth Sticks and Mallets and an elected member of the Percussive Arts Society International Committee.