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Georgia State Wind Orchestra Renewal

October 5, 2022

12:00pm

Kopleff Recital Hall

Today's concert focuses on the concept of new beginnings. As we all start new things, it presents a unique opportunity for change and renewal. Each piece was selected because it gives either the composer, the musician, or the audience member a chance at a new start.

Fanfare Renewal

Matt Klohs

6'28"

Following the shutdown of Wind Ensembles around the world due to Covid-19 in 2020, the eventual reemergence of performances for our genre will be somewhat of a renewal of our art form. It presents an opportunity to reconnect with our musicians and audiences all over the world, and this renewal was at the front of my mind when composing this optimistic and forward-moving concert opener. Every section of the ensemble has a key role here, but none more so than percussion and piano who provide momentum and rhythmic drive throughout the work. I hope you will find the piece to be uplifting and hopeful of the renewal of Wind Ensemble music as we come out of Covid-19 and back to a more familiar way of celebrating our art.

- Program note by the composer

The Bench by the Sea

Julie Giroux

5'15"

"The Bench by the Sea" was commissioned by the conductor, Adam Dalton, and his sister, Susan Dalton in memory of their mother, Jody Fitzgerald Dalton. It is performed today, just one day before what would have been Jody's 67th birthday.

Photos of Jody with her children

To sit on a bench by the sea is to be at one with the wind, the waves, and the world. It is a good place to watch people, smell the ocean air, and wonder at the horizon and the perfect place to watch the sunrise and sunset.

It is a place to think, a place to rest, and a place to question. It is a good place to come to terms with life, but mostly it is a place to just be.

Jody loved to watch the water and loved concert band music. Now she has her own piece of music and will always have a bench by the sea.

- Program note by the composer

Second Suite In F

Gustav Holst

I. March

III. Song of the Blacksmith

IV. Fantasia on 'Dargason'

7'44"

Hymn of Brotherhood

Egbert van Groningen

3'40"

Douglas Tiller, graduate assistant conductor

In this colourful ballad, charity (Noaberschap) is of paramount importance. Egbert van Groningen composed Hymn of Brotherhood for the B-Orchestra of Harmonie Sint-Jan in Wierden.

The work exudes respect, appreciation and dedication. In our current, increasingly individualizing society, a beautiful reflective, meditative moment.

-Program note by the composer

Bridges

Katahj Copley

4'24"

“True teachers are those who use themselves as bridges over which they invite their students to cross; then, having facilitated their crossing, joyfully collapse, encouraging them to create their own.”

- Nikos Kazantzakis

Bridges pays tribute to the teachers that have influenced and inspired us. This piece is dedicated to the passion and commitment of Dr. Terry Flowers and his work with the St. Philip’s School and Community Center. For nearly 40 years, Dr. Flowers’ work with St. Philip’s has influenced and inspired hundreds of students to be more than what the world sees them as. Using the styles of some of his favorite artists: Aretha Franklin and Patti LaBelle while honoring his upbringings within the Gospel world, I wanted to tell the story of the “superhero” Dr. Terry Flowers. I also wanted to highlight how teachers are not only superheroes but they’re also our bridges to a brighter future.

-Program note by the composer

Photos of the teachers that made a difference in our lives

Dr. Adam Dalton is currently the Associate Director of Bands and Director of Athletic Bands at Georgia State University in Atlanta, GA. Dr. Dalton oversees all aspects of a robust athletic band program. He also conducts the Wind Orchestra and teaches other courses in the School of Music. Prior to his appointment to GSU, Dr. Dalton was Director of Bands and Associate Professor of Music at Marshall University where he managed comprehensive band program including concert bands, the Marching Thunder, and basketball pep bands.

Dr. Dalton is a native of Virginia where he attended James Madison University and earned a Bachelor of Music in Music Education. After graduating, he moved to Atlanta, GA where he taught high school at Milton High School, a large 5A program in Georgia. He then accepted a Graduate Teaching Assistantship at The University of Alabama where he received his Master of Arts in Music Education and a Doctor of Musical Arts in Instrumental Conducting. Dr. Dalton performed with The Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps for three years earning two world championships and a gold medal in individual and ensemble. He also marched in various independent winter guards in the southeast, consistently making finals at Winter Guard International. His designing and teaching experience includes the 2008 World Champion Phantom Regiment, The Carolina Crown Drum and Bugle Corps, The Cadets, Troopers, and Madison Scouts Drum and Bugle Corps. He is featured on the WGI video, Toss, and served as a clinician and performer for the first ever Spinfest Clinic, an annual educational event sponsored by WGI. Dr. Dalton maintains a busy schedule as a designer, consultant, and adjudicator for marching bands and indoor groups both nationally and internationally.

Dr. Dalton’s professional affiliations include the Collegiate Band Director’s National Conference, the National Band Association, and the National Association for Music Education

Douglas Tiller is a multi-instrumentalist and conductor hailing from Athens, Georgia. Active throughout the Piedmont region, Douglas has taught various woodwinds in high schools around Atlanta and has performed in many Athens area festivals. As a member of Augmented Triad Mixed Woodwind Trio, he and his colleagues have won the Georgia State University Undergraduate Research Conference and the Georgia State University Honors Recital, in addition to presenting at the International Navy Band Saxophone Symposium and North American Saxophone Alliance. Eager to make new music, Douglas regularly collaborates with composers on solo and chamber projects.

Douglas earned his Bachelor of Music at Georgia State University under the guidance of Jan Berry Baker and Brandyn Taylor, with additional studies under Mace Hibbard and Christopher Otts. He is currently pursuing a Master of Music in Wind Band Conducting under Robert Ambrose.