A Musical Mosaic - February 25, 2023

The Arkansas Winds will present our first concert of the 2023 year "A Musical Mosaic" on February 25, 2023 at 7:00pm at the Farmington High School Performing Arts Center in Farmington, Arkansas. Admission is free and the public is invited. Please share this event with any of your friends who might be interested.

The concert will include a tribute to the late Mr. Eldon Janzen who was the longtime director of the University of Arkansas band program. Mr. Janzen was not only the college band director of many members of the Winds, he also was responsible for the creation of the Arkansas Winds in 1988. As a musical mosaic the program will include many different musical themes.

The concert will include

A Festival Prelude – Alfred Reed
Composed for wind band nearly 50 years ago, this masterpiece written from Alfred Reed displays his style and command of wind band orchestration and remains a classic for wind band.

Renaissance Reimagined – Brian Balmages
This work pays homage to the regal Renaissance style music while at the same time reimagining it with contemporary twists and turns.

Hymn of Praise – Anton Brucker
Mr. Janzen required all his conducting students to assess and conduct this piece for his conducting classes. The piece helps a conducting student understand and practice many of the attributes required for a conductor. The Winds are playing a concert band transcription of the orchestral piece written by Anton Brucker, the Austrian composer who displayed an intense devotion to the spiritual life during the mid 1800’s.

Overture to La Belle Helene – Jacques Offenbach
Band transcription of the overture written for the opera La Belle Helene which parodies the elopement of Helen of Troy and Paris which started the Trojan War.

~~ Intermission ~~

Hands Across the Seas – John Philip Sousa
This American military march was composed by John Philip Sousa in 1899 to celebrate the relationship of America to all friends abroad.

Pilatus: Mountains of Dragons – Steven Reineke
The dragon trail on the Pilatus mountain in Switzerland is steeped in legends and myths. This symphonic tone program represents the trials and tribulations of a band of dragon hunters as they search, and find a dragon on the trail.

Yellow: Primary Colors – Drew Morris (University of Arkansas Alumni)
Yellow is the first movement of Drew Morris’ suite “Primary Colors”. It was premiered in “The Aud” in Eureka Springs by the Berryville High School Band and represents what the color of yellow means. Fun, sun, recess and school buses.

Wilson Park – David Gorham (University of Arkansas / Arkansas Winds Alumni)
Named for the park in Fayetteville where the Winds have performed outdoor concerts, this piece was commissioned by the Arkansas Winds to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the group.