Herberger College School of Music announces fall band concert season

TEMPE, Ariz. – They’re shaking things up at the Herberger College School of Music with this fall’s band concert season. Gary Hill, director of bands, promises a groundbreaking season of “uncommon adventures in music” that are designed to inform, entertain and even provoke.

The unique nature of this year’s band season flows from Hill’s goal of making his concerts interactive. No longer will band audiences sit passively, watching the performers on a stage at the front of the room.

“We are challenging the whole notion of attending a concert and sitting sedately in one’s seat, by insisting on participation,” Hills says. 

In the first event of the season, Music History 101, questions and comments will be welcomed as the audience is engaged in a two-way conversation about the history of music and the pieces that are part of the program. The gap between audience and musician will be further narrowed as band members use the entire hall to perform, inviting the audience even further into the experience.

“This sort of format, where the audience does not simply sit and listen to musicians on stage, continues throughout the season,” Hill says.

This season is also distinguished by the diversity it offers from concert to concert. Hill has deliberately packaged each concert to feature a particular type of music. From the self-explanatory Liturgical Music, to New, Old, Borrowed and Blue, featuring band classics of the past, present and future, including Scottsdale composer Ron Nelson’s piece, “Passacaglia (Homage on B-A-C-H),” there really is something for everyone in this fall’s season.

In Gone to the Dogs!, fans of Broadway and comic strips can enjoy a sneak preview from the new musical based on the beloved European comic strip Tintin. The musical is now touring Europe and a Broadway version is planned for 2005. The adventures of Tintin’s Snowy and an unknown Black Dog are but a small part of this evening’s entertaining music.

The fall season closes with the always popular Pass-in-Review, a spectacular two-hour production showcasing the hundreds of talented students who make up the ASU Bands and featuring the Sun Devil Marching Band.

The complete Herberger College School of Music band season for fall is below. For more information on the band season, the public should call (480) 965-TUNE or visit the Herberger College Web Site at http://www.herbergercollege.asu.edu/and click on the events calendar tab.

Music History 101
7:30 p.m., Oct. 7, Gammage Auditorium
You will ace this course! Join ASU musicologist Kay Norton and the Wind Symphony, Gary W. Hill, conductor, and composers James Mobberley and Rodney Rogers for a fast-moving sampler of music from the past six centuries!

Liturgical Music
7:30 p.m., Oct. 9, Katzin Concert Hall, Music Building
Bow down to the genius of composers Gabrieli, Bach and Stravinski as the Chamber Winds, Gary W. Hill, conductor, and the Concert Choir, David Schildkret, conductor, combine forces to fill Katzin Concert Hall with the truly glorious music of these masters.

New, Old, Borrowed and Blue
7:30 p.m., Oct. 16, Gammage Auditorium
Martin Province leads the Wind Ensemble in established wind band classics and recent works that may become the classics of tomorrow.

Back Stage: Vaughan Williams Unveiled
4 p.m., Oct. 23, Classroom Wing, Gammage Auditorium
With the assistance of the Wind Symphony, graduate student Jessica V. Kun reveals newfound information about the wind band music of Ralph Vaughan Williams. The public is invited to this special lecture-recital in the rehearsal room, Gammage classroom No. 311.

Serenading with Kerr
10:30 a.m., Nov. 4, Kerr Cultural Center, Scottsdale
The Chamber Winds ensemble explores the serenade form in a special performance at the Kerr Cultural Center. Call for ticket information, 480-965-5377.

Gone to the Dogs!
7:30 p.m., Nov. 20, Gammage Auditorium
The adventures of one of the world's best-known canines, Tintin's dog Snowy, and an unknown Black Dog are but a small part of this light-hearted evening of entertaining music as Belgian composer/conductor Dirk Brossé and clarinetist extraordinaire Robert Spring join the Wind Ensemble and the Wind Symphony.

Miniature Symphonies
7:30 p.m., Dec. 2, Kerr Cultural Center, Scottsdale
The Chamber Winds presents a concert of small, but masterfully crafted, symphonies, including the Southwestern premiere of Daniel McCarthy's Chamber Symphony No. 2, featuring bassoon artist Jeffrey Lyman.

Pass-in-Review
7:30 p.m., Dec. 4, Gammage Auditorium
Bands, BANDS, and MORE BANDS! A spectacular two-hour production showcasing the hundreds of talented students who make up the ASU Bands and featuring the Sun Devil Marching Band!! 

The School of Music in the Arizona State University Herberger College of Fine Arts is one of the top music schools in the nation. More than 100 music faculty artists and scholars work with approximately 800 music majors each year in research, performance and scholarly activities. It presents approximately 700 concerts and recitals each season. To learn more about the School of Music, visit http://music.asu.edu.

Media Contact:
Mary Brennan
480-965-3587
mary.brennan@asu.edu