Bandtoberfest! is a family-friendly, outdoor musical event on the Amherst Common that celebrates the joy of Autumn and the Harvest. The UMass Wind Ensembles and the Amherst BID will provide non-stop, live musical entertainment celebrating all cultures from 2:00 - 5:00 pm. Local beer/cider (21 and over) and Farmer’s Market vendors will be available as well as delicious food from local restaurants and food trucks. Bring the whole family and be a part of the lively atmosphere!

The Wind Ensemble and Symphony Band close out their season with a perfect harmony of innovative works and traditional sounds. Puhu Tuul by Estonian composer Ott Kask will stretch your idea of what a concert band can sound like. David Biedenbender’s Unquiet Hours explores some dark emotions before Cait Nishimura’s Chasing Sunlight takes us back into the light. David Maslanka’s Give Us This Day, originally scheduled for the final concert of Spring 2020, is dedicated to the memory of UMass bassoonist Quinn Woodworth.

After the exciting opener, Shoutout, by University of Michigan composer Roshanne Etezady, the Wind Ensemble pays tribute to UMass Professor of Piano Nadine Shank (1954-2020) with some poignant music by Bach. Grainger’s masterpiece Lincolnshire Posy and Florent Schmitt’s tour-de-force Dionysiaques close out the year with a bang.

SYMPHONY BAND

Puhu Tuul (2010 - Ott Kask

Unquiet Hours (2017) - David Biedenbender (Madeline Wight, conductor)

Chasing Sunlight (2017) - Cait Nishimura (Samantha Franciosa, conductor)

Give Us This Day (2006) - David Maslanka

WIND ENSEMBLE

Shoutout (2009) - Roshanne Etezady (Samantha Franciosa, conductor)

Komm, Susser Tod, BWV 478 (1703-7) - J.S. Bach

Lincolnshire Posy (1937) - Percy Grainger

Dionsyiaques, Op. 62 (1913) - Florent Schmitt

The UMass Symphony Band begins the spring semester with 2nd-year Graduate Conductor Samantha Franciosa on the podium. She will lead the band through a mix of wind band standards and new repertoire by exciting composers Omar Thomas and Katherine Bergman. The Wind Ensemble continues their collaboration with UMass Professor of Trombone, Greg Spiridopoulos, on two more brand-new concertos by jazz faculty members Jeffrey Holmes and Felipe Salles.

SYMPHONY BAND (Samantha Franciosa, graduate conductor)

Mother of a Revolution (2019) - Omar Thomas

Dream Machine (2016) - Katherine Bergman

Suite Francaise, Op. 248b (1944) - Darius Milhaud

October (2000) - Eric Whitacre

Festal Scenes (1988) - Yasuhide Ito

WIND ENSEMBLE

Dancing Fire (2016) - Kevin Day

Asynchronous, Synchronously (2021) - Felipe Salles (Greg Spiridopoulos, trombone)

Concerto for Trombone and Wind Ensemble (2021) - Jeffrey Holmes (Greg Spiridopoulos, trombone)

Danzon No. 2 (1994) - Arturo Marquez, arr. Nickel

Come hear the UMass Concert Band play some outstanding repertoire in their semester finale! The concert will have something for everyone: a traditional march, a few wind band classics, and some exciting and beautiful new music. Come support live music and these talented students!

Cosmopolitan America March - Helen May Butler

Chorale and Shaker Dance - John Zdechlik *Honoring Dr. Zdechlik (1937-2020)

Second Suite in F - Gustav Holst (Samantha Franciosa, graduate conductor)

Paintings - William Owens

Shenandoah - Omar Thomas (Madeline Wight, graduate conductor)

Malaguena - Ernesto Lecuona, arr. Sammy Nestico *Honoring Sammy Nestico (1924-2021)

The Symphony Band begins the concert with music from Leonard Bernstein’s Candide, an impressionistic piece by African-American composer Julian Work, Persichetti’s Divertimento for Band, and a concert march by Italian composer David Delle Cese. After Hindemith’s “March” from Symphonic Metamorphosis and music by Julie Giroux inspired by the video game Skyrim, the Wind Ensemble will feature four outstanding UMass percussionists on Viet Cuong’s Re(new)al. The concert closes with an incredible note-for-note transcription of George Gershwin’s An American in Paris.

SYMPHONY BAND

Overture to Candide (1956) - Leonard Bernstein, arr. Grundman

Autumn Walk (1958) - Julian Work (Madeline Wight, conductor)

Divertimento for Band (1950) - Vincent Persichetti (Samantha Franciosa, conductor)

L’Inglesina March (1871) - David Delle Cese

WIND ENSEMBLE

“March” from Symphonic Metamorphosis ( 1945) - Paul Hindemith (Madeline Wight, conductor)

Riften Wed (2013) - Julie Giroux (Samantha Franciosa, conductor)

Re(new)al: Percussion Quartet Concerto (2017) - Viet Cuong

An American in Paris (1928) - George Gershwin, trans. van Gils

Multiband Pops will, as always, be at the Fine Arts Center Concert Hall on the UMass Amherst campus, showcasing 15 of our large and small ensembles.

Featuring the Minuteman Marching Band, UMass Dancers, and non-stop performances by Wind, Brass, Jazz, Orchestral, Percussion and Choral Ensembles.

The Wind Bands are back!, and they kick off their concert season with a double-bill of “Beginnings.” Both Symphony Band and Wind Ensemble will be recording a CD of brand new commissions throughout the year, highlighting the trombone virtuosity of UMass Professor of Trombone Greg Spiridopoulos and the compositional talents of UMass music faculty members. Lacrima by UMass Professor of Composition Salvatore Macchia begins the series. The concert closes with Adventures on Earth, a transcription of the powerful last ten minutes of Stephen Spielberg’s masterpiece, E.T. The Extra Terrestrial.

SYMPHONY BAND

Fanfare Politeia (2020) - Kimberly Archer

Reminiscence (2019) - Kathryn Salfelder (Samantha Franciosa, conductor)

Trombone Concerto #1 (2021) - David Mallamud (Greg Spiridopoulos, trombone)

Trombone Concerto #2 (2021) - David Mallamud (Greg Spiridopoulos, trombone)

Letter from Home (1944) - Aaron Copland, trans. Belski (Madeline Wight, conductor)

Scenes from the Louvre (1966) - Norman Dello Joio

WIND ENSEMBLE

Festive Overture, Op. 96 (1954) - Dmitri Shostakovich

Magnum Mysterium (1994) - Morten Lauridsen, arr. Reynolds

Lacrima for Trombone and Wind Ensemble (2021) - Salvatore Macchia (Greg Spiridopoulos, trombone)

Adventures on Earth (1982) - John Williams, trans. Lavender

Bandtoberfest! is a new family-friendly, outdoor musical event on the Amherst Common that celebrates the joy of Autumn and the Harvest. The UMass Wind Ensembles and the Amherst BID will provide non-stop, live musical entertainment celebrating all cultures from 2-5pm. Local beer/cider (21 and over) and Farmer’s Market vendors will be available as well as delicious food from local restaurants and food trucks. Bring the whole family and be a part of the lively atmosphere!

A live outdoor concert featuring music by William Grant Still, Hoagy Carmichael, Scott Joplin, Kathryn Salfelder, Alberto Ginastera, Carolyn Bremer, & including special performances of Kim Archer's Fanfare Politeia, written for Kamala Harris' inauguration, and John Williams' Star Wars Trilogy.

Bring your own chair or blanket and enjoy live music!  Please observe social distancing guidelines (6 feet apart) and wear a face covering. Attendance will be limited to 150 as per current state guidelines.

CANCELLED

The Symphony Band celebrates Earth Day with repertoire that helps us remember we all are part of one large community: Planet Earth. David Maslanka’s program note from Give Us This Day is a terrific reminder to all of us:

“The words ‘Give us this day’ are, of course, from the Lord’s Prayer, but the inspiration for this music is Buddhist. I have recently read a book by the Vietnamese Bhuddist monk Thich Nhat Hahn (pronounced “Tick Nat Hahn”) entitled For a Future to be Possible. His premise is that a future for the planet is only possible if individuals become deeply mindful of themselves, deeply connected to who they really are. While this is not a new idea, and something that is an ongoing struggle for everyone, in my estimation it is the issue for world peace. For me, writing music, and working with people to perform music, are two of those points of deep mindfulness.

Music makes the connection to reality, and by reality I mean a true awakeness and awareness. Give Us This Day gives us this very moment of awakeness and awareness so that we can build a future in the face of a most dangerous and difficult time.” - David Maslanka

Cathedrals (2007) - Salfelder

America, the Beautiful (1910) - Ward, arr. Dragon

Sandburg Reflections (2002) - Lewis J. Buckley (soprano TBA), (Jose Ignacio Blesa Lull, graduate conductor)

Colonial Song (1912/1918) - Grainger (James Minnix, graduate conductor)

Give Us This Day (2007) - Maslanka

CANCELLED

The Wind Ensemble closes out their 2019-2020 season with a bang! The concert opens with the world premiere of a new fanfare by UMass Alumnus Brian Martin (‘19), then continues with Stravinsky’s complex and sophisticated homage to Debussy Symphonies of Wind Instruments. Paul Lavender’s brilliant transcription of Mussorgsky’s entire Pictures at an Exhibition will close the program.

Rising Star (2019) - Martin

Symphonies of Wind Instruments (1920 Version) - Stravinsky

Pictures at an Exhibition (1874) - Mussorgsky, trans. Lavender

There are many different versions of “America,” depending on your race, gender, economic standing, belief system, and where you live. 2nd-year graduate student James Minnix conducts a program of diverse repertoire that explores what it means to live in America in 2020: where we’ve come from, where we are, and where we are going.

Variations on “America” (1891) - Ives, arr. Rhodes

From the Delta (1945) - Still

Into the Silent Land (2018) - Danyew

Peace Dancer (2017) - Blackshaw

A Movement for Rosa (1992) - Camphouse

The Wind Ensemble performs music from both hemispheres, including a virtuosic concerto featuring UMass Professor of Oboe, Fredric T. Cohen.

Orient et Occident (1869) - Saint-Saens (Jose Ignacio Blesa Lull, graduate conductor)

Concerto for Oboe (1981) - Shen (Fredric T. Cohen, oboe)

Blue Shades (1997) - Ticheli

The 35th Annual UMass Honor Band Festival continues this year with another outstanding composer-in-residence and a separate day-long track for middle and high school music educators.  This year's guest, Cait Nishimura, is a Canadian composer, songwriter, and music educator based in Toronto, Ontario. Described as having a "refreshing buoyancy", her music uses minimalist patterns, simple yet lush harmonies, and themes that linger in listeners' minds, drawing inspiration from the beauty of the natural world. With a special focus on wind band and choral music, Nishimura strives to present contemporary concert music that is accessible and enjoyable by musicians of all levels. Her work for wind band, Chasing Sunlight, was selected as the winner of the 2017 Canadian Band Association Composition Competition, and has since been added to regional and national wind band syllabi. Nishimura holds undergraduate degrees in music and education from the University of Toronto. Her work is regularly programmed and commissioned by ensembles across North America, where she is in demand as a visiting composer and educator.

High School Honor Bands and the UMass Wind Ensemble will perform. Go to the "Honor Band" section of the website for more info!

Composer/Conductor Jose Ignacio Blesa Lull (jiblesa.com) leads the Symphony Band in a program of wind band standards and Spanish repertoire.

An Original Suite (1928) - Jacob

Cheetah (2006) - Husa

Blessed Are They (1868) - Brahms, arr. Buehlman

Polifemo (2000) - Valero-Castells

Lo cant del Valencia - Sosa

The Wind Ensemble celebrates the life and work of Abraham Lincoln with two monumental pieces: Lincoln Portrait, narrated by Walter Carroll from New England Public Radio (NEPR), and Maslanka’s masterpiece Symphony No. 4. Andrew Pease (Hartwick College) also joins us to guest conduct.

Magneticfireflies (2001) - Thomas (James Minnix, graduate conductor)

Lincoln Portrait (1942) - Copland, trans. Beeler (Walter Carroll, narrator)

Songs of Paradise (2011) - Walczyk (Andrew Pease, guest conductor)

Symphony No. 4 (1993) - Maslanka

The Wind Ensemble and Symphony Band open the 2019-2020 season with a combined concert of music that celebrates different voices, rising above hate. Special guest conductor Myron Welch will conduct a piece with both ensembles as part of this year’s UMass Wind Studies conductor-in-residence program.

SYMPHONY BAND

Folk Dances (1942) - Shostokovich, arr. Reynolds

Chester (1956) - Schuman (Jose Ignacio Blesa Lull, graduate conductor)

Five Miniatures (1930) - Turina (Myron Welch, guest conductor)

City Trees (2012) - Markowski (James Minnix, graduate conductor)

Angels in the Architecture (2008) - Ticheli

WIND ENSEMBLE

Downey Overture (2011) - Navarro

Of Our New Day Begun (2015) - Thomas

Sketches on a Tudor Psalm (1971) - Tull (Myron Welch, guest conductor)

Symphony No. 3 (1958) - Giannini

Multiband Pops will, as always, be at the Fine Arts Center Concert Hall on the UMass Amherst campus, showcasing 15 of our large and small ensembles.

Featuring the Minuteman Marching Band, UMass Dancers, and non-stop performances by Wind, Brass, Jazz, Orchestral, Percussion and Choral Ensembles.

The Studio Jazz Orchestra opens the concert, under the direction of Prof. Jeff Holmes. The Wind Ensemble takes the stage for the second half to premiere a newly commissioned work by composer David Biedenbender (his first symphony for winds!) and perform Bernstein's tour-de-force Symphonic Dances from West Side Story. What a COOL way to end the season! 

STUDIO JAZZ ORCHESTRA - Program TBA

WIND ENSEMBLE

Ecstatic Fanfare (2002) - Bryant (Jared Bloch, conductor)

What is Written on the Leaves (2019) - Biedenbender *PREMIERE

Symphonic Dances from West Side Story (1960) - Bernstein, arr. Lavender

Symphony Band closes out their season with two masterworks, an introspective work by Alex Shapiro, and a magical cinematic score by Rolf Rudin. 

Toccata Marziale (1924) - Vaughan Williams (James Minnix, conductor)

Moment (2016) - Shapiro

Symphony No. 6, Op. 69 (1956) - Persichetti (Jose Ignacio Blesa Lull, conductor)

Der Traum des Oenghus, Op. 37 (1993-1996) - Rudin

GUEST ENSEMBLE: King Philip High School Wind Ensemble, Michael Keough, conductor

GUEST CONDUCTOR: Reed Chamberlin - University of Nevada, Reno

Each piece on the program will take you somewhere new and unexpected. Michael Colgrass' epic masterpiece, Winds of Nagual, based on the writings of Carlos Castenada, pushes the limits of wind ensemble color and timbre, and guest conductor Reed Chamberlin (University of Nevada, Reno) closes the concert with Roberto Sierra’s “Tumbao” from Sinfonia No. 3.

La Procession du Rocio (1913) - Turina (Jose Ignacio Blesa Lull, conductor)

Letter from Home (1944) - Copland, arr. Bielski (James Minnix, conductor)

Ballet Music from Le Cid (1885) - Massanet, arr. Reynolds (Jared Bloch, conductor)

Winds of Nagual (1985) - Michael Colgrass

“Tumbao” from Sinfonia, No. 3 - Roberto Sierra, trans. Scatterday (Reed Chamberlin, guest conductor)

Song and dance are often considered the two oldest genres in music. For this performance the Symphony Band will explore how composers have brought these two timeless styles into the wind band repertoire ranging from the mid 19th century to today. Jared Bloch, 2nd year Graduate student in Wind Conducting, conducts.

Satiric Dances (1975) - Dello Joio

Hammersmith, Prelude & Scherzo, Op. 52 (1931) - Holst

Song for Lyndsay (2006) - Boysen

Vientos y Tangos (2002) - Gandolfi

Radetzky March, Op. 228 (1848) - Strauss, arr. Reed