University & Symphonic Bands

Greek Folk Song Suite: The typical instruments of Greek folk music are the clarinet, the mandolin, the violin, various types of tambourines, and the characteristic "buzuki." Greek folk music consists of a repertoire of three main groups of songs: traditional folksongs (dimotiko), folksongs from the immigrants (rebetiko), and songs from contemporary composers. The best-known author of Greek folk music is Mikis Theodorakis who, in addition to his political engagement against the fascist regime, has spread, through his melodies, the texts of the main Greek poets.

In Greek Folk Song Suite, Franco Cesarini has elaborated three songs belonging to the most ancient tradition. The first, O Haralambis, is in 7/8 time, typical of a popular folk dance called kalamatianos. Originally, the song O Haralambis was sung to "tease" during weddings, since the text of the song refers to a young man who refuses to marry. The central part of the piece includes another folk song called I Voskopula. The second movement, Stu Psiloriti, refers to an ancient song from the Island of Crete. The Psiloritis is the highest peak of the Ida Mountains. The third movement of the suite is based on the song Vasilikos tha gino, a very ancient song of the Ipeiros region. Some characteristics of this movement are a reminder of the sirtaki, the most popular Greek dance abroad.
- Program Note from publisher

Three Appalachian Songs is a setting of three classic early American folk songs ′Cluck Old Hen′, ′Poor Wayfarin' Stranger′ and ′Sourwood Mountain′ arranged by Dwight Bigler. The University Band will be performing movements two (2) and three (3).

Eiger: Journey to the Summit is a musical depiction of the true story of John Harlin, who sought to climb the treacherous Eiger North Face in Europe—the same mountain that claimed his father’s life when John was just nine years old. Forty years later, John Harlin set out to reach the summit to reconnect with his father's memory. 
-Program note from the composer 

Grammy-nominated Chinese-American composer Zhou Tian seeks inspiration from different cultures and strives to mix them seamlessly into a musically satisfying combination for performers and audience alike. The Wall Street Journal states his works “accomplish two important things: They remind us of how we got from there to here, and they refine that history by paying belated tribute to contributors who might otherwise be forgotten.”

His music—described as “absolutely beautiful…utterly satisfying” (Fanfare), “stunning” (the Cincinnati Enquirer), and “a prime example of 21st-century global multiculturalism”—has been performed by leading performers and orchestras, such as Jaap van Zweden, Yuja Wang, Manfred Honeck, Long Yu, Noah Bendix-Balgley, the New York Philharmonic, London Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Melbourne Symphony, “The President’s Own” U.S. Marine Band, Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra, Dover Quartet, and the Shanghai Symphony, where he recently served as Artist-in-Residence. His Concerto for Orchestra commissioned and recorded by Louis Langrée and the Cincinnati Symphony, earned him a GRAMMY Award nomination for Best Contemporary Classical Composition in 2018, making him the first Chinese-born composer and the second Asian composer (following Tōru Takemitsu) honored in that category. In 2019, Beijing Music Festival named him “Artist of the Year.” In 2022, he became the first Asian-American composer to win the coveted Sousa-ABA-Ostwald Award from the American Bandmasters Association for Sinfonia.

Born into a musical family in Hangzhou, Zhou moved to the US when he was 19. Trained at Curtis, Juilliard, and USC, he studied with some of America’s finest composers, such as Jennifer Higdon, Christopher Rouse, and Stephen Hartke. He is a professor of composition at Michigan State University.

Zhou Tian writes “Vivo is a celebration of music—the spark of rhythm, the shimmer of harmony, and the joy of musicians coming together in sound.”  This work is part of a consortium commission and is a BGSU Premier.
-Program note from the composer 
 

Flute
Sarah Beckstedt 
Teagan Norman 
Wyatt Cobb 
Mia Przybylski 
Lauren Matzinger
Quinn Earnest 
Bailee Cape 
Jasmine Hammersmith
Kalie Gaborik
Claire McKinney 
Laney Craddock
Brooke Szparka 

Oboe
CJ Brown 
Ramon Kulwicki 
Emma Thomasson
Madelynn Ketola 
Ash Bell 
Taylor Carpenter 

Bassoon
Jenna Boekhoff 
Jaksyn Trimbach 

Clarinet
Lydia Staubus
Cameron Yoder
Mary Grace Hedberg
Curtis Graham 
Megan Heuerman 
Aurora Conner 
Eloise Kolakowski 
Adriana Price
Maggie Pridemore 
Elle Hammerhofer 
Tyler Heuerman
Zach Hallam 

Bass Clarinet
Michael Nordeman 
Cameron Brinker
Ethan Sanders 
Maelee Zerkle
Kiera Howard 

Alto Saxophone
Hannah Huddle 
Brittney Vonalt 
Charlie Miley 
Charli Carroll
Jakob Hancock 
Ryan Williams
Hannah Watkins
Parker Upton
Andrew Condy 
Theodore Landis-Ashbaugh 

Tenor Saxophone
Max Miles 
Landon McGee 
Joel Farkasdi 
Kitty Hill
Tyler Perez
Autumn Jackson
Wyatt Lehman 

Baritone Saxophone
Lydia Hallman 
Alex Hammer  

Trumpet
Sydney Gankosky 
Tyler Heuerman 
Elijah Spokony 
Caleb Lambert
Ben Jones
Esmer Hatten 
JD Holtzen 
Allison Hawk 
Joey Pokrywka

French Horn
Max Barrett
Ben Reese 
Derek East

Trombone
Kaitlyn
Michael Carlozzi 
Savanah Westfall 
Paige Filbrun 
Sarah Gold-Anderson 
Owen Sabala
Elijah Ondrish
Caroline Braden
Chloe Feldpausch
Andrew Sowders
Reagan Fairbanks
Ethan Owens
Willis McClure
Ryan Kramer
Ryan Watson
Ryan Veirs, bass 

Euphonium
James Rosengarten
Emily Thornton
Austin Bleile 
Kayden Moore 
Abigail Antus
Kiera Buchmann
Emily Bruce 

Tuba
Mason Combs
Miguel Gaspar
Jacob Stierman 
Samaja Amison
Andrew Fordyce 

Percussion
Aiden Barrows
Carson Brockman
Jessica Kozik
Macey Craddock
Andrew Fulk
Izzy Kuzmik
Liz Moening
Carys Ruck
Noah Lancianese
Judah Richter

Gordon Jacob – Suite in B-flat (1955)

Gordon Jacob composed his Suite in B-flat in 1955, drawing on decades of experience as one of Britain’s most respected composers for wind ensemble. Written later in his career, the suite reflects a mature musical voice—marked by clarity, balance, and an intimate understanding of wind instruments—rather than the bold experimentation of his earlier works.

Jacob’s life and music were profoundly shaped by World War I. As a young man, he served in the British Army and was captured during the Battle of the Somme, spending the remainder of the war as a prisoner of war in Germany. The physical and psychological toll of captivity left lasting effects, including injuries that influenced his approach to composition and orchestration. Though the Suite in B-flat does not explicitly reference the war, it emerges from a composer whose artistic outlook was permanently shaped by that experience.

The suite is entirely original in its musical material, characterized by lyrical warmth, rhythmic poise, and understated wit. Jacob avoids overt virtuosity, instead favoring elegance, transparency, and expressive restraint. Individual sections of the ensemble are allowed to shine while remaining part of a cohesive whole.

Heard alongside Kenneth J. Alford’s The Vanished Army, the Suite in B-flat offers a complementary perspective: not a memorial march, but music written by a composer who survived the war and carried its imprint quietly into a lifetime of craftsmanship and reflection.

Gordon Jacob – William Byrd Suite

Gordon Jacob’s William Byrd Suite is a landmark work in the British wind band repertoire and one of the earliest compositions to establish the wind band as a serious concert ensemble. Written in 1923 to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the death of William Byrd, the suite draws its musical material from Byrd’s Renaissance keyboard and choral works, reimagined through Jacob’s modern orchestral voice.

The work was premiered by the Royal Air Force Band at the British Empire Exhibition at Wembley, a massive national celebration of British culture and industry held in the years following World War I. In this context, Jacob’s suite—rooted in England’s musical heritage—served as a powerful symbol of continuity, renewal, and national identity.

Rather than simply arranging Byrd’s music, Jacob transforms the original material into a vibrant and idiomatic work for winds. The movements range from stately and ceremonial to light and dance-like, showcasing Jacob’s transparent textures, rhythmic vitality, and keen understanding of wind color. The William Byrd Suite remains a cornerstone of the repertoire, honoring the past while helping to define the future of the modern wind band.
 

Kenneth J. Alford (Frederick J. Ricketts) – The Vanished Army

The Vanished Army was composed in 1919 by British bandmaster Frederick J. Ricketts, who wrote under the pseudonym Kenneth J. Alford—a name he adopted to avoid conflicts with his military duties. Often known as the “British March King,” Ricketts is celebrated for marches that combine traditional form with remarkable emotional depth.

Unlike many ceremonial marches, The Vanished Army serves as a solemn memorial to the soldiers of World War I who never returned. Shaped by Ricketts’s own wartime experiences, the march unfolds with dignity and restraint, culminating in a deeply moving trio that conveys remembrance, loss, and quiet honor. The work stands as both a tribute and a powerful reminder of the human cost of war, and especially of the nearly 750,000 young British men who died on the European continent during the conflict.

Program Notes Developed through dialogue with ChatGPT

Flute
Rachel Moeller
Jacob Egts
Libby Dotterer
Johnathan Robinson
Macy Pohorence
Isabelle Hayes
Jenna Schumaker (pic)

Oboe
Grace Russell
Quentin O’Brien
Luke Bass

Bassoon
Corbin Johns
Audrey Benson
Shaun Knox

Eb Clarinet
Elliot Bentley

Bb Clarinet
Ethan Ondrish
Chris Boyes
Cee Costello
Reagan Fairbanks
Jarod Reid
Jadyn Ochoa
Mollie Barrett

Bass Clarinet
Maelee Zerkle

Saxophone
Conor Lynch
Helen Kangas
Alex Dale
Mitchell Daniel

Horn
Emma Clement
Rowen Raynes
Ash Behn
Micky McMahon
Ella Jobe
Rion Van Zile
Jacob Phillips

Trumpet
Evan Picchioni
Alex Preston
Courtney Woerlein
Lucas Vile
Jonathan Perez Blanco
Blaine Mitchell
Jocelyn Huber
Tyler Heuerman

Trombone
Sky Spiriti
Connor Kirkner
Mason Armitage
Jacob Palumbo
Lucas Davis
Chelsea Dean

Euphonium
Zai Johnson
Hannah Crowe
Meg Gierula

Tuba
Trey Reed
Noah White
Braeden Scheirer
Tyler Huntington

Percussion
Josh Boyd
Ian Holdridge
Carson Van Gorder
Zion Bateman
Sarah Hertenstein
El Wisniewski
Emily Brand

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