Wind Symphony

Esprit de Corps Based on The Marines' Hymn, this work is a kind of fantasy-march, as well as a tribute to the United States Marine Band, which group had commissioned the work. Full of energy and drama, the composition has its solemn moments and its lighter moments (for example, the quasi-waltz in the middle of the piece). The composer intends that this work should display the fervor and virtuosity of the Marine Band and the musical spirit and integrity of its conductor, Colonel John R. Bourgeois, for whom the initial tempo marking, "Tempo di Bourgeois," is named. Colonel John Bourgeois is a dramatic, spirited conductor who reflects the excitement of the music being played. When a tempo is supposed to be "bright" he makes sure it is exactly that. Because the tempo of Esprit de Corps is to be very bright, the marking just had to be "Tempo di Bourgeois!"

- Program note from Windband.org 

Elegy for a Young American was written in 1964 and is dedicated to the memory of President John F. Kennedy. The Indiana Wind Ensemble, with Daniel DiCicco conducting, premiered the work in April of that same year. 

Except for a ten-measure allegro near the end, the tempo of the entire work is a slow adagio. Contrast and balance are achieved by solo instruments alternating with small sections of instruments and with the sound of the full band. A simple scalar motif in the opening clarinet develops through the elegy, giving the listener a full musical experience of pain, grief, and loss. The ending chimes leave us with a sense of acceptance and peace. 

- Program Note from Program Notes for Band

American Hymnsong Suite is firmly rooted in my family history as church musicians. I grew up singing and playing many different hymns, including the four tunes featured in this work. The final impetus to compose this particular treatment came during the course of an organ concert in Atlanta, Georgia. One section of the program featured innovative settings of three hymns. With the gracious consent of composers Joe Utterback and Brooks Kukendall, I adapted their settings to act as the inner movements of the suite, bracketed with my own original treatments of favorite hymns.

The Prelude on Wondrous Love (“What Wondrous Love is This”) opens with a chant-like statement of this Southern tune before proceeding to a more kinetic retelling. Ballad on “Balm in Gilead” features a rich jazz harmonization of this familiar spiritual. The Scherzo on “Nettleton” (“Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing”) contains all the rhythmic playfulness inherent in the best orchestral third movements, and the March on “Wilson” (“When We All Get to Heaven”) calls to mind the wildest marching band ever heard. 

While audience members will certainly make various connections to this piece, the ongoing goal is to introduce all listeners to the richness of our American musical heritage.

- Program Note by composer 

Major Dwayne S. Milburn (b. 1963, Baltimore, Maryland) is an American composer, conductor and military officer.

In 1986, Dr. Milburn graduated from UCLA with a BFA in music and received a Master's of Music in orchestral conducting from the Cleveland Institute of Music in 1992. He received his Ph.D. in music from UCLA in 2009. 

During his undergraduate career, Maj. Milburn was an arranger for the UCLA band and choral programs, as well as the Special Projects Division of ABC-TV. Upon graduation, he became the director of cadet music for the United States Military Academy, West Point, New York, serving as the conductor for the internationally renowned West Point Glee Club. During graduate studies in Cleveland, he contributed several arrangements to the Cleveland Orchestra.

Prior to his Ph.D. studies, Maj. Milburn served as one of 24 commissioned officer conductors in the United States Army Band Program. His assignments included duties as the associate bandmaster for the U.S. Continental Army Band, Fort Monroe, Virginia; The U.S. Army Band “Pershing’s Own,” Washington, DC; and the U.S. Army Europe Band and Chorus, Heidelberg, Germany. He also commanded the Army Ground Forces Band in Atlanta, Georgia. Since he completed his Ph.D. studies, he resumed his military service and currently serves as the commander and conductor of the U.S. Army Europe Band and Chorus in Heidelberg. Among his military honors are the President Benjamin Harrison Award, the Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, and the NATO Medal. 

Maj. Milburn is active as a composer, conductor, and adjudicator. He has received commissions from the instrumental programs at UCLA, the University of North Texas, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. His choral and wind ensemble works are published by the Alfred, Kjos and Ludwig Masters Music companies. 

Several of his works for band, including American Hymnsong Suite, Variations on "St. Patrick's Breastplate", and Emerald Suite are featured in volumes six through eight of Teaching Music Through Performance in Band, edited by Richard Miles. 

From 2005-2009, Major Milburn was the composer-in-residence for the Music Guild of St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church (Pacific Palisades, California). During that time he wrote three major works for the St. Matthew’s Chamber Orchestra and contributed over 25 anthems, several psalm settings, and a major service music setting to the parish choral music program. Major Milburn continues to serve as an instrumental adjudicator for the Heritage Music Festival series, and is currently completing commissioned works for Pacific Serenades Chamber Ensemble (Los Angeles, California) and Vocal Arts Ensemble (Ann Arbor, Michigan). 

In 2024, Dr. Milburn was teaching composition and conducting at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). 

The first semester of my masters- I was in a different headspace. I had finished writing Where the Sky Has No Stars and at the moment I felt renewed. I didn’t know what else to write, so I began to write music that felt disingenuous to my spirit (music that will never see the light of day)- I was going on autopilot and I had lost my voice. During one of my lessons at UT Austin, my professor Omar Thomas and I began listening to a piece I had mocked up a couple of days before. We both weren’t feeling it, and finally I asked him to turn off the piece and I told him it didn’t sound like me. I felt lost creatively. He then asked me what music I listen to. I began to name only band music composers. He asked me again, and I told him outside of wind band music I’m in love with Rap, R & B, Jazz and Soul. 

Then he asked an important question- “Why do you make a barrier between those ideals?”  

I didn’t have an answer. It was a wake-up call for me. Why was I compartmentalizing my musical inspirations?

He continued, “If you create something that is a celebration of who you are, the music you grew up with, and the music that inspires you now… then that would be dope…”  

And with that this piece was born. With that realization, I began to create a piece that celebrated all the music that had inspired me throughout my life. From Thundercat to Kendrick Lamar, Miles Davis to Hiatus Kaiyote, I wanted to bring all of these influences together into one cohesive work...one dope work. DOPE is a gumbo of all the music that inspires and influences me from Thundercat to Kendrick Lamar to Miles Davis to Hiatus Kaiyote and more, this piece is in essence a deep look into my musical world. 

The piece can be broken up into three parts. Since this work is dedicated to the trail black music has created, inspired and the new horizons it’s reaching, each part is named after a part of the black identity. 

UNDENIABLY (which is the partial score) is the opening of the piece. It's gritty, intense with moments of color and undeniable energy. It is carried by a bass line heavily influenced by Thundercat's playing on Kendrick Lamar's Untitled 05 along with Miles Davis's Nardis. 

UNAPOLOGETICALLY (the middle section) is a world building vibe and examines just how beautiful the music can be. I explore the colors and stretch them to their limits, but in doing so found new hues within myself and my writings. With this act, I gained heavy inspiration from John Coltrane, Robert Glasper, Kamasi Washington and Hiatus Kaiyote (to name a few) 

UNDISPUTEDLY (the finale) is an intense, groove filled statement. Every color explored is here and is in its full potential. It's bold and- like undeniably and unapologetically- is undisputedly black. Guided by my love for Tyler, the Creator's Hot Wind Blows, Marvin Gaye's I Want You ( due to Kendrick's The Heart series), and Kamasi Washington's Street Fighter Mas along with Askem. 

I hope that "DOPE" will serve as a tribute to the black musicians who have paved the way and inspired me to create music that is authentic to who I am. I also hope that this piece will inspire others to break down the barriers between their musical influences and create something truly unique and personal. 

PREMIERE:

October 9, 2022 

University of South Carolina Symphonic Winds (DR. JAY JACOBS, CONDUCTOR) - Program Note by composer

Georgia native, Katahj Copley (he/him/his) premiered his first work, Spectra, in 2017 and hasn’t stopped composing since. As of now, Katahj has written over 100 works, including pieces for chamber ensembles, wind ensembles, and orchestra. His compositions have been performed and commissioned by universities, organizations, and professional ensembles, including the Cavaliers Brass, California Band Director Association, Assembly Saxophone Quartet, and “The President’s Own” Marine Band. Katahj has also received critical acclaim internationally with pieces being performed in Canada, the United Kingdom, Japan, China, and Australia.  

Katahj received two Bachelor of Music degrees from the University of West Georgia in Music Education and Composition in 2021. In 2023, he received his Masters in Music Composition from the University of Texas at Austin - studying with Omar Thomas and Yevgeniy Sharlat. In 2026, Katahj earned his Doctorate in Music Composition from Michigan State University - studying with David Biedenbender and Zhou Tian.

Aside from composing, Dr. Copley is an excited educator who teaches young musicians the joy of discovering music and why music is a phenomenal language. 

“Music for me has always been this impactful thing in my life. It can soothe, it can enrage, it can quiet, and it can evoke emotions that are beyond me and this world we live in. I believe that music is the ultimate source of freedom and imagination. The most freedom I have had as a musician was through composing. Composition is like me opening my heart and showing the world my drive, my passion, and my soul.”

Flute
Allison Egts
Alyssa Brannon
Eliseo Hernandez
Elijah Ondrish, picc
Libby Dotterer

Oboe
Jayson Mikkelson
Kathryn Swanson
Quentin O’Brien

Bassoon
Jordan Wier
Tabitha Barowsky
Lorelei Wilkerson

Clarinet
Ryan Kramer
Seth Rupp
Alex Proctor
Adam Williams
Willis McClure
Natalie Kyser, bass
Andrew Sowders
Ryan Moore
Ethan Ondrish

Saxophone
Aidan Peper, alto
Charlie Carroll, alto
Charlie Miley, alto
Alex Dale, tenor
Connor Lynch, tenor/sop
Ryan Williams, bari

Horn
Mitchell Hemme
Nick Evener
Patrick Scully
Tre Meyers
Ella Jobe
Koby Carson

Trumpet
Trace Coulter
Matt Pileski
Eliana Peron
Sydney Nitschke
Lucas Vile
Jack Mantonya
Bingcheng Li

Trombone
David Franklin
Connor Kirkner
Matthew Ross
Ryan Hogue, bass

Euphonium
Zephyr McQuade
Myriad Hill

Tuba
Nia Garner
Justis Kaiser
Lauren Finn

Percussion
Carson Van Gorder
Vic McPheron
Josh Boyd
Ian Holdridge 
Brooke Guyton
Zach Hallam
Alex Minniear

Piano
Lorenzo Rambo dos Santos

Double Bass
Ellie  Kornowa