Wind Symphony & Jazz Ensemble Concert at the Majestic Theater. (Photo Jules Young/The Gettysburgian
By Jules Young, Arts & Entertainment Editor
On Saturday, Sept. 27th at 8 p.m, the Sunderman Conservatory’s wind symphony and jazz ensemble put on the first student ensemble concert of the semester at the Majestic Theater. The Wind Symphony was instructed by the Director of Bands, Music Education and Conducting Russell McCutcheon. The Jazz ensemble followed, under the direction of Coordinator of Jazz Studies and Professor of Applied Saxophone Amanda Heim. The program featured a variety of pieces surrounding the titular theme of the evening, “Journeys,” with pieces representing journeys from place to place, through time, and even across the course of a life.
The smaller, chamber wind group started the concert with a contemporary piece: “Lichtweg,” (Lightway, in German) by Jennifer Jolley, arranged by Kaitlin Bove. The piece was inspired by a piece of artwork in the Berlin airport, and represents the liminal feeling that comes from being in an airport – in between places.
The full wind symphony started off with a wind ensemble classic, “Homeward Bound,” by John Philip Sousa, representing Sousa’s journey home from his U.S. Marine Band tour. The next piece was “One Life Beautiful,” by Julie Giroux, another contemporary piece that symbolized the journey through a life that ended too early. The last two pieces were “Of Endless Miles and Empty Rafts,” and “Malagueña,” two pieces with Latin American roots. The latter is a widely recognized standard for jazz and symphony bands alike, an apt piece to place as the pivot point between the wind symphony and jazz ensemble sections of the program.
The jazz ensemble began their program with an exciting, upbeat chart: “Movin’ Uptown,” by Benny Carter, with solo features from Jeff Dieteman ’27 on trombone, Sal Formisano ’26 on trumpet, and Justin Morgan ’27, on alto saxophone.
The next three songs on the program were all by Duke Ellington, a favorite of the Sunderman jazz ensemble. They included “Rockabye River,” featuring soloists Formisano on trumpet and Morgan on alto saxophone; “Latin American Sunshine,” featuring soloists, Lucas Ramirez ’28 on piano, and Dieteman on trombone; and “Idiom ’59 – Part II” featuring soloists James Humphrey ’26, and Ramirez on piano. In her presentation of the pieces, Dr. Heim spoke on the choice to include three Ellington pieces, saying: “he could be considered one of the best jazz composers in American history,”
The final piece of the program was “Jolly Beach,” by Annie Booth, featuring a slew of talented soloists, including Nick Alimo ’29 on tenor saxophone, Adam Little ’29 on baritone saxophone, Ben Cassinelli ’26 on trumpet, Rebecca Romussi ’29 on drums, Morgan on alto saxophone, and Ramirez on piano.
