Funding for tonight’s performance was provided, in part, by the John R. Locke Endowment for Excellence in Music. For more information on giving to the UNCG School of Music, please visit https://vpa.uncg.edu/music/giving/
A Moorside Suite
Gustav Holst
Gustav Holst, a British composer and educator, began playing the piano at a young age but, due to a nerve condition that affected his right hand, switched to the trombone. In 1905, Holst became Director of Music at St. Paul’s Girls’ School in Hammersmith, London. He was close friends with fellow composer Ralph Vaughan Williams, whom he met while studying at the Royal College of Music in London. Holst was a significant composer of the early twentieth century known widely for his orchestral work, The Planets (1914). However, his band compositions have become cornerstone works of the wind band repertoire, including First Suite in E-flat for Military Band (1909), Second Suite in F for Military Band (1911), and Hammersmith (1930). These works were instrumental in convincing other composers that serious music could be written for band. A Moorside Suite, written near the end of Holst’s life, reflects his love of folk song and references the English countryside. Originally composed for brass band for the National Brass Band Championships at London’s Crystal Palace, the wind band arrangement was completed around his death in 1934 but not published until 1983. The three-movement suite opens with a lively Scherzo that uses a raised sixth note of the B-flat minor key to create a modal, folk-like melody while incorporating leaps of a fifth. The Nocturne features a peaceful, chorale-like melody that builds to a full ensemble tutti before returning to its calm opening. The final movement returns to B-flat minor, contrasting a pesante theme, fanfare figures, and a lyrical melody, with a trio that recalls earlier material to unify the work.
Note by Patty Saunders
Resound
Nicole Piunno
Nicole Piunno is an American composer whose music is deeply rooted in personal experience. She often uses her work to explore life’s inherent complexities—past and present, chaos and order, life and death. In 2021, the Rochester Community Concert Band commissioned her to write a piece celebrating their fifth season. Piunno viewed the project as an opportunity to honor the ways music shapes our lives and strengthens community, which ultimately led to the creation of Resound. Resound is an energetic and uplifting work that celebrates the joy music provides and the connections it fosters among people. Community ensembles like the Rochester Community Concert Band sit at the core of Piunno’s artistic philosophy, bringing individuals together through a shared love of making music.
Note by Jaden Brown and Nicole Piunno
Big Bend
William Owens
William Owens is an American composer, conductor, and educator. His commissioned and published works number over 150, have been performed worldwide, and focus primarily on school orchestra and band. Owens states that his mission is simple: “to provide music that brings joy to performer and listener alike.” Currently based in Fort Worth, Texas, he remains an active clinician throughout the United States and Canada. When not composing, he enjoys reading, sightseeing, and driving his Chevrolet Corvette. Big Bend, written for solo bassoon and band, is a programmatic work celebrating the splendor of Big Bend National Park in southwestern Texas along the Mexican border. Commissioned by Mark Rogers in memory of his parents, Bob and Mary Rogers, the piece was premiered in January 2023 by the Heart of Texas Concert Band of San Antonio. The work consists of four movements that explore aspects of the park’s beauty. Circa 1535 recalls Native American tribes and both their struggles and triumphs of daily life in the mountains, deserts, and rivers. Flora and Fauna celebrates the color and diversity of plant and animal life across active days and quiet nights. Big Bend is known as one of the darkest places on earth, and the third movement, Dark Sky, reflects the solitude of nighttime through the introspective character of the solo bassoon, featuring a jazzy melody and gentle, rocking accompaniment. The final movement, La Harmonia, takes its name from a Big Bend store established in 1902. While the store provided essential goods, it also fostered a strong sense of community, harmony, and mutual respect between American and Mexican customers. The music captures this spirit, celebrating a joyful coming together of cultures.
Note by Patty Saunders
American Barndance
Richard Saucedo
Richard Saucedo, an American composer, arranger, conductor, and educator, served as the Director of Bands at Carmel High School in Carmel, Indiana where he led its bands to numerous state and national honors in the areas of concert, jazz, and marching music. In 1999, Saucedo was named Indiana’s “Bandmaster of the Year” by the Indiana Bandmasters Association. Saucedo has also worked as a freelance arranger and composer for marching and concert band and choir, a writing staff member for Hal Leonard Corporation, and a judge for Drum Corps International. American Barndance, commissioned for the 20th Southern Indiana Festival of Bands, contains elements of American musical sound while highlighting the diverse timbres of the percussion section, the technical dexterity of the woodwinds, and the power and brilliance of the brass. The opening rhythmic section transitions with a trumpet solo into an ethereal middle section featuring call-and-response figures across the ensemble. This section grows through ascending lines and timpani rolls, culminating in a lush tutti arrival. A flute solo transitions back to the quick-moving opening material, reminiscent of galloping across rolling hills at high noon–now racing toward an exciting finish.
Note by Patty Saunders
Angela Moretti
Angela Moretti is currently a doctoral candidate in her final year of study at the University of North Carolina- Greensboro. During her time at UNCG, she has studied bassoon with Dr. Michael Burns and Dr. Ryan Reynolds. Prior to her doctoral studies, she taught music at Lakewood Park Elementary in Florida and served as Adjunct Lecturer of Bassoon at Texas Lutheran University. Ms. Moretti previously served in the United States Army as a member of the 8th Army Band in Pyeongtaek, South Korea and the 323d Army Band in San Antonio, Texas. During her enlistment, she performed in numerous concerts, festivals, and educational clinics throughout South Korea and the United States. Ms. Moretti is the founder of Laughing Crow Bassoon Reeds, a small business specializing in handmade bassoon reeds and supplies. Ms. Moretti holds a Master of Arts degree from the University of Central Florida and a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Florida State University. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking, working toward her goal of visiting every U.S. National Park, nature photography, and sculpting
Patty Saunders
Patty Saunders is pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts in instrumental conducting at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG) where she studies with Jonathan Caldwell. At UNCG, she conducts the Concert Band and assists with all other aspects of the UNCG Bands.
Prior to coming to UNCG, Patty completed a master’s degree in instrumental conducting from the University of Cincinnati – College Conservatory of Music (CCM) with Kevin Holzman where she conducted the Wind Symphony, Wind Ensemble, Chamber Winds, and Brass Choir and was involved in ensemble recordings. She also holds undergraduate degrees in saxophone performance and psychology from the University of Kentucky and in biochemistry from Virginia Tech. She spent many years serving in her community working with non-profit music organizations as well as collaborating with groups including the Lexington Philharmonic and University of Kentucky choirs. Passionate about connecting with audiences, she seeks to be intentional about representation and accessibility in her programming while creating a positive ensemble culture.
Patty is a member of Phi Beta Kappa and the College Band Directors National Association. She strives to learn a new word every day, loves hiking with her family and dog, Ginger, and takes her coffee black, with no room for cream or sugar.
Jaden Brown
University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG), where he studies with Dr. Jonathan Caldwell. At UNCG, he serves as the assistant conductor for the Concert Band and assists with other ensembles and undergraduate conducting courses. Prior to his graduate studies, Jaden earned a bachelor’s degree in music education from Western Carolina University. During his time at WCU, he studied trumpet with Dr. P. Bradley Ulrich for three years and participated in the Symphonic Band, Wind Ensemble, and Trumpet Ensemble. He also performed for three seasons with the Pride of the Mountains Marching Band, serving as trumpet section leader for two of those years. Jaden has spent the past two summers as an instrumental music fellow at the North Carolina Governor’s School, where he supported the development of talented high school musicians from across the state. He is a member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia and the National Association for Music Education. Outside of music, Jaden enjoys spending time outdoors, has a love for animals of all kinds, and hopes to one day have a family of pet ferrets.