A Salon Concert
Tuesday
January 28
7:00 PM
Kopleff Recital Hall
Jan Van der Roost | b. 1956
Puszta (1988)
1. Andante Moderato
2. Tranquillo
3. Allegro molto
Rachel Breaux, conductor
The Puszta is the name of a vast prairie in Hungary, where the Roma people often roam with their wild horses. In typical Romani style, composer Jan Van de Roost wrote this original composition in 1988 that describes the temperamental, melancholic and flamboyant moods of the nomadic Roma of eastern Hungary. Written in four movements and referred to as dances, the exciting music of Puszta is bright, colorful and intriguing.
- Program note from Lake Oswego Millennium Concert Band
Jan Van der Roost (b. March 1, 1956, Duffel, Belgium) is a Belgian composer, conductor, and educator. He studied trombone, music history, and education at the Lemmensinstituut in Leuven, followed by conducting and composition at the Royal Conservatoires of Ghent and Antwerp.
Currently, he teaches at the Lemmensinstituut, serves as a guest professor at institutions in Japan, and is active worldwide as a composer, conductor, adjudicator, and clinician. His works, spanning oratorios, symphonies, concertos, and wind band compositions, are performed and recorded globally. Van der Roost exclusively writes commissioned works for clients from over 15 countries, with several CDs released by EMI Classics, Valve-Hearts, and PHAEDRA RECORDS.
Eduardo Boccalari | 1859-1921
Fantasia di Concerto (1906)
Camilo Andrés Ayala, euphonium
Braeden Weyhrich, conductor
Fantasia di Concerto has been performed by euphonium, cornet and clarinet soloists for almost the entire 20th century. It was originally dedicated to John J. Perfetto, the euphonium soloist with the Sousa Band from 1904 (the year Boccalari arrived in the U.S.) in 1921. The solo alternates between a fantastic display of technical facility and the expressive theme anticipated from the subtitle, "Sounds from the Riviera."
- Program Note from Program Notes for Band
Camilo Andrés Ayala
Born in Bogotá (Colombia), Camilo began his musical studies at the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in 2010 under Rafael Pérez and is currently pursuing his master's studies under Dr. Adam Frey.
As a soloist, he has won several competitions to play with different ensembles such as: Symphony Band of the Javeriana University (2013), Symphony Orchestra of the Javeriana University (2014 and 2016), and Bogotá Youth Philharmonic Band (2019). In 2024, he was selected as the winner of the Brumby Competition, the Charleston Autumn Music Competition (first prize), and the Euterpe Music Awards (third prize).
In 2018, he was awarded the “Earle L. Louder Fellowship” to attend the International Euphonium and Tubas Festival (IET) in Atlanta, United States, where he received classes with teachers Adam Frey, Brian Bowman, Tormod Flaten, Thomas Rüedi, David Thornton, Aaron Tindall, Øystein Baadsvik, among others. He has also participated in national festivals taking classes with teachers Steven Mead, Bastien Baumet and Jason Ham.
In 2022 Camilo participated as a guest artist with the ensemble “Dueto Icatama”, performing a concert focusing on Colombian traditional music at the University of North Georgia, United States of America.
As a teacher, he has worked as a euphonium and tuba teacher at the Universidad Pedagógica y Tecnológica de Colombia, and has also collaborated as a euphonium, trombone and tuba teacher in the training processes of the music schools of Tunja and the Government of Boyacá.
As a composer Camilo has published two works for euphonium and piano: Bernarda and Alborada Taciturna. Additionally, he participated in the edition of the “Guide for euphonium of the Colombian Ministry of Culture”, providing unpublished material for training in the instrument.
Ming-Hsui Yen | B. 1980
Red Stool Party (2021)
Meeka Sivilay, conductor
In Taiwanese folk culture, the appearance of red plastic stools at any event is a sure sign of a gathering where the island's people come together in high emotional density. Whether it’s a wedding banquet, a temple festival, a village activity, or even a political rally, when stacks of red stools are neatly arranged and spread out in some corner of the island, it invariably means something significant is about to happen.
The choice of the vibrant red color reflects, to some extent, the islanders’ love of lively gatherings. Even though modern life has made it rare to see the old scenes of friends and neighbors calling on one another, the collective excitement of strangers sitting side by side, eagerly awaiting an event to begin, remains unchanged.
The work "Red Stool Party" is imbued with a festive and vibrant atmosphere, drawing inspiration in part from the diverse melodies of Taiwanese opera. By blending traditional opera sounds, the piece aims to evoke the communal joy and emotional connection that islanders experience during various "red stool parties."
This composition was commissioned by the Taipei Youth Wind Orchestra, sponsored by the National Culture and Arts Foundation, and premiered on March 13, 2021, at the National Concert Hall.
Rachel Breaux
Rachel Breaux, a native of Temple, GA, is a recent graduate of the University of West Georgia where she received her Masters in Flute Performance and took advantage of conducting opportunities with the UWG Wind Ensemble under the direction of Dr. Byrd. She also holds a Bachelors of Music degree in Music Education from West Georgia.
Rachel has enjoyed various teaching opportunities throughout Georgia. These include having her own private lesson studio consisting of students from Carroll, Paulding, Fayette, and Coweta counties, being an instructional staff member with local marching and concert bands, a flute sectional coach, and being a graduate teaching assistant while attending UWG.
While still performing in local church orchestras and ensembles and teaching privately, Rachel also enjoys graphic design, media, and marketing management for various organizations, including West Georgia Arts. She is in her first year studying wind band conducting at Georgia State University under Dr. Robert J. Ambrose.
Meeka Sivilay
Meeka Sivilay is currently pursuing the Master of Music in Wind Band Conducting degree at Georgia State University under the guidance of Robert J. Ambrose. As a Graduate Teaching Assistant for the University Bands, she conducts and coaches a variety of ensembles, assists with undergraduate conducting instruction, and supports the operations of a large, comprehensive band program.
Prior to her move to Georgia, Ms. Sivilay served as a band director in the Mountain Home (AR) School District, where she conducted the junior high band, taught beginning woodwind classes and assisted with all aspects of the high school band program. Along with her official duties, she assisted with the guard programs and trained marching band student conductors.
Meeka graduated Cum Laude from Arkansas Tech University with the Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education. Her primary teachers were Dan Belongia and Karen Futterer. During her tenure at Arkansas Tech, Meeka served as a student conductor for various ensembles, was as an Undergraduate Teaching Assistant, and served on local and district-wide executive boards of the Tau Beta Sigma music fraternity.
Braeden Weyhrich
Braeden Weyhrich is a Master of Music student and graduate assistant at Georgia State University, where she studies wind band conducting with Dr. Robert J. Ambrose. Prior to graduate studies, she was the Band Director at Hinton Community School in northwest Iowa, where she taught and administered all aspects of the band program for students in grades 5-12. She was also the Associate Conductor of the Siouxland All-America Concert Band, Librarian for the Sioux City Municipal Band, and a member of several district and state-wide committees of the Iowa Bandmasters Association. Braeden is a part of The Access Collective, a program piloted in Iowa and soon to expand nationally which works to assist band directors in connecting their students to other people and cultures through music.
Braeden holds a Bachelor of Music in Music Education and an Honors College Degree from Oklahoma State University, where she graduated magna cum laude and was recognized as an OSU Alumni Association Outstanding Senior. Her organizational affiliations include Tau Beta Sigma, Sigma Alpha Iota, and Women Band Directors International.
Julianna Pinero
Julianna Pinero is an alumna of Georgia State University where she earned the Bachelor of Music degree with a concentration in Instrumental Music Education. At Georgia State, Ms. Pinero was a member of several ensembles including the University Orchestra, Panther Band, Panther Basketball Band, Concert Band, and Choral Union. She is a 2019 graduate of Mill Creek High School where she performed in various ensembles.
Ms. Pinero’s teaching experience includes pre-school instrument with Jumpstart Education, strings instruction at Drew Charter School in Atlanta, student teaching in Gwinnett County, and marching band instruction at Cambridge High School in Milton, GA and North Gwinnett High School in Suwanee, GA. In addition, she has served as a visual educators for the Blue Knights Drum and Bugle Corps in Denver, Colorado.
Julianna was selected as a Conducting Fellow for the Atlanta Summer Conducting Institute hosted by Georgia State University in both 2023 and 2024.