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/
American Salute
Morton Gould
American Salute was originally written for orchestra in 1942, during the early years of World War II, before being arranged for band. The piece is built entirely on the tune “When Johnny Comes Marching Home,” a melody long associated with American musical culture and written by Patrick Gilmore, an Irish immigrant and central figure in American band history. Using this single source, Morton Gould creates a compact and engaging work that highlights his skill in developing and transforming earlier material. Throughout the piece, the tune appears in a variety of forms, shifting in character, texture, and orchestration. At times it is presented clearly and directly, while in other moments it is fragmented, layered, or reimagined through changes in rhythm and scoring. These transformations give the piece a sense of variety and forward motion, even though it is based on a single idea. The result is a work that balances familiarity with invention, shaped by clear pacing and a strong sense of contrast.
Note by Molly Allman
Old Home Days
Charles Ives
Charles Ives was born in 1874 to George Ives, a U.S. Army Bandleader. His father was his first music teacher and taught him how to play keyboard in hopes that he would become a concert pianist. Instead, Ives took to the organ and, by age fourteen, became the youngest salaried organist in the state of Connecticut. Ives would go on to study organ and composition at Yale, quickly earning the title of “innovator” within the music world. After graduating, Ives would not go on to work full-time as a musician but instead worked as an insurance salesman and composed on the side. Because of this, Ives frequently wrote music with the intention of recreating the sounds of everyday life, such as a day in downtown or the funeral for a family pet. He achieved this through a compositional approach often described as collage, in which multiple, contrasting melodic ideas are layered simultaneously, resulting in a raw, densely textured musical soundscape. In 1922, Ives put together a collection of songs to be published for piano and voice, which he had written over the course of his life. Titled 114 Songs, the collection features music ranging from the first song he had ever composed to songs from just the year prior. In 1954, Jonathan Elkus, an American composer and eventual editor for the Charles Ives Society became interested in Ives’s and introduce his music to the band world. Elkus chose to select pieces from Ives’ 114 Songs due to the wide variety of songs and the fact that they had never been published outside of the original collection. The resulting piece, Old Home Days, has five movements and features five songs from this collection in the first four movements. The fifth movement is based on Kenneth Singleton’s brass quintet arrangement of Ives’s sketches of “London Bridge is Fallen Down” for organ or piano. The title of each movement is the title of the song on which it is based, with the second movement featuring two songs split into an A and B section. Elkus describes the piece as a “reflection of Ives’s lifelong love of familiar tunes and home-grown music making.”
Note by Jaden Brown
From Breath to Breath
Elena Specht
Composer Elena Specht writes instrumental and vocal concert music with an emphasis on colorful textures, lively rhythms, and graceful lyricism. Elena’s music is enjoyed by both beginning and professional musicians, and it reaches diverse audiences. She writes for a variety of instruments and voices, specializing in music for wind bands. Her music is inspired by places, history, captivating questions, visual art, and compelling stories. From Breath to Breath reflects on the experiences of both birth and death, highlighting how the fleeting, in-between moments carry deep significance. Specht states, “In the last few years, I’ve been in a season where I’ve had both the great joy of welcoming brand-new life into the world and the sorrow of saying goodbye to beloved grandparents whose lives on Earth extended over ninety years. In many ways, the first and last moments of their lives mirrored each other. Surrounded by family and love, my children took their very first breaths, and my grandparents their last. These are beautiful and sacred occasions, lasting both an instant and an eternity. As I think about what brought meaning to my grandparents’ lives and what sparks delight with my children, I think another parallel exists. Much of the weight of our lived experiences happens in short instances – a characteristic laugh, a silly retort, a warm hug. From Breath to Breath refers both to the first and last breathe that bookends a life and to the little moments that bring significance over many years. The first and last “breaths” open and close the work with an ascending and descending major second motive, respectively. In between these breaths are the many moments of life– busy, exciting, intense, intimate, and joyful.”
Note by Elena Specht and Patty Saunders
History
Mary Lou Williams
Mary Lou Williams was not only a central figure in the development of jazz, but also a passionate advocate for preserving and teaching its history. Throughout her career, she worked to highlight the evolution of jazz and its roots in African American musical traditions, reflecting the broader Black experience that shaped and defined this music. This interest is reflected in History, which traces a progression through several foundational styles and influences. The work unfolds in a series of movements, including “Introduction,” “Suffering,” “Spiritual,” “Blues,” “Ragtime,” and “Gospel.” Each section suggests a different point in that history, with shifts in style, texture, and character marking the transitions between them. Elements of blues, swing, and more modern harmonic language appear throughout, often changing in character as the piece develops. Rather than presenting these styles in isolation, Williams allows them to connect, creating a sense of continuity across musical eras. Changes in texture, rhythm, and articulation help define these contrasts while maintaining a clear sense of direction.
Note by Molly Allman
New England Triptych
William Schuman
New England Triptych is a series of three pieces written by William Schuman including Be Glad Then, America, When Jesus Wept, and Chester that serve as a tribute to American composer William Billings. Billings spent considerable time around church choirs, including the new South Church in Boston, during and immediately following the American Revolution. His many four-part a cappella works were largely distributed in volumes published between 1770 and 1794. These books of hymn tunes became a staple for developing the early 19th century shape-note tradition in which different note heads were assigned to specific solfège syllables to create a method to help amateurs learn to sing hymns. Like Billings, William Schuman was drawn to music but instead entered New York University’s School of Commerce to pursue a business degree. It was not until 1930, when he attended a concert by the New York Philharmonic in Carnegie Hall, that his attention shifted to composition. He would later recall, “I was astounded at seeing the sea of stringed instruments, and everybody bowing together. The visual thing alone was astonishing. But the sound! I was overwhelmed. I had never heard anything like it. The very next day, I decided to become a composer.” New England Triptych expands on Schuman’s 1943 unpublished single movement William Billings Overture which was premiered by the New York Philharmonic in 1944. The resulting 1956 orchestral work included three movements and renamed New England Triptych: Three Pieces for Orchestra After William Billings. Schuman eventually arranged all three movements as standalone compositions for band in reverse movement order: Chester in 1956, When Jesus Wept in 1959, and Be Glad Then, America in 1975. In a preface to the score, Schuman writes: “William Billings (1746–1800) is a major figure in the history of American music. His works capture the spirit of sinewy ruggedness, deep religiosity, and patriotic fervor that we associate with the Revolutionary period in American history. I am not alone among American composers who feel a sense of identity with Billings, which accounts for my use of his music as a departure point. These three pieces are not a ‘fantasy’ nor ‘variations’ on themes of Billings, but rather a fusion of styles and musical language.” The first movement, “Be Glad Then, America,” outlines the melody with solo timpani which is then taken over by the low woodwinds. After the main section of the hymn, the timpani returns, leading to a fugal section of the melody that accompanies the words “and ye shall be satisfied.” The heroic climax of the movement freely adapts Billings’ music to “Halleluyah!”
Yea, the Lord will answer And say unto his people—behold I will send you corn and wine and oil And ye shall be satisfied therewith. Be glad then, America, Shout and rejoice. Fear not O land, Be glad and rejoice. Halleluyah!
Billings’s original music to “When Jesus Wept” is set in a round. Schuman faithfully preserves the setting of the text while employing the full array of textures available from within the band. When Jesus wept, the falling tear in mercy flowed beyond all bound; when Jesus mourned, a trembling fear seized all the guilty world around. The final movement, “Chester,” is Billings’ best-known tune and is included in The Singing Master’s Assistant, a popular book of tunes composed by William Billings. Although it was originally composed as a church hymn, it was quickly adopted by the Continental Army as the song of the American Revolution. The music and text powerfully convey the unwavering determination and hope for freedom that fueled the American colonists during tumultuous times. Let tyrants shake their iron rod, And slavery clank her galling chains, We fear them not, we trust in God, New England’s God forever reigns. The foe comes on with haughty stride, Our troops advance with martial noise, Their vet’rans flee before our youth, And gen’rals yield to beardless boys.
Note by the U.S. Marine Band (February 26, 2017), William Schuman, and Patty Saunders
Adam Ricci
Adam Ricci is Associate Professor of Music Theory at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He earned the Ph.D. in Music Theory from the Eastman School of Music, where his studies were supported by a Jacob K. Javits fellowship. His current research focuses on rhythm and meter in the music of Tigran Hamasyan; his other research interests include harmonic sequences, jazz harmony, pop music, the music of Gabriel Fauré, and diatonic theory. He has presented at meetings of the Society for Music Theory (SMT) and numerous regional societies in the U.S., as well as at conferences in Belgium and the U.K. He has served as program chair and secretary for Music Theory Southeast, on the program committee for SMT, and as a reviewer for Music Theory Spectrum, Music Theory Online, Music Theory and Analysis, Theory and Practice, and Indiana Theory Review. He performs as a pianist with the Lorena Guillén Tango Ensemble. Past teaching appointments include Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, NY, Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, PA, and Nazareth University in Rochester, NY, where he also worked as a choir and opera accompanist. He served as Music Theory Area Head from 2013 to 2021 and is a Past President of UNCG’s chapter of Phi Beta Kappa.
Alston Harris
Alston Harris is a jazz percussionist based in North Carolina, currently completing his Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. With roots in both classical and contemporary music, Alston brings a deep versatility to every performance, drawing from a wide range of styles and experiences. He began his musical journey at age seven, studying classical trombone at the Salvation Army Music Camp. In middle school, he discovered percussion, which quickly became his passion. Throughout high school, he honed his skills in marching band and soon found himself performing professionally across the state. Today, Alston is an in-demand drummer known for his dynamic energy and musical sensitivity. He regularly gigs throughout North Carolina, performing everything from straight-ahead jazz to funk, soul, rock, and folk. His playing is deeply influenced by legends like Roy Haynes, Brian Blade, Jeff "Tain" Watts, Bernard Purdie, and Bob Dylan, shaping a unique voice behind the kit that bridges tradition and innovation.
Steve Haines
Canadian-born Steve Haines (double bass) has played with Wycliffe Gordon, Jason Marsalis, Jimmy Cobb, Ralph Bowen, Fred Wesley, and the Joey Calderazzo Trio & Quartet; and currently performs with Chad Eby and the Janinah Burnett Quartet. His latest recording endeavor is Thomas Heflin’s Morning Star on Blue Canoe records, alongside Greg Tardy and Mavis Poole. He recorded with Joe Chambers on his Blue Note recording Samba De Maracatu. Steve has also written for Becca Stevens and full orchestra, heard on Steve Haines and the Third Floor Orchestra (2019, Justin Time Records), which Japan’s Jazz Life Magazine calls “a masterpiece”. Steve orchestrated and arranged the musical Ella: The Life and Music of Ella Fitzgerald, was a finalist for the 2010 Jazz Knights Competition in New York, and twice won the North Carolina Arts Fellowship. He is currently the Interim Director of the Miles Davis Jazz Studies Program at the University of North Carolina Greensboro where he has served for 25 years. At UNCG, he currently teaches Introduction to Jazz Listening, Principles of Jazz Theory, Jazz Pedagogy, small jazz groups, Jazz for Music Teachers, community class, and an active double bass studio. Professor Haines’ bass teachers were Skip Beckwith and Lynn Seaton, who both studied with Ray Brown; and also studied with Jeff Bradetich. Lately, he has been meddling with writing lyrics. Steve will have a new album out soon with Thomas Heflin, Jeremy “Bean” Clemmons, Lovell Bradford Sr, Mavis Poole, Julian Kennedy and Charlie Hunter entitled Swing State. Some of his current practice includes researching in order to write an album for children. He and his wife Kim, an organic chemistry professor, are the proud parents of three vivacious children, Ben, Violet, and Jimmy.
Jaden Brown
Jaden Brown is currently pursuing a master’s degree in instrumental conducting at the 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.
Jonathan Caldwell
Dr. Jonathan Caldwell is director of bands and associate professor of conducting at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro where he conducts the Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Band and teaches undergraduate and graduate conducting. Prior to his appointment at UNCG, Dr. Caldwell held positions at Virginia Tech, the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point, and Garner Magnet High School (Garner, NC).
Ensembles under Dr. Caldwell’s guidance have performed for the College Band Directors National Association, the North Carolina Music Educators Association, the National Band Association–Wisconsin Chapter, and in Carnegie Hall. His writings have been published in the Journal of Band Research, the Teaching Music Through Performance in Band series, and the International Trombone Association Journal. Original Études for the Developing Conductor, written in collaboration with Derek Shapiro, was published in 2023. The book was awarded “Highly Commended” in the inaugural Impact Award category by the Association of Learned and Professional Society Publishers (UK). Dr. Caldwell has given presentations for the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic, the College Band Directors National Association, the Internationale Gesellschaft zur Erforschung und Förderung der Blasmusik (IGEB), and music educator conferences in North Carolina and Virginia. He is a member of the editorial review board for the Journal of Band Research and the Journal of the International Conductors Guild.
Dr. Caldwell’s conducting teachers include Michael Haithcock, Michael Votta, Jerry Schwiebert, James Ross, and Tonu Kalam. He is a member of the College Band Directors National Association, the National Band Association, the National Association for Music Education (NAfME), Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia (Alpha Rho), Tau Beta Sigma (Beta Eta), Phi Beta Kappa, and Phi Kappa Phi.