MetWinds Spring 2022 Concert: "Celebrating 50 Years!"

33 Marrett Road,Lexington MA 02421

01 May, 2022

Description

Honoring 50 years of making music, MetWinds Conductor Laureate Lew Buckley returns to conduct a world premier of Julie Giroux's 6th Symphony Pre-Concert Lecture by Conductor Rick Wyman at 2:30 pm * On the day of the concert, tickets can be purchased at the door. Honoring 50 years since its founding, MetWinds Conductor Laureate Lew Buckley returns to conduct the world premiere performance of Julie Giroux's Sixth Symphony. Rick Wyman leads the concert’s first half, opening with the minimalist-inspired fanfare Short Ride in a Fast Machine of John Adams. Eric Whitacre's beautiful Lux Aurumque evokes "light and gold" found in the nighttime sky, serving as stark contrast to the jazz/film noire-inspired As Midnight on a Moonless Night by young composer Michael Markowski. Charles Ives, often known for his witty treatments of familiar tunes, doesn't disappoint with his Variations on America, alongside Sousa's march The Thunderer and Gustav Holst's take on Bach's Fugue a la Gigue. You won't want to miss this important 50th anniversary milestone in MetWinds history! PROGRAM Short Ride in a Fast Machine - John Adams/trans. Odom Bach's Fugue a la Gigue - Gustav Holst Lux Aurumque - Eric Whitacre Variations on America - Charles Ives The Thunderer - John Philip Sousa As Midnight on a Moonless Night - Michael Markowski Symphony No. 6 - Julie Giroux About the Conductor Richard E. Wyman is the former Assistant Director of the United States Coast Guard Band, where he regularly conducted throughout the United States and abroad, including historic concert tours of Japan and Taiwan. He led the Band’s educational initiatives; designing, hosting, and conducting innovative "Young People's" concerts for over 6000 students annually. Wyman also served as the Band’s producer for ten CDs and two White House “Pageant of Peace” PBS specials. Dr. Wyman currently serves as the Executive Director of the Community Music School in Centerbrook, CT, conductor of the Noank-Mystic (CT) Community Band, and as Co-Director of Music at Noank (CT) Baptist Church where he leads the Senior Choir. He enjoys working with musicians of all ages, regularly appearing as clinician and guest conductor with a variety of school and honor festival ensembles. He has done extensive scholarly work on American composer John Adams, and has published on John Williams in Volume 10 (and Steve Danyew in Volume 11) of the widely-used reference book series Teaching Music Through Performance in Band. Wyman’s work as a saxophonist and chamber musician has earned two year-long residency grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, four performance visits to the White House, an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and employment at Disneyworld, Busch Gardens (FL), and with assorted jazz and salsa bands. He holds a Doctorate in Conducting and Music History from the University of Connecticut, Master’s in Saxophone Performance from the University of Illinois, and Bachelor’s Degrees in Saxophone and Music Education from the Eastman School of Music. His primary conducting teachers have been Jeffrey Renshaw and Frank Battisti. About MetWinds MetWinds presents formal performances of traditional and contemporary wind band literature, as well as more informal pops concerts throughout the metropolitan Boston area. Members rehearse Wednesdays from September through June, traveling from more than 30 communities in Massachusetts and neighboring states. All volunteers, they also pursue careers as varied as education, engineering, computer science, medicine, law, music, and public health.