Emma Fleming
Reporter
The Fall season is here and that means time for Fall concerts! Parkland’s Orchestra and Wind Ensemble held a joint concert this past Sunday. The one hour and fifteen-minute music extravaganza began at 3 p.m. with the Orchestra, followed by the Wind Ensemble. The theme for this concert was “Autumn Americana,” meaning that all the music selections involved American themes and were created by American composers. Due to renovations the concert was held in Parkland’s Student Union Dining area instead of the traditional location, Miner Theater.
Dr. Rodney Mueller conducted the Orchestra and led songs such as Samuel Ward’s “America the Beautiful,” “Blue Tango” by Leroy Anderson and “Casey at the Bat” by Bill Holcombe. Dr. Jonathon Beckett led the Parkland Wind Ensemble in pieces composed by Aaron Copland, Leroy Anderson, Victor Herbert, Mark Camphouse and Sammy Nestico. The Wind Ensemble also performed a variety of big band songs that were popular during the Swing Era from the 1920s through 1950s.
The primary focus of this concert was “Autumn Americana,” and the Orchestra and Wind Ensemble did not stray from that theme. Beckett, a part-time faculty member in the Music Department and Parkland Wind Ensemble Director, mentioned that the focal point of the Wind Ensemble was a piece entitled “Yosemite Autumn” by Mark Camphouse. According to Windliterature.org, “Yosemite Autumn” was inspired by the captivating beauty of a Yosemite National Park trip taken by Camphouse. This autumn themed song fit nicely with the concert theme and was an uplifting and inspirational song.
Not only did the Wind Ensemble have a focal point, but also the Orchestra. Beckett explained that the Orchestra presented the famous poem “Casey at Bat,” written by Ernest L. Thayer. This presentation featured Parkland faculty member Vincent Trauth as narrator of the poem who was also accompanied by the Orchestra. Thayer’s’ poem reminisced on the sport of baseball as the traditional American pastime. This piece incorporated the “Autumn Americana” theme in an interesting and creative way.
The Orchestra and Wind Ensemble had been preparing for this event for quite some time. Beckett stated that “The Wind Ensemble began rehearsing selections for this performance in late August, when classes began.” The Orchestra and Wind Ensemble members practiced and rehearsed the “Autumn Americana” selections for months in order to perform a satisfactory fall concert. The dedication and hard work of The Wind Ensemble and Orchestra did not go unnoted. The concert drew a large crowd of students, faculty and community members who all seemed to enjoy the musical performance.
Beckett also discussed his hopes and goals for the concert. “Naturally I wanted an excellent performance for The Wind Ensemble,” Beckett stated. “But more importantly I hope that we presented a program that inspires good will and positive emotions for our audience.” And the performance appeared to do just that. Both the Orchestra and Wind Ensemble alike presented crowd moving performances that inspired an autumn feel.
The performing ensembles present two concerts per semester every year. These thought-provoking performances are nothing new to the Orchestra and Wind Ensemble. The Wind Ensemble performs both on campus and off campus. “We played for ‘Market-at-the-Square’ at Lincoln Square Mall in Urbana on Oct. 6,” Beckett said. “We have upcoming performances at Carriage Crossing Senior Living, and we will provide pre-parade music for the Parade of Lights Celebration in downtown Champaign over Thanksgiving weekend.” The next performance by the Orchestra will be Sunday, March 10 from 3 to 5 p.m. The Orchestra’s concert will be held in the Miner Theater.
