The two main student music groups at University of Wisconsin-Stout are set to present their winter concerts.
The power of love and human connections will be celebrated in music by the Symphonic Singers, Chamber Choir and Devil Tones. To Gather, Together, will be at 7 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 3, at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, 910 9th St. E.
The music reflects on the experience of isolation many people felt during the pandemic, said Associate Professor Jerry Hui, choral director.
“The program features a wide range of choral music: Renaissance madrigals, 19th century parlor songs, a Broadway musical number, funk and more,” Hui said.
The student musicians of the Stout Symphonic Band will present a winter concert at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 5, in the Memorial Student Center Great Hall under the direction of Professor Aaron M. Durst.
The concert will present music the students have been studying. As the group’s first performance since December 2019, Durst chose music that would be fun to perform and enjoyable to listen to without following any specific theme.
Tickets are sold out for both events.
Symphonic Band Winter Concert
There are 57 members in the concert band this fall. The concert will open with “The Summoning” by Roland Barrett, which begins with antiphonal soloists scattered across the performance area and the percussion section.
“Deus Ex Machina” by Randall Standridge includes digital effects and amplification for alto saxophone to bring a pop music sound to the concert.
Mexican composer Arturo Márquez originally wrote “Danzon No. 2” for orchestra, but the work translates to band very effectively, presenting the dance melody to the audience first with the clarinet and growing in intensity throughout the work.
Two pieces that contrast these high energy works are Samuel Hazo’s “Perthshire Majesty,” which he describes as a Scottish ballad for wind band, and a transcription of Joseph Rheinberger’s choral work “Abendlied” (Evening Song) by Shelley Hanson.
Two traditional marches will also be included: “March of the Belgian Paratroopers” by Pierre Leemans and “Florentiner March” by Julius Fucik.
As a nod to the coming winter season, “Snowflakes Dancing” by Andrew Boyson layers melodies in a minimalistic manner, creating a shifting texture similar to snow blowing about on the ground and in the air.
To close out the performance, the band will perform “Sleigh Ride” by Leroy Anderson, a traditional favorite for the holiday time of year.
Meg Erikson, a special education major from Lonsdale, Minn., who will be leaving the band this semester to student teach in the spring and then graduate, has enjoyed her time with the group.
“This band truly is like a family and has brought some of my absolute favorite people into my life,” Erikson said. “The ability to grow alongside these other musicians for the last nine semesters has really been a blast, and I'm a bit sad to see my time in the Jazz Orchestra, Jazz Project and Symphonic Band come to an end.”
Face masks are required for the indoor event.
UW-Stout offers a minor in performing arts.
