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This program is unified by the idea of voice and empowering voices (identity, culturally, living/passed). Each work insists on the right to be heard, whether through cultural expression or personal testimony. From the playful authority and cultural specificity of La Chancla which celebrates Latin identity through humor and rhythm, to Margaret Bonds’s "Spiritual Suite", which elevates African American spirituals as acts of artistic pride and resistance, the music affirms that cultural voices are essential. These works draw directly from lived experience, asserting presence in spaces where such voices have historically been marginalized or overlooked.

Shuying Li’s tribute, inspired by Thích Nhất Hạnh’s meditation on life, death, and interbeing reframes grief as responsibility. Adsit’s passing gives way to his memory that remains, carried forward through breath, memory, and community. Stephenson’s Symphony No. 2 “Voices” similarly transforms personal loss into a communal act, culminating in unity without text, where the human voice becomes both individual and collective. Heard on World Day of Social Justice, this program invites audience memebrs to recognize listening itself as an ethical act - to honor inherited voices, to amplify those still fighting to be heard, and to understand music as a living expression of dignity, resilience, and shared humanity.

La Chancla is Spanish for a slipper -- more accurately, a flip flop. While Cubans usually say "chancleta", Puerto Ricans refer to it as "chancla." It is a common meme or joke among Hispanics that a mother with a chancla in her hand could get an entire room of unruly kids in line or even chase away a bear (look it up on YouTube -- it happened!). It is the Excalibur of Hispanic mothers and grandmothers everywhere, and so I thought it would be a fun project to write a piece with this title and play between the mythical and merengue.

The mythical element to La Chancla is represented by a combination of whole tone and octatonic collections. The merengue stands in stark contrast to the mythical representing the culture through more conservative functional harmony but intense rhythmic vitality. The piece is not programmatic -- just a fun collection of these styles and the interplay between them.

This work was commissioned by a consortium of band programs led by Thomas Verrier and Vanderbilt University. Tom had the vision of creating a work that was to be donated to bands in the Latin Americas who had limited budgets to purchase music. For every participating institution of this consortium, a copy of La Chancla will be donated to a band in the Latin Americas.

- Program notes by composer

Dennis Llinás serves as associate professor of music and director of bands at the University of Oregon where his principal responsibilities include overseeing all aspects of the UO Department of Bands, conducting the Oregon Wind Ensemble, teaching graduate and undergraduate conducting, and wind literature. As a composer and arranger, Llinás has been commissioned to compose works for musicians from across the country. Waking Dreams and Javier’s Dialog were recorded by Mark Hetzler, trombone professor at The University of Wisconsin. His most recent transcription and collaboration was Masquerade by Anna Clyne which was premiered at the National College Band Directors National Association Conference. His compositions and arrangements have also been performed by The University of Texas Wind Ensemble, The University of Texas Men’s and Women’s Chorus, the Dallas Winds, and Louisiana State University, as well as performances by solo artists from The University of Texas, Columbus State University, The University of Wisconsin, Furman University, Conservatoire Strasbourg in France, Vanderbilt University, and Huston-Tillotson University.

Chicago-born virtuoso pianist and composer Margaret Bonds described her own music as "jazz and bluesy, and spiritual, and Tchaikovsky all rolled up in one." She penned Spiritual Suite throughout the 1930s and 1940s as a work for her own needs: a show-stopping closer, and as pianist Michelle Cann describes it: "an inspirational statement of racial and cultural pride." As a child, Margaret Bonds studied piano under the Coleridge Taylor Scholarship, which was awarded to her by the Coleridge Taylor School of Music, where her mother worked as an educator for 20 years. During this time, she, at the ages of both 8 and 9 years old, won piano scholarships from the Chicago Musical College. Margaret's mother often hosted other Black musicians, artists, and writers in her home. Ms. Bonds studied at Northwestern University and the Juilliard School, studying composition with Roy Harris, Robert Starer, and Emerson Harper.

In 1939, she moved to New York City where she edited music for a living and collaborated on several popular songs. She made her solo performing debut at Town Hall on February 7, 1952. Around this same time, she formed the Margaret Bonds Chamber Society, a group of black musicians which performed mainly the work of black classical composers. Bonds lived in Harlem and worked on many music projects in the neighborhood. One of the first Black composers and performers to gain recognition in the United States, she is best remembered today for her popular arrangements of African-American spirituals and frequent collaborations with Langston Hughes. Her own compositions and lyrics addressed racial issues of the time. Bonds connected her father's political activism with her mother's sense of musicianship. In addition, many well-known arrangements of African-American spirituals (He's Got the Whole World in His Hands) were created by Bonds, the most popular being her setting in 1962 for Florence Price. Bonds stated, “When I was a little girl, I never missed a concert of Miriam Anderson, Roland Hayes, and Abbie Mitchell. I was always thrilled by their singing of spirituals at the end of each concert. Audiences were thrilled, too. So I felt cheated and wanted some spirituals at the ends of my concerts, too … I began to experiment for myself and set several for the piano.”

Spiritual Suite for piano has existed in multiple editions since the third movement Troubled Water was first published as a standalone work by Sam Fox Publishing Company in 1967. Decades later, Louise Toppin uncovered that Troubled Water was in fact the final movement of the larger Spiritual Suite. Videmus Music published the complete work in 2020 in an edition by Toppin, followed by an arrangement of Troubled Water for cello and piano in 2023. While this wind ensemble transcription is primarily based on the original version for piano, several ideas are borrowed from the arrangement for cello and piano.

The three-movement work utilizes three Negro spirituals made popular by other Black performers of the time, including Marian Anderson and Roland Hayes (Dry Bones, Peter, Go Ring Dem Bells, and Wade in the Water). Despite being one of her calling cards as an artist, it was only the final movement which was published during her lifetime, that is, until Dr. Louise Toppin edited all movements and published them in 2020. Now, thankfully, transcriptions like the one heard on this program exist to continue sharing the work of one of America’s most significant musical voices.

- Program note contributions from Mark Bilyeu, Tyler Ehrlich, Louise Toppin.

My nature is the nature of the cloud – the nature of no birth and no death. Just as it is impossible for a cloud to die, it’s impossible for me to die. I enjoy contemplating my continuation body, just as the cloud enjoys watching the rain fall and become the river far below. If you look closely at yourself, you will see how you too are continuing me in some way. If you breathe in and out, and you find peace, happiness, and fulfillment, you know I am always with you, whether my physical body is still alive or not. I am continued in my many friends, students, and monastic disciples.

– Thich Nhat Hanh, "The Art of Living."

This quotation comes from Thich Nhat Hanh’s The Art of Living. This book is a collection of the Vietnamese monk's ruminations on life and death that guided my partner Glen Adsit through his personal struggles when confronted with his own mortality. As well as being my beloved life partner and musical collaborator, Glen was a beloved figure in the music community who touched the lives of countless collaborators and students. In the wake of Glen’s sudden passing in January 2024, we have all become the rain to Glen’s cloud. His inextinguishable spirit and profound influence continue to resonate deeply within all of us. Although his physical body is no longer with us, we now constitute his continuation body and are charged with continuing his legacy of support and love for one another.

This piece is a tribute to Glen, the physical life we shared together, and the new life we share as I continue his legacy in my own way. It reflects the profound love and connection we share, both personally and through our collaborative musical endeavors. The piece is lyrical and tender, inviting listeners into the intimate emotional spaces Glen and I navigated together.

It captures the essence of Glen's loving spirit — missed by many, cherished by those who experienced his warmth and guidance, and still apparent in the life and work of his family, colleagues, and students. It is both a celebration of Glen's life and the enduring bond he and I share and a tribute to the legacy of love and artistic collaboration that he left behind for all of us to continue together.

- Program note by the composer and edited by John R. “Rusty” Koenig


Praised as “a real talent” (The Seattle Times) with “vivid, dramatic” (San Francisco Chronicle) and “enjoyable” (Gramophone Magazine) scores, and “an incredible span of compositional tool box” (American Record Guide), Shuying Li’s compositions have been performed by major orchestras and ensembles worldwide, including the San Francisco Symphony, Seattle Symphony, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Santa Rosa Symphony, Boston Modern Orchestra Project, New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, Alarm Will Sound, West Edge Opera, Ningbo Symphony Orchestra (China), and The President’s Own United States Marine Band. Her music is also championed by prominent chamber groups such as Windscape, Chinook Winds, Argus Quartet, Donald Sinta Quartet, and the Chamber Music Society of Central Virginia, as well as international ensembles including Orkest de ereprijs (Netherlands), Avanti! Chamber Orchestra (Finland), ICon Arts Ensemble (Romania), Cecilia Quartet (Canada), 15.19. Ensemble (Italy), Ascanio Quartet (Italy), and Atlas Ensemble (Netherlands), among others. In addition, her works are widely performed by collegiate and professional wind ensembles and concert bands across the United States.

Shuying has received awards or grants from OPERA America, Alice M. Ditson Fund, Fromm Music Foundation, Copland House Residency Award, China National Arts Fund, ASCAP/CBDNA Frederick Fennell Prize, The American Prize, International Antonin Dvorak Composition Competition, New Jersey Composers’ Guild Commission Competition, International Huang Zi Composition Competition, Melta International Composition Competition, among others.

Originally from China, Shuying holds degrees from the University of Michigan and the Hartt School. A passionate educator, Shuying has taught and directed the Composition/ Music Theory Program at Gonzaga University. She joined the faculty as the Assistant Professor of Music at California State University, Sacramento, in Fall 2022. Shuying is the founder and artistic director of the contemporary ensemble and non-profit organization Four Corners Ensemble and its annual festival, Operation Opera. For more information, please visit http://www.shuyingli.com.

James Stephenson's relationship with the U.S. Marine Band began in 2011 when the ensemble premiered his multi-oboe concerto Duels and Dances at the American Bandmasters Association (ABA) convention with soloist Alex Klein of the Chicago Symphony. Since that time, the Marine Band has performed five of Stephenson’s works in as many years and presented the world premiere of one of his most substantial contributions to the wind band repertoire to date, his Symphony No. 2, in December 2016.

The inspiration for the new symphony for Wind Ensemble is detailed by the composer:

For two years, the program notes further below (below the dashes) were what remained public. Recently, as I started feeling personally comfortable with it, I began sharing the original impetus for this symphony, which was:

On April 23, 2016, my mother, Shirley S. Stephenson, passed away, at the age of 74. It was the first time anyone that close to me had died, and I honestly didn’t know how to respond. As this new piece – the symphony – was the next major work on my plate, I thought the music would come pouring forth, as one would imagine in the movies, or in a novel. However, the opposite happened, and I was stuck, not knowing how to cope, and not knowing what to write. Eventually, after a month or so, I sat at the piano, and pounded a low Eb octave, followed by an anguished chord answer. I did this three times, with three new response-chords, essentially recreating how I felt. This became the opening of the symphony, with emphasis on the bass trombone, who gets the loudest low Eb. I vowed I wouldn’t return to Eb (major) until the end of the piece, thus setting forth a compositional and emotional goal all at once: an Eb to Eb sustaining of long-term tension, technically speaking, and the final arrival at Eb major (letter I, 3rd movement) being a cathartic and powerful personal moment, when I finally would come to terms with the loss of my mother. The voice in the piece is that of my mother, an untrained alto, which is why I ask for it without vibrato. In the end, she finally sings once last time, conveying to me that “all will be ok.”

I think it is the most difficult times we endure that force us, inspire us, to dig deeper than we could ever imagine. On the one hand, I am, of course, deeply saddened by the loss of my mother; but on the other, I will always have this piece – which is the most personal to me – to in essence keep her alive in my heart. I always tear up at letter I. Always. But they are tears of joy and treasured memories of 74 years with my mother.
(Jim Stephenson; October, 2018)


The original published program notes, were as follows below, because I was not in an emotional state where I was ready to talk about such personal matters, as shared above.
———




Recently, I was awaiting an international flight, when I heard the distinct sound of laughter coming from behind me. Because I could not see the people laughing, it occurred to me that it was a universal language of happiness; one which cannot evoke any judgment based on racial, religious, gender, social, or any other type of prejudice. I decided to not turn around, but rather to enjoy the laughter for what it was. It was this decidedly delightful sound of the human voice that inspired my 2nd symphony for wind ensemble.

Voices. They come in so many forms. Some high, some low. Extremely loud, or extremely soft. Some are menacing, or angelic. A voice is completely unique to each individual, and instantly recognizable to a close friend or relative. As a verb, it is used to express or vocalize an opinion. Used together, voices can express opposition, or unification. It occurred to me that all of these and more can be represented within the scope of a wind ensemble. The symphony No. 2 is an exploration of as many voices as I could formalize, resulting in a kind of concerto for wind ensemble. The culmination of the symphony is one of a unified voice, bringing together all of the different “cultures” and “individual voices” of the wind ensemble to express an amassed vision of hope and love; a vision I believe to be shared throughout all the world, yet disrupted continually by misguided and empowered individuals. I could think of no better messenger for such a work than the US “President’s Own” Marine Band – the commissioners of the work – who not only stand among the best musicians of the world, but also represent a country based on the principles of all-inclusiveness and celebrated diversity. It is because of this that no text is used for the mezzo-soprano voice used in this symphony. Instead, the singing voice is another instrument in the ensemble, joining in, or emerging from, the surrounding textures.

I would like to personally thank Lieutenant Colonel Jason K. Fettig for his invitation to compose such a significant work, and also the members of the band, many of whom I’m honored to call friends, for their remarkable musical gifts and dedication to our country.

- Jim Stephenson; September, 2016


Mr. Stephenson came late to his full-time composing career, having performed 17 seasons as a trumpeter in the Naples Philharmonic in Florida, a position he won immediately upon graduating from the New England Conservatory of Music. As such, he is largely self-taught as a composer. Colleagues and friends encouraged his earliest efforts and enthusiasm followed from all directions.

Jim Stephenson’s music has been described as “astonishingly inventive” (Musical America). Foremost in his style is the ability to create music that resonates with musicians and audiences alike. Since becoming a full-time composer in 2007, he has enjoyed premieres in all walks of the musical landscape, including The Chicago Symphony (Muti), San Francisco Ballet, Boston Pops, and “The President’s Own” US Marine Band. The latter premiered his “Fanfare for Democracy” at the Inauguration of President Joe Biden.


Other orchestras premiering Stephenson’s works include the Minnesota Orchestra (twice), St. Louis Symphony, Houston Symphony, Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music, and many others. The one-act comedy opera, Cåraboo – “the true story of a false princess” – premiered in June, 2023, marking his first foray into the world of opera. Upcoming projects include his fifth symphony, and a new ballet scored for The Joffrey Ballet.

His award-winning catalog currently contains four symphonies (the 2nd being performed over 50 times around the world), and concertos and sonatas written for nearly every instrument, with premieres having been presented by renowned musicians across the globe. Using music to tell a story is a foremost and recent passion, fueling his growing catalog in opera and ballet. His educational work for young audiences, “Once Upon a Symphony”, is also indicative of that, having received nearly 400 performances world-wide.

FLUTE
Mad Andrus*
Emily Dupuis
Gianna Gassira
Stephen Kim
Sydney Tomishina

OBOE
Natalie Gilbert
Brady Santin*

BASSOON
Thomas German
Griffin Harrell*
Rebecca Williams

CLARINET
Anthony Angelillo*
Kaitlin Barron
Joseph Carrero
Phoebe Donaghy-Robinson
Grace Gonoud
Joseph Ha
Christian Laughlin
Will Lesser
Fitz McAlpine
Leah Trezza

SAXOPHONE
James Baker
Lauren Bradbury
TJ Lanks*
Elora Kunz
Bryson Sauer

HORN
Sarah Griffin
Kate Martin*
Hope Massey
Simon Stainbrook

TRUMPET
Nathan Felch
Cal Fitanides*
Camilo Mamani
Ian Manchester
Thomas Papke
Lamar Williams

TROMBONE
Elvis Lazo
Meghan Liang
Miguel Lopez
Elias Orphanides*
Will Shanton

EUPHONIUM
Jamie DiSalvo*
Tyler Phoebus

TUBA
Nick Smith
Noah Smith*

PERCUSSION
Madeyn Krebs
Elliot Liberty
Jillian Mihalik
Rebecca Muller
Olivia Okin 
Peter Stenberg

STRING BASS
Gabriel Rogers

PIANO
Andrew Woodruff

* indicates section manager
Members of the Wind Ensemble are listed alphabetically to acknowledge each performer's unique contribution.
Every individual is considered to be a principal player.