ITHACA COLLEGE WIND ENSEMBLE
Showcase Concert for the Northeast Concert Band Festival
A Regional Affiliate of the Music for All National Festival presented by Yamaha
Dr. Daniel Cook, conductor
Music for All is proud to partner with scholastic festivals across the country to present Affiliate Regional Music Festivals. Affiliate Regional Music Festivals are part of Music for All’s ongoing support of the essential core of every music program: the concert idiom.
The Northeast Band & Orchestra Festival is designed for middle and high school ensembles of all abilities interested in an exciting, educational, life-changing experience. This opportunity provides the same world-class offerings as the Music for All National Festival, such as featured performances, clinics, professional recordings, and a supportive, encouraging atmosphere. This is a non-competitive, educational event. There are no rankings so directors and their ensembles are free to stretch themselves, reach for new heights, and focus on growth and innovation.
The first page of the score sums up the nature of this piece by stating: "Quarter Note = "You've got 5 minutes." The piece is not in five flats but in the key of Bb and for the most part lays comfortably on the instruments. Exciting and virtuoustic, Overture in Five Flat even if not played in exactly five minutes should please audiences and players alike. If you do in fact end at the exact 5 minute timing, that's wonderful. If you play it in under 5 minutes, well of course, you win! Towards the end of the score there is an increase in tempo. The rest of the tempos are for you to pick.
There is a slight hint at tempo in the cover art. Good luck and may the force be with you.
- Program Note written by the composer
Julie Ann Giroux is an American composer of orchestral, choral, chamber, and numerous concert band works. She received her formal education at Louisiana State University and Boston University and also studied composition with John Williams, Bill Conti, and Jerry Goldsmith. Julie is an extremely well-rounded composer, writing works for symphony orchestra (including chorus), chamber ensembles, wind ensembles, soloists, brass and woodwind quintets and many other serious and commercial formats. Much of her early work was composing and orchestrating for film and television. Her writing credits include soundtrack score for White Men Can't Jump and the 1985 miniseries North and South. She has also arranged music for Reba McIntyre, Madonna and Michael Jackson. Ms. Giroux is a three-time Emmy Award nominee and in 1992 won an Emmy Award in the category of Outstanding Individual Achievement in Music Direction.
Ms. Giroux has an extensive list of published works for concert band and wind ensemble. She began writing music for concert band in 1983, publishing her first band work Mystery on Mena Mountain with Southern Music Company. Her 2009 film and documentary orchestrations and compositions include the ongoing project "Call for Green China" which, primarily funded by the World Bank, was recorded, performed and broadcast live in china in 2007. In 2009 the project was extended with new musical material, recorded and set to tour seven cities in China where the show was performed live.
The words "soul suite" are an expression that I have used to describe the hip-hop production technique called the “beat switch” where the producer or DJ switches the beat from the current feel to another, within the same track or song. The new feel can be unrelated or related. The transition can be subtle and smoothly executed or jolting and unexpected. Justification for how the switch may occur and what it contains can range from a stylistic preference to something as fickle as how the composer feels that day. The soul suite is also what I have come to call my own compositional technique.
Throughout Soul Suite No. 1, you will encounter figures that are idiomatic of many musical settings, from the western classical music realm, the southern hip-hop production scene, spirituals, as well as elements of gospel and r&b. Specifically from the production side, you will hear moments of distortion, reverb, timpani as 808 drums, trap hi-hats, and even a trombone soli in the style of a rap verse. This piece serves as the first installment in a series of compositions which I will create and dedicate to regions of the world honoring cultural staples and historical phenomena within the African diaspora.
Overall, Soul Suite No. 1 is a piece that showcases the bricolage-like nature of genres such as neo-soul, hip-hop, and r&b and the experimental tendencies of these genres. It seeks to capture and celebrate the essence of many of the luminaries of the aforementioned styles, making it a must-listen for fans of artists such as Jill Scott, Erykah Badu, Travis Scott, and OutKast.
From a programmatic perspective, the music embarks on a narrative voyage, weaving a tale from the annals of African Mythology, specifically drawing from the lore of the Dogon tribe in Mali. This narrative revolves around the Sirius star system and the Nommos people–a cornerstone of the Dogon people’s origin story. Within the composition, I endeavor to depict a hypothetical evening based on the aforementioned mythology, where the Dogon tribe was visited and enlightened by the Nommos people. In Dogon mythology, the Nommos are described as having an “aquatic” essence, thus prompting the inclusion of “Wade in the Water” and “Deep River” spirituals in the composition–a symbolic connection to their otherworldly origins.
Sonic Timeline:
Maestoso con Forza: The Nommos ship crashes near the Dogon kingdom requiring repairs, while the leaders are chillin’ and doing their usual nightly ritual of playing dominoes, spades etc. and keeping watch of the kingdom. The tribal leaders hear some pretty cacophonous sounds and are filled with dread. They decide they’ll be brave and go check it out.
Chopped and Screwed: The Dogon leaders are searching for the source of the loud noises they heard. It takes a little while.
It’s Lit!: The Dogon leaders get a peak of what they are looking for. They are terrified and basically take off running back towards their kingdom! Eventually they slow down to catch their breath.
Adagio: The Nommos people, with webbed feet and tails, approach the Dogon leaders peacefully. So, the Dogon welcome them in and help their visitors to repair their ship. While their ship is repairing, all enjoy snacks and games.
Cantabile con Moto: The Dogon and Nommos experience a kind of cultural exchange during this moment in the music. Most notably, the Nommos teach the Dogon about their culture and lifestyle in the Sirius Star system and remind the Dogon of their shared origins with the Nommos. The unconducted call and response section is depicting this exchange. In reality, this exchange between the Dogon and the Nommos people has become an extremely impactful and magical occurrence. It has gone on to inspire the Dogon’s mythology and spirituality for millennia.
Once the ship is repaired, the Nommos go back home to Sirius, and everyone lives happily ever after.
- Program Note written by the composer
Marie A. Douglas is an American hornist, educator, arranger, and composer. Douglas received her undergraduate degree in music with a concentration in French horn performance from Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University. She holds graduate degrees in internet marketing from Full Sail University, and music technology and performance from Southern Utah University. Douglas performs with the Cobb Wind Symphony, and is an adjunct professor of music theory and music history at Southern Utah University. In addition, she serves as chief arranger for high school band programs across the southeastern United States. She currently serves as the director of bands and music technology at Tucker High School in Dekalb County, Georgia.
Douglas is one of eight founding members of the Nu Black Vanguard, a composers collective dedicated to the promotion and advancement of Black composers in the medium of music; the other seven founding members are Kevin Day, Katahj Copley, Benjamin Horne, Kelijah Dunton, JaRod Hall, Dayla D. Spencer, and Adrian B. Sims.
Give Us This Day (2005) was premiered by Rancho Buena Vista High School in Vista, California. The composer notes:
The words “give us this day” are, of course, from the Lord’s Prayer, but the inspiration for this music is Buddhist. I have recently read a book by the Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh entitled For a Future to be Possible. His premise is that a future for the planet is only possible if individuals become deeply mindful of themselves, deeply connected to who they really are….For me, writing music, and working with people to perform music are two of those points of deep mindfulness….Give Us This Day…Give us this very moment of awakeness and aware aliveness so that we can build a future in the face of dangerous and difficult times.
The piece is subtitled “Short Symphony for Wind Ensemble” and is not programmatic in nature. The slow drama of the first movement is contrasted with the joyful and exciting second movement. The piece ends with a setting of “Vater unser im Himmelreich” (“Our Father in Heaven”), by Johann Sebastian Bach.
- Program Note written by the composer
David Maslanka pursued musical studies at the New England Conservatory, Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria, Oberlin Conservatory, and he received a Ph.D in music theory and composition from Michigan State University. His principal composition teachers were Joseph Wood and H. Owen Reed. He served on the faculties at the State University of New York at Geneseo, Sarah Lawrence College, New York University, and Kingsborough Community College of the City University of New York. He received grants, fellowships, and commissions from ASCAP, and from the New York State Arts Council, American Music Center, MacDowell Colony, and National Endowment for the Arts.
Although Maslanka wrote a great many orchestral and choral works, he had a special affinity for winds. His most noted works for band or wind ensemble include Concerto for Piano, Winds, and Percussion, A Child’s Garden of Dreams, Symphony No. 2, In Memoriam, Golden Light, Concerto for Marimba and Band, and Symphony No. 3. His music has been widely performed in the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, and Japan, and recordings are available on the CRI, Crest, Mark, UMass, and Klavier labels. David Maslanka passed away during the night of August 6, 2017, at home, after having been diagnosed with a severe form of colon cancer in June.
Flute
Madi Connor*, Poland, NY
Tori Hollerbach, Houston, TX
Stephen Kim, Pennington, NJ
Hannah McAlpine,
East Bridgewater, MA
Sydney Tomishima, Chatham, NJ
Oboe
Reid Canham*, Fairport, NY
Amanda Haussmann,
Center Valley, PA
Ashton Meade, Johnson City, TN
Bassoon
Braede Bailey, Greenwich, CT
Casey Delsandro*, Chatham, NJ
Megan Moriarty, Syracuse, NY
Clarinet
Anthony Angelillo, Kings Park, NY
Noemi Bender, Pottstown, PA
Phoebe Donaghy-Robinson,
La Fayette, NY
Amanda Haussmann, Center Valley, PA
Liam Kearney*, East Islip, NY
Christian Laughlin,
Cortlandt Manor, NY
Fitz McAlpine,
East Bridgewater, MA
Alia Naqvi, Deer Park, NY
Mackenzie Ward, Williamsburg, VA
Toag Wolf, Clifton Park, NY
Saxophone
Justus Crow*, Highland Falls, NY
Ally Lauth, Binghamton, NY
Aidan Swartz, Lockport, NY
Leah Kilkenny, Center Moriches, NY
Elora Kunz, Elbridge, NY
Trumpet
Lizzy Carvell, Boiling Springs, PA
Nathan Felch, Warner Robins, GA
Cal Fitanides, Ashland, MA
Thomas Papke*, Hampstead, NC
Alessio Vega, Syracuse, NY
*designates Section Managers
Members are listed alphabetically to acknowledge each performer's unique contribution.
Horn
Finny Keefe*, Wrentham, MA
Kate Martin, Binghamton, NY
Michael Mezzo, Mountainside, NJ
Orpheus Tulloch, Wakefield, MA
Trombone
Estelle Kamrass, Saugerties, NY
Meghan Liang, Parsipanny, NJ
Elias Orphanides*, Groton, CT
Will Shanton, Ithaca, NY
Euphonium
Jamie DiSalvo, Derry, NH
Andrew Herrick*, Mechanicville, NY
Tuba
David Castro*, White Plains, NY
Nick Smith, Hooksett, NH
Percussion
Wyatt Cudworth, Brattleboro, VT
Jack Foley, North Reading, MA
Nicole Galicia*, Woodbridge, NJ
Gerrit Herman, Plainview, NY
Allison Mattle, Rochester, NY
Rebecca Muller, Middle Island, NY
Olivia Okin, Staten Island, NY
Brayden Reed, Oak Park, IL
Bass
Matt Argus, Syracuse, NY
Jackson Wade, Penfield, NY
Piano
Andrew Woodruff, Morrisonville, NY
Dr. Daniel Cook is Director of Bands and Assistant Professor of Music Performance at Ithaca College. In this role, he leads the renowned Ithaca College Wind Ensemble, overseeing all aspects of the ensemble's performances, rehearsals, and artistic programming. His work at Ithaca includes teaching courses in music performance, conducting pedagogy, select components of the music education curriculum, and providing mentorship and supervision to student teachers. Cook earned Doctor of Musical Arts with program honors and Master of Music degrees in conducting from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, where he studied with Dr. Mallory Thompson. He graduated magna cum laude with the Bachelor of Music degree in music education from the University of Georgia in Athens. There, he was also recognized as a Theodore Presser Scholar.
Prior to joining Ithaca College, Cook was a Lecturer in Wind Studies at the University of North Texas (UNT), where he directed the UNT Wind Ensemble and the acclaimed 435-member Green Brigade Marching Band. His contributions at UNT extended beyond performance, as he taught both undergraduate and graduate students in conducting and music education, served on Faculty Senate, chartered the University’s Kappa Kappa Psi chapter, and contributed to the robust Wind Studies program. The Wind Ensemble was the winner of the 2021 American Prize in Wind Ensemble Performance, and the Green Brigade earned significant recognition, including a standout performance in the Dublin St. Patrick’s Day Parade and regular appearances at Bands of America and Texas UIL events.
Cook’s dedication to music education is further reflected in his work with prominent organizations such as the Santa Clara Vanguard Drum and Bugle Corps, where he serves as an Ensemble Specialist and Consultant. Cook’s Drum Corps International background also includes music instructional positions with the Phantom Regiment and Blue Knights. He has also held the role of Resident Conductor of the Dallas Brass Band. Under the direction of Cook and co-conductor David Childs, the British-style brass band rose to national acclaim, releasing an album on WOBPlay, performing at the TMEA Conference, and garnering a first-prize finish in the First Section at the 2022 North American Brass Band Championships.
Throughout his career, Cook has actively engaged in program development, establishing initiatives that benefit both students and the broader music community. At Ithaca College, he founded the Northeast Concert Band Festival, leads the Northeast Wind Conducting Symposium, and is a host of the CSI Northeast/NYSBDA collaboration, all of which have become meaningful platforms for the advancement of music education. Additionally, he curates and manages key endowments such as the Walter Beeler Composition Prize and the Arnald Gabriel Visiting Artist Endowment.
Cook’s ensemble performances have received acclaim, most recently by such composers as Bryant, Daugherty, Del Tredici, Gotkovsky, Higdon, and Schwantner. Ensembles under his direction have performed at the Florida and Texas state music conferences, Bands of America events, the Texas UIL State contest, as well as at the Music for All National Concert Band Festival.
Cook’s professional accomplishments extend beyond the classroom and the concert stage. He is a frequent guest conductor, clinician, and adjudicator at festivals, honor bands, and conferences throughout the United States and abroad. His research and presentations on music education, including topics such as performance artistry and flow theory in music, have been featured at national and international conferences, such as the Midwest Clinic, the CBDNA conference proceedings, and at multiple state music education association conferences. Cook has also participated in prestigious masterclasses, such as the inaugural Reynolds Conducting Institute at the Midwest Clinic, and as a winner/invited conductor for the Young Conductor/Mentor Project sponsored by the National Band Association. He is published in the Teaching Music Through Performance in Band series.
His current professional affiliations include the Collegiate Band Directors National Association, National Association for Music Education, National Band Association, New York State School Music Association, Kappa Kappa Psi, and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia. Cook is proud to be a mentor teacher within the National Band Association and Kappa Kappa Psi organizations and an Educational Advisory Board member for Music for All.