Thursday night at 7:30, the Department of Music held the Wind Ensemble concert for the fall semester.
Conductor Roxanne M. Haskill briefly described the music before the concert began. “We chose these pieces because the combinations are unlimited,” she said. “All of these composers took something old and put it to music, in this case folk songs.”
The concert opened with a performance by the Chamber Winds, a newly formed group that features some of the best performers from the Wind Ensemble, which was made up of 12 musicians. The Chamber Winds played an arrangement called “More Old Wine In New Bottles” that consisted of four pieces.
“These songs are light in spirit and fun to play and fun to hear,” said Haskill. “We decided to play these because when people hear the word ‘chamber’ they get scared and are afraid that they can’t understand. These pieces prove that is not always so.”
Following the Chamber Winds, the Wind Ensemble began their portion of the concert. The first arrangement played by the Wind Ensemble was called “Toccata Marziale.”
“We chose this because it captures the real sonarity of the band,” Haskill said. “We tried to capture the sound of a British band. I told them to try to deepen their sounds for this one. This is a very exciting piece of music.”
The following two songs, “I Wonder Deep in Thought” and “Harvest Hymn,” were played back to back to emphasize their similarities. The composers of the work were greatly influenced by folk music and each other.
“I Wonder Deep in Thought is a newer piece that I am sure will become a favorite fast,” Haskill said. “It has a thick interesting harmony with lush, romantic sounds. It gets me every time. I have tears in my eyes it’s beautiful.”
The featured soloist, Staff Sergeant Onsby Rose, began his performance of “Concerto for Trombone” after these two works. Rose is enrolled in a special program that allows him to complete his degree while being on active duty.
“In addition to being an accomplished musician, he is also a fully qualified combat Marine,” Haskill said of Rose.
Rose said he enjoys playing solos. “It’s very nerve-wracking being a soloist but it is very fun,” he said. “I wanted to do that piece because it is my favorite.”
The concert closed with the performance of two marches, a British and an American.
“We wanted to play these to contrast the stark differences between them,” Haskill said. “The British march is really thick with rich harmonies and dynamic changes in volume. The American march is very open and not as thick or dense.”
Haskill encourages the campus to get involved in the music department’s activities.
“The next time you see a concert publicized come and see it, we are sure you will like it,” she said.

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