Southeastern Louisiana University

Wind Symphony in concert Thursday

Contact: Tonya Lowentritt

10/14/11

     HAMMOND -- The Southeastern Louisiana University Wind Symphony will make its highly anticipated return to the Columbia Theatre for the Performing Arts on Thursday, October 20, at 7:30 p.m. as part of Fanfare, the university’s annual celebration of the arts, humanities and social sciences.  
     Led by Southeastern Director of Bands Glen Hemberger, the Wind Symphony is one of the most popular and critically acclaimed wind bands in the southern United States. This concert marks the only appearance of the Wind Symphony in Southeastern’s Columbia Theatre this season.
     The concert will include a variety of extraordinary works for wind band, including the Olympic Fanfare and Theme by John Williams, Elsa’s Procession to the Cathedral from the opera “Lohengrin” by Richard Wagner, the wildly popular Bayou Breakdown by Brant Karrick, and Yosemite Autumn by Mark Camphouse. Central to the program will be the latest creative masterwork by composer Michael Daugherty, “Lost Vegas,” a tribute to the bygone days of the Rat Pack and the historic Vegas strip. Also on the program will be “The Seal Lullaby,” a new work by award winning composer Eric Whitacre.
     Joining the ensemble will be classical music virtuoso Richard Hoenich, former principal bassoonist with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra. After a decade with the MSO, Hoenich was appointed director of Orchestral Studies and conductor of the Symphony Orchestra at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston. As one of America’s most respected orchestral conductors, he was subsequently appointed associate conductor of the New World Symphony Orchestra in Miami by Michael Tilson Thomas.  
     Hoenich will join Southeastern’s elite instrumentalists in a performance of Pulitzer-nominated composer Eric Ewazen’s Concerto for Bassoon and Wind Ensemble, an impressive showcase for the instrument that first premiered in 2002. 
During his visit to Southeastern, Hoenich will collaborate in master class workshops, private lessons, and lectures with members of the Wind Symphony, including the ensemble’s top bassoonists, freshman Christian Harris, junior Gerald Nixon, and sophomore Ryan Rome.
     Admission for the Wind Symphony Concert is $10 general seating, $5 for faculty and seniors, and free for all students with ID. Doors to the Columbia Theatre will open at 6:45 p.m., and tickets are available in advance at the Columbia box office, or at the door. For more information about tickets, contact the Columbia Theatre box office at 985-543-4371.