Trombone Ensemble Program

85th Annual MMEA In-Service Workshop/Conference Performance

Thursday, January 26, 2023, 4 p.m.

Paradise C at Tan-Tar-A Conference Center

Program

"First Suite for Military Band in Eb"

III. March
Gustav Holst (1875-1934)
Arr. Andrew J. Putnam, Guest Conductor
WORLD PREMIERE

"Joy Cometh in the Morning"

Chris M. Sharpe (b. 1989)
Gabriel Duerkop, Guest Conductor

Program Notes

"Gavorkna Fanfare"

Gavorkna Fanfare was composed for and dedicated to Eugene Corporon and the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music Wind Symphony and was premiered at the 1999 College Band Directors National Association Conference in Kansas City. “The work exploits the idea of a fanfare for full wind band, rather than the traditional brass and percussion instrumentation. The opening pyramids lead to the melodic minor third cluster heard in original and inversion simultaneously. A polychordal transition based on the upcoming “fugato” subject leads to a minimalist accompaniment to the four-part counterpoint. The opening idea returns with a coda based on the melodic minor third.” —Jack Stamp.

This version is arranged for trombone ensemble by Oscar Diaz, trombone professor at Texas A&M: Kingsville.

"First Suite for Military Band in Eb"

The Holst First Suite for Military Band in Eb “is considered one of the masterworks and cornerstones of the band literature. Although completed in 1909, the suite didn’t receive its official premiere until 11 years later in 1920. During this time period there was no standardized instrumentation among the hundreds of British military bands of the day. In order to ensure the suite would be accessible to as many bands as possible, Holst ingeniously scored the work so that it could be played by a minimum of 19 musicians, with 16 additional parts that could be added or removed without compromising the integrity of the work.

"The first note heard in the March is an Eb, but instead of rising, it descends to a D, and then a G; the exact opposite of the first two movements. The movement begins shockingly, articulated by aggressive statements by brass and percussion. This sets up the lighthearted and humorous mood for the final movement, which eventually does take up the more reserved and traditional regal mood of a British march and is simply interrupted from time to time by an uncouth accent or thunderous bass drum note. The coda of the work makes brief mention of elements from both the Chaconne and Intermezzo before closing joyfully.” —Wind Repertory Project

This arrangement by Dr. Andrew J. Putnam, Director of Bands and Professor of Music Education at Eastern Kentucky University, is written for five trombones with added percussion and today’s performance is a world premiere.

"Joy Cometh in the Morning"

Joy Cometh in the Morning was premiered at the 2018 International Trombone Festival (Iowa City, IA) at the Composer’s Workshop Showcase. “This work was influenced by several different things that all happened around the same time. On October 1, 2017, 58 people were killed and 546 injured in the infamous Las Vegas shooting near the Mandalay Bay hotel. A couple of days later, I happened to watch an episode of the television show "The West Wing "in which the President gives a speech following a bombing at an aquatic center, and he quotes the phrase ‘joy cometh in the morning’ from Psalm 30:5. The longer version of the verse (‘weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning’) was weighing on my mind one morning soon after when I was driving to work, and I happened to witness a sunrise develop from pitch black through various shades of blue and orange into a fiery blaze as I drove along I-35W SB. That image and experience stuck with me, and it is the inspiration behind this work. Even from the darkest nights, joy greets us in the morning.” —Dr. Chris Sharpe

Dr. Sharpe is currently Adjunct Instructor of Trombone at the University of Central Arkansas and Hendrix University. This performance of the piece is dedicated to William Hartman (1943-2022), Professor Emeritus of Trombone at Missouri State University.

"Scherzo Funèbre"

Derek Bourgeois was a prolific English composer for brass and wind bands. By the time of his death in 2017, he had composed no fewer than 116 symphonies and a large number of works for trombone soloists/ensembles. Scherzo Funèbre “was commissioned in 1983 for the Guildhall School of Music Trombone Ensemble by Peter Gane. Since this commission, it became and has remained a standard work in the trombone choir repertoire and has served as a benchmark composition for ensembles to master for many years.

"Scherzo Funèbre is divided into three sections, a ‘tragic’ opening, a ‘witty’ scherzo and a return to the opening ‘tragic’ material. The opening section begins with an ominous tone with the lower trombone parts playing a 'funeral march' in the pedal register and the upper trombones playing a legato melody. As this section unravels, so do the demands on the performers’ technique with written solos in the upper register at loud dynamics and long phrases in the pedal register. The next section is the scherzo, which is written in 6/8 and would be considered ‘playful’ had it been written in a major tonality. In this section, ‘hocket’ figures are passed among parts frequently, and the middle portion of the scherzo changes time signatures frequently. The final section is a restatement of the opening material but begins more forcefully than the opening of the work before dying away. The work then continually fades away and finishes with a muted statement that fades into silence. Scherzo Funèbre is a powerful composition and is most assuredly a masterwork of the trombone repertoire.” —Dr. William Haugeberg

"Exit, Pursued by a Bear"

Exit, Pursued by a Bear “takes its title from a famous stage direction in Shakespeare’s “The Winter’s Tale.” Menacing and yet somewhat whimsical, it has a frenetic, driving energy that pervades the length of the piece. Not coincidentally, the bear happens to be the mascot of the University of Central Arkansas, which led the commissioning of the work. The piece received its premiere performance at the 2021 International Trombone Festival.” —Andrew Skaggs

Andrew Skaggs is a trombonist in the United States Navy Band and has become a prolific composer for trombone. The Missouri State University Trombone Ensemble joined the consortium and was thus one of the first groups in the country to get to perform the piece in 2021. Coincidentally, MSU’s mascot is also a bear, which makes this high-energy piece a fitting closer to today’s program.

Personnel

Missouri State University Trombone Ensemble

Directed by Dr. Jason Hausback

Founded in 2012, Missouri State University Trombone Ensemble is comprised of members of the Trombone Studio, as well as other trombonists at the University. Various iterations of the group have been invited to perform at the Midwest Trombone/Euphonium Conference (2015), the St. Louis Low Brass Collective Gala Concert (2016), the Big 12 Trombone Conference (2018), the American Trombone Workshop (2020), the Tulsa Low Brass Camp (2022), and the International Trombone Festival (2022). The MSU Trombone Ensemble has had the honor of performing with some of the top trombone professionals in the country and the world, including Tony Baker, Dr. Justin Cook, Doug Bert, Gerry Pagano, Dr. Noel Wallace, Dr. Bill Haugeberg, Christopher Bill, Kevin Hicks, Carl Lundgren, Victor Barranco, Adam Rainey, the Trombones of the St. Louis Symphony, Yu Tamaki Hoso, and Peter Steiner. The group has also been a part of several consortium premieres from composers including Michael Schwartz, Carl Lundgren, Jacob TV, Joe Buono, Andrew Markel, Joseph Spaniola, Andrew Skaggs, and Jack Wilds.

Recent alumni of the Missouri State Trombone Studio have enjoyed success in graduate programs and assistantships at prestigious institutions throughout the United States, and have placed or won numerous competitions, including Missouri Music Teachers Association, Music Teachers National Association, The North Texas Low Brass Camp Collegiate Competition, Big 12 Trombone Conference, The Southeast Trombone Symposium Solo and Excerpts Competitions, the American Trombone Workshop National Solo Competition, and the International Women’s Brass Conference Solo and Excerpts Competitions.

Missouri State University offers undergraduate degrees in Music Education, Music Performance, Music Composition, and Jazz Performance, as well as master’s degrees in Music Performance, Music Pedagogy, and Music Composition.

Ensemble Roster

Alto/Tenor Trombone

Andrew Robertson, Music Performance, Senior - Springfield, MO

Tenor Trombone

Josh Baker, Music Education, Senior - Lee’s Summit, MO
Zach Beaty, Music Composition, Junior - Ozark, MO
Wilson DePriest, Music Education, Freshman - Seneca, MO
Jonas Dowden, Music Education, Freshman - Willard, MO
Kalleigh Hickory, Music Education, Senior - Springfield, MO
Tristan Kilmer, Music Education, Sophomore - Tulsa, OK
Gavin King, Music Education, Freshman - Pierce City, MO
Wyatt King, Music Education, Senior - Webb City, MO
Jesse Kleine, Jazz Performance, Senior - Festus, MO
Garrett Manasco, Music Education, Senior - Republic, MO
Allan Mitchell, Music Education, Junior - Waynesville, MO
Alberto Martinez, Music Performance, Grad Assistant - Waco, TX
Alex Ryan, Music Pedagogy, Grad Assistant - Nashville, TN
Michael Saiz, Music Education, Senior - Ozark, MO
Greg Swope, BS, Electronic Arts, Postbacc - Nixa, MO
Brian Sturdevant, BA Art Education, Senior - Lebanon, MO
Abbey Thompson, Communication, Sophomore - Ballwin, MO
Sage Winkler, Graphic Design and Illustration, Freshman - Kansas City, MO

Tenor/Bass Trombone

Scott Levin, BA Music, Junior - Bixby, OK
Brady Perkins, Music Education, Sophomore - Ozark, MO
Patrick Perry, Music Pedagogy, Grad Assistant - San Antonio, TX

Bass Trombone

Maxwell Brower, Music Education, Junior - Nixa, MO
Christopher Kemp, Music Performance, Senior - Bixby, OK
Tyler Textor, Music Education, Junior - Willard, MO

Bass/Contrabass Trombone

Darwin Gist, Music Performance, Senior - Ozark, MO

Percussion

Nate Rogers, Jazz Performance, Sophomore - Carl Junction, MO
Lyndon Wilson, Music Performance, Freshman - Springfield, MO

Faculty

Dr. Jill Heyboer, Flute
Dr. Alison Robuck, Oboe
Dr. Allison Storochuk, Clarinet
Dr. James Keel Williams, Bassoon
Randy Hamm, Saxophone
Dr. Lisa Casey, Horn
Dr. Grant Peters, Trumpet
Dr. Jason Hausback, Trombone
Dr. Max Gerhart, Euphonium / Tuba
Dr. James Cameron, Percussion

Supplementary Teachers

Gabriel Duerkop, Adjunct Faculty
Alberto Martinez, M.M. Performance
Patrick Perry, M.M. Pedagogy
Alex Ryan, M. M. Pedagogy