There and Back Again: A Journey Through Three Dissertation Recitals

Abstract

Three conducting recitals were given in partial fulfillment for the degree of Doctor of Musical Arts (Music: Conducting) at the University of Michigan. The repertory performed during these recitals is a rendering of music that journeys through time. Through the study and performance of high caliber compositions from each era known to contain wind band music, the journey is re-lived: there and back again. The first recital took place throughout the 2020–2021 academic year by various chamber groups made up of members of the Symphony and Concert Bands. The works from this recital included Gioachino Rossini’s Overture to Il barbiere di Siviglia arranged for harmonie by Wenzel Sedlak, Leslie Bassett’s Nonet, Johann Nepomuk Hummel’s Octet-Partita in E-flat Major, David Biedenbender’s Schism, Paul Dooley’s chamber winds arrangement of Point Blank, and Carl Orff’s Drei Tänze und Schlußszene from Der Mond arranged by Friedrich Wanek. The second recital was a combination of chamber and large ensemble performances during the Fall semester of 2021. These performances were Matthew Tommasini’s Torn Canvases, Anthony Barfield’s Here We Rest, Svend Schultz’s Divertimento edited by Dustin Barr, Jan Pieterzoon Sweelinck’s Variations on “Mein Junges Leben Hat Ein End” transcribed by Ramon Ricker, and Franz Krommer’s Octet-Partita, Op. 69. The third recital was also a compilation of chamber winds and large ensemble performances that were mostly completed in the Winter semester of 2022 (with the exception of one Fall 2021 performance). These performances include Tania León’s Cumba Cumbakin; Ruth Gipps’ Seascape, Op. 53 arranged by Rodney Winthers; Norman Dello Joio’s Fantasies on a Theme by Haydn; Yunfei Li’s Five Elements; and Salvador Brotons’ Sinfonietta da camera, Op. 38.