The Cal Poly Wind Band will be concluding the spring quarter with a concert “All Hail, Green and Gold!” that will take place at the Performing Arts Center on June 2 at 3 p.m.
Named after Cal Poly’s alma mater, the concert will feature performances from the Cal Poly Wind Orchestra and Wind Ensemble, as well as the Alumni Symphonic Band. According to a music department event announcement, the alumni band was first assembled in 2016 when they gathered to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Cal Poly Band. The Alumni Symphonic Band will feature 105 Cal Poly graduates dating back as far as the class of 1959.
Director of Bands Christopher J. Woodruff expressed excitement for the return of the alumni performers.
“It shows how many of these alumni still do music,” he said. “They really enjoyed coming back [in 2016] and for many of them, it’s the first time they’ve seen the Performing Arts Center, as that wasn’t built until 1996.”
In the spirit of Cal Poly’s “Learn by doing” motto, Woodruff said that student instrumentalists’ control over the performance and the pieces selected will highlight the culmination of over nine weeks of work and preparation. One of the pieces that the Wind Ensemble has selected to play is American composer, David Maslanka’s, “A Child’s Garden of Dreams” inspired by the dreams of a young girl.
“It’s really hard, but it’s one of those pieces that sort of changed the wind ensemble world because it’s so out there,” Woodruff said of the ensemble’s selection.
At 20 minutes in length the piece delves into various themes, ranging from innocence and wonder to fear and introspection.
“It invites the wind ensemble musicians to do different things on their instruments and think about phrases in different ways,” Woodruff said.
Musical phrasing is the way a musician shapes a sequence of notes in a passage of music to allow expression. The selection of such a complicated musical piece highlights the dedication and commitment that is present among the student performers as the selection was made at the very start of the spring quarter.
“That’s part of the conductor’s role, is when you pick a piece for your group to do, if it requires a lot of work, you need to convince the musicians that it’s worth their time practicing and preparing,” Woodruff said.
Tickets to “All Hail, Green and Gold!” are available for $10 for students and $15 to $20 for general admission at the Performing Arts Center ticket office.