This summer the Gustavus Wind Orchestra (GWO) was invited to perform at the 2016 Collegiate Band Directors National Association’s regional conference at Iowa State University.
The CBDNA is the recognized professional organization for collegiate band directors dedicated to enhancing the teaching, performance and study of music in the United States. The biennial regional conference will host directors from programs throughout the Midwest.
As an active member of CBDNA, GWO’s Conductor James Patrick Miller was well aware of the opportunity for the band to apply to perform at the conference. The vigorous application process included the submission of a live, unedited recording of GWO, a list of their past year’s performances, and a proposal of the concert program they’d present if selected.
“The most important part is the recording. We send it to a committee of blind judges, who don’t know who they are listening to, but just make their determination on who the top seven performances would be based on the submissions,” Dr. James Patrick Miller said.
Selecting which recordings to submit can be extremely difficult. Directors must choose pieces that add up to 45 minutes, but also present the rigor and talent of their ensemble.
While Dr. Miller has spent endless hours reviewing every piece GWO has performed, one in particular stood out to him.
“This year it was pretty easy to choose because GWO played one major work, Karel Husa’s ‘Music for Prague,’ on tour. It’s a big, very important, and pretty extraordinary piece. They performed it at a really high level,” Dr. Miller said.
However, this piece only filled a portion of the allotted time. To help him decide what else to submit, Dr. Miller asked a few students to listen with him and offer their thoughts. Senior GWO clarinet player Laura Johnson was one of those students.
“We listened for technical accuracy but also aspects of performance like artistry, balance, and blend. Above all else we wanted to select pieces that represented the Gustavus Wind Orchestra and its tradition of excellence. After reviewing all of our recordings, we chose our performances of Karel Husa’s Music for Prague 1968 as well as Arturo Márquez’s Danzón No. 2,” Johnson said.
After hearing a multitude of recordings, and reviewing the other application materials, the judges selected GWO and six other ensembles to perform at the CBDNA conference, Gustavus was the smallest school chosen and the only one with just an undergraduate program. Dr. Miller was informed through an email in early July.
“I saw the title CBDNA. I didn’t want to ruin my day because, even though our students are amazing, you never, ever anticipate actually being selected. Anytime you apply for a big conference you’ve been rejected so many times you just get used to being rejected. But I opened it up, began reading the letter, and I just started crying,” Dr. Miller said.
I’m ecstatic that GWO has received such a prestigious honor. We have always known that music at Gustavus is exceptional, but now it’s no longer the best kept secret.”
—Laura Johnson
GWO’s program list has been created for the theme “…and all that Jazz,” which will have a crossover of classical and jazz music.
Dr. Miller has also been intentional about including his colleagues in this concert and will be sharing the podium with Dr. Karrin Meffert-Nelson and Dr. Heidi Johanna Miller. He has also invited former Director of Trumpet and Jazz Studies at Gustavus, Dr. Steve Wright, to solo in Richard Rodney Bennett’s Elegy for Miles Davis. Adjunct Assistant Professor of Music Chad Winterfeldt will play the organ in GWO’s concluding piece, Maslanka’s Symphony No. 4.
“I am excited for the organ piece,” Senior french horn player Kyra Wicklund said. “Iowa State has a huge organ in their concert hall, unlike Bjorling, which will make this experience even more unique.”
The students in GWO will have another unique experience in being part of the premiere performance of a piece composed by Katherine Johns Bergman ’07. After working with Bergman in the Encore Wind Ensemble, Dr. James Patrick Miller was introduced to a few of her band pieces. Impressed by her work, Bergman was then commissioned to write a piece for GWO’s tour, which will now be performed at the CBDNA conference.
“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. As a music education major I am incredibly excited for the opportunity to be surrounded by such high caliber musicians, conductors, and educators. But most importantly, I’m ecstatic that GWO has received such a prestigious honor. We have always known that music at Gustavus is exceptional, but now it’s no longer the best kept secret,” Johnson said.
Dr. James Patrick Miller, who shares in Johnson’s enthusiasm for performing at the conference, said, “I am super excited, I am terrified also. One of the most difficult things to do is get up in front of your peers and do what you do, but it is also extremely rewarding. I couldn’t be more proud of the students. They are going to love the experience.”