VSU Presents Wind Ensemble in Concert Nov. 15

VALDOSTA — The 46-member Valdosta State University Wind Ensemble will perform live in concert at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 15, in Whitehead Auditorium. Admission is free of charge and open to the public.

The Wind Ensemble performance will feature the American premiere of Belgium-born Bert Appermont’s “A Brussels Requiem.”

“‘A Brussels Requiem’ reflects on the tragic circumstances that arose from the series of terrorist attacks in the Belgian capital on March 12, 2016, that left 32 people dead and … (more than) 300 injured,” according to information provided by VSU’s Department of Music. “However, in light of similar attacks in the United Kingdom, Europe, and around the world since this time, the work also acts as a prescient touchstone on more immediate tragedies.

“The work is presented in four interlinked movements … Innocence, In Cold Blood, In Memoriam-We Shall Rise Again, and A New Day. It does not describe the attacks but instead reflects on why the events occurred and the resultant complex emotions triggered by the raw fear, as well as the more subtle anxieties in people’s attitudes and understanding of others …. The composer pays tribute to the innocent lives lost in an emotive central section of remembrance before bringing a passionate sense of hopefulness to the search for a new age of communal understanding. This is achieved through the development of a linear narrative based on Claude Debussy’s children’s song, ‘Au Claire de la Lune,’ which is used throughout, first as a symbol of innocence destroyed but ultimately of potential redemption.

“The composer also expresses his own personal hopefulness through a series of beautifully realized lyrical episodes and solos emphasizing the gradual atmosphere of change that grows in determination and passion to overcome grief and sorrow.”

“A Brussels Requiem” was commissioned by Brass Band Oberosterreich in Austria and received its world premiere at the 2017 European Brass Band Championship in Oostende.

The Wind Ensemble has performed American premieres of 22 different works from composers around the world. It is conducted by Dr. Joe Brashier, who serves as director of bands at VSU.

The Wind Ensemble will also perform Alfred Reed’s “The Music-Makers,” which is described as “a joyous affirmation of the power of music to move the spirit of man to both dream and achieve the highest that life has to offer”; Joni Greene’s “The Moon Glistens”; John Philip Sousa’s “Power and Glory”; and Andrew M. Boss’s “Until Morning Comes,” which was dedicated to the memory of the victims of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High school shooting earlier this year that left 17 dead. Dr. Ben Harper, director of athletic bands at VSU, will conduct the Greene piece.  

Whitehead Auditorium is located on the first floor of the VSU Fine Arts Building, at the intersection of Brookwood Drive and Oak Street.

Please contact Dr. Joe Brashier at (229) 333-5809 or jhbrashi@valdosta.edu to learn more.