GREENEVILLE – The Tusculum University Community Band will transport the audience to the stars in a celestially themed concert as the musicians remember a prominent and widely respected composer on his 150th birthday and play works of other great artists.
The Tusculum University Community Band practices before its performance in February.
The Tusculum University Community Band practices before its performance in February.
“Holst and Friends” is the name for the band’s annual spring concert Thursday, May 2, at 7 p.m. at Niswonger Performing Arts Center. Lasting about 90 minutes with an intermission, the concert will feature three works by Gustav Holst, an English composer and music teacher born in 1874 and known best for his orchestral suite “The Planets.” The band will also play works by seven other composers.
The concert is free, but donations are welcome. Donations will be directed to the purchase of additional uniforms for the Tusculum University student marching band.
“We welcome the opportunity to share another evening with the community performing enjoyable music,” said Dr. David Gonzalez, Tusculum’s director of bands and the conductor for the community band. “We are pleased to offer a different perspective from our most recent concerts with our focus on Holst and these other artists. The band is enthusiastic about presenting this concert, and we look forward to seeing a nice crowd at NPAC.”
The band scheduled the concert at NPAC because of repairs that were needed to the stage in the Marilyn duBrisk Theatre at Tusculum.
Chris Chambers, an adjunct music faculty member at Tusculum and a member of the community band, said the concert will generate emotions for audience members that they would not normally feel at a concert and take them to places they have never been. He said this concert will be one of the band’s most serious.
Here is the lineup of songs:
Chris Chambers, right, said the music of Gustav Holst is phenomenal. The Tusculum University Community Band will play some of it Thursday, May 2.
- “Carnegie Anthem” by William Owens
- “A Somerset Rhapsody” by Holst
- “Bugler’s Holiday” by Leroy Anderson
- “Autumn Rose” by Julie Giroux
- Themes from “The Planets” by Holst and arranged by Douglas Wagner
- “By Loch and Mountain” by Robert W. Smith
- “Benediction” by John Stevens
- “Amidst the Thunder of Cannons” by Carl Meinecke
- “My Regards” by Edward Llewellyn
- “First Suite in Eb” with three movements – “Chaconne, “Intermezzo” and “March” – by Holst and arranged by John Neumann
Chambers described Holst as a prolific composer.
“His music is phenomenal,” Chambers said. “He has a particular sound that a lot of bands enjoy playing. He is a not a straightaway composer, where the music is straightforward from beginning to end. It has overlapping melodies with multiple thoughts that make sense happening at the same time. It’s really cool. The love of his music, combined with this being his 150th birthday, is the driver for him being the primary focus of this concert.”
“The Planets” was one of the first arrangements Holst wrote, and it catapulted his career, Chambers said. He noted that Holst had a passion for astrology. As a result of these connections with outer space, the band is using a solar system design for materials to market this concert.
Reflecting on “First Suite in Eb,” Chambers said Holst wrote it for a military band at a time when that type of group performed popular songs and orchestra works. He changed that with a serious composition but was still melodic and powerful and inspired his colleagues to write similarly.
Two of the songs during the performance that are not Holst compositions will feature individual band members with accompaniment from the rest of the ensemble. “Bugler’s Holiday” will highlight Kaeleigh Elliot, Peter Hodges and Brock Jones from the trumpet section, and “My Regard” will put the spotlight on Tusculum student Derek Hatcher on the euphonium.
The percussion and trombone sections perform during the Tusculum University Community Band concert in February.
The percussion section plays during the Tusculum University Community Band concert in February.
Dr. Gonzalez said he selected Hatcher for a special performance because he was the first student to seek an Associate of Arts degree in general studies with a concentration in music. He also touted Hatcher’s skill and versatility, with the ability to play tuba, trumpet and saxophone in addition to euphonium.
“Derek is a nice person – and a really great player,” Dr. Gonzalez said.
He noted that the trumpet section in the community band is particularly strong. Hodges is the retired band director at Greeneville High School with an extensive list of students he has taught. Kaeleigh is a student at Greeneville Adventist Academy, and Jones is a community member.
“All three are tremendous trumpet players, and we wanted to take advantage of having such talented musicians for this tune,” Chambers said.
As for the uniforms, band leaders are seeking to raise $7,500 to buy 15 more uniforms for the marching band to handle anticipated growth in the number of band members. Dr. Gonzalez said the extra uniforms will also provide a wider selection of sizes for band members. The student band is separate from the community band, but many Tusculum students play in the community band.
Donations are welcome at the concert, or a person can mail a check to Dr. Gonzalez at P.O. Box 5002, Greeneville, TN, 37745. Checks should be made to Tusculum University, with “band fundraiser” on the memo line.
Further information about Tusculum’s band program is available at https://site.tusculum.edu/music/. To learn more about the university, please visit www.tusculum.edu.