UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Two of Penn State's large concert bands will present a joint concert at 8 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 29, in Eisenhower Auditorium. The Concert Band will begin the program with music by American composers Jack Stamp, Morten Lauridsen and Daniel Grantham. The ensemble is conducted by Carter Biggers and Gregory Drane.
The Symphonic Band's program includes transcriptions of orchestral works by 19th-century composers Rimsky-Korsakoff and Edvard Grieg, as well as the iconic "Suite in E-flat" by British composer Gustav Holst. The Symphonic Band is conducted by Director of Concert Bands Dennis Glocke, assisted by master's conducting student Brett Penshorn. Assistant Director of Athletic Bands Eric W. Bush appears as guest conductor.
General admission tickets are $12 and student tickets are $4. Buy tickets in advance for School of Music concerts in Eisenhower Auditorium and save 40 percent. There is no limit on the number of tickets that may be purchased. Purchases made the day of the concert are not eligible for the discount. Tickets are available at any Arts Ticket Center location, by phone at 814-863-0255 or 1-800-ARTS-TIX, or online at Penn State Arts Ticket Center. The concert will also be shown via livestream video at music.psu.edu/livestream.
Concert Band Program
- Gavorkna Fanfare — Jack Stamp
- O Magnum Mysterium — Morten Lauridsen, arranged by H. Robert Reynolds
- Spangled Heavens — Donald Grantham
- Children’s March “Over the Hills and Far Away” — Percy Aldridge Grainger
- Galop from "Moscow, Cheremushky" — Dmitri Shostakovich, transcribed by Donald Hunsberger
Symphonic Band Program
- Fanfare for a Celebration — Ron Nelson
- Mein Jesu! was für Seelenweh — Johann Sebastian Bach, freely transcribed by Alfred Reed
- Cortège from "Mlada" — Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, transcribed by Erik Leidzen (Eric W. Bush, conductor)
- Funeral March in Memory of Rikard Nordraak — Edvard Grieg, edited by Jan Eriksen (Brett Penshorn, conductor)
- First Suite in E-flat — Gustav Holst
The Concert Band performs the finest in traditional and contemporary literature composed or transcribed for the concert band medium. It performs concerts in Eisenhower Auditorium. The Concert Band is open to all students, regardless of major. An audition is required in the spring semester, but not in the fall. Spring semester auditions take place during the first week of classes.
The Symphonic Band is a select band that utilizes the full resources of the large wind/percussion ensemble to perform outstanding works from the concert band repertory. Members of the 80-piece ensemble are selected by audition during the first week of classes each semester. The Symphonic Band presents several concerts each semester in the 2,600-seat Eisenhower Auditorium. Like all Penn State bands, the Symphonic Band is open to all students, regardless of major.