Name: Symphonic Wind Ensemble
Start: 2024-01-26T19:30:00
Location: Northwestern University

James Giles

Mallory Thompson

Northwestern Bienen School of Music

The ensemble’s first winter performance is centered around the inspiration composers have found in music from the past. Neo-classical composer Igor Stravinsky’s Circus Polka was commissioned by the Barnum and Bailey circus and written for a performance featuring 50 trained elephants and 50 dancers. Stravinsky’s Concerto for Piano and Wind Instruments, featuring Bienen faculty pianist James Giles, takes its inspiration from the 18th century three-movement form. Giovanni Gabrieli’s timeless Canzon primi toni, showcasing resplendent brass choirs, is followed by Kathryn Salfelder’s Cathedrals, directly influenced by Gabrieli and 16th-century counterpoint. Closing the program is Paul Dooley’s Masks and Machines, which takes inspiration from Stravinsky’s ballet Pulcinella as well as Renaissance-inspired dance performances by Oskar Schlemmer.