Symphony Band

About the Program

Program notes by Mark Bilyeu except where noted.

Kevin Day
Blue Hour Skyline
Born February 23, 1996, Charleston, WV
Composed 2020 / 2025
Premiered February 18, 2025 University of Missouri, Kansas City, Wind Ensemble, Joseph Parisi, conductor
5 minutes

Kevin Day is a composer, conductor, producer, and multi-instrumentalist on tuba, euphonium, jazz piano and more, whose music often intersects between the worlds of jazz, minimalism, Latin music, fusion, and contemporary classical idioms. His father was a prominent hip-hop producer in the late-1980s in Southern California, and his mother was a sought-after gospel singer from West Virginia, singing alongside the likes of Mel Torme and Kirk Franklin. Day’s music has been performed across the globe from Carnegie Hall to Russia’s Rachmaninov Hall, and by organizations such as the Boston, Detroit, and Houston Symphonies. 

Blue Hour Skyline was written as a symphony orchestra composition that depicts a city that comes like once the "blue hour" approaches. The "blue hour" often refers to the darker stages of evening twilight, when the skyline transforms from day and becomes fully night. For the city, this is the moment when the lights start to come on, from the buildings, to bridges, to billboards and cars, and people begin to enjoy the bustling nightlife with their family and friends. 
 

Ingred Stölzel
Into the Blue
Born January 14, 1971, Karlsruhe, Germany
Composed 2003 / 2018
Premiered May 26, 2018, Lesbian and Gay Band Association’s Yellow Band, Kansas City, MO, David Triplett-Rosa, conductor
9 minutes

The phrase “into the blue” invokes thoughts of a journey into the unknown, an openness toward new possibilities, all accompanied by a playful, adventurous spirit and a big dose of spontaneity. I imagine a journey from one place to another without a direct route pre-mapped between start and finish. These descriptions of “into the blue” hold true for the composition as well. The piece is propelled by the events set in motion in the beginning and ideas are bounced playfully through the orchestra. The unexpected is embraced, spontaneous detours are celebrated and we journey together with the music into the distance, allowing events to unfold naturally and fully.

Into the Blue for orchestra was commissioned and premiered by the Youth Symphony of Kansas City in 2003. This concert band version was commissioned for the 2018 Lesbian and Gay Band Association National Conference and was premiered in May 2018.

–Ingred Stölzel

Gordon Jacob
An Original Suite
Born July 5, 1895, London, United Kingdom
Died June 8, 1984, Saffron Walden, United Kingdom
Composed 1928
10 minutes

Gordon Jacob completed his first suite for military band in 1928, while still a student at London’s Royal Academy. There, he was a student of Adrian Boult, Charles Villiers Stanford, and Ralph Vaughan Williams. After the success of his William Byrd Suite He submitted to the publisher Boosey and Hawkes with the title Suite for Military Band, but they changed it to An Original Suite, despite his protests. As Jacob wrote later,” At the time very little original music was being written for what was the “military” band, so the title was a way of distinguishing that it was an original work rather than an arrangement—not that the music was very original in itself... The slow movement is Irish rather than English 'folky'. The reason being that Londonderry Air was extremely popular and much admired by the 1920s.” The first movement is a march with four themes, opened and closed by a snare drum solo. The second movement, is Jacob’s version of an Irish air, and the finale overlays a running 6/8 figure in the clarinets and saxophones over the rest of the band’s stately 2/4 for a toe-tapping conclusion to this, actually, highly original suite.
 

Nicole Piunno
Be Still and Still Moving
Born 1985
Composed 2020
7 minutes

The hymn "Be Still, My Soul" serves as the backbone of this piece. The opening is calm, but mysterious. This leads to a more dramatic middle section that is full of continuous motion. Over all, Be Still and Still Moving reveals the paradox of finding rest in the midst of chaos and being still while continuing to move forward. The music eventually leads to a bold chorale of the hymn with fanfare-like motives above it, which makes me think of the following line from the hymn: All Now Mysterious Shall Be Bright at Last

– Nicole Piunno

Paul Dooley
Fantasy of Colors
Born 1983, Santa Rosa, California
Composed 2025
Premiered April 27, 2025 Arkansas Tech University Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Daniel A. Belongia, conductor
7 minutes

Fantasy of Colors is inspired by Baroque artwork and the genre of musical fantasias popularized by Johann Sebastian Bach, Franz Joseph Haydn and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. I admire the massive scale and exuberance found in Lauri and Gagliardi’s epic painting Carousel in Honour of Queen Christina in the Courtyard of the Palazzo Barberini in Rome on 2nd February 1656, and Johann Ulrich Kraus’ Celebrations in St. Peter’s, Rome, for the jubilee year of 1700, and the everlasting thematic developments, stark contrasts and intricate contrapuntal layers found in Baroque musical works like Bach’s Fantasia in C Minor and Mozart’s Fantasia in D Minor.

In Fantasy of Colors, the timpani provide a festive, rhythmic and harmonic foundation for two sparring musical character motives, one first stated in the clarinets and saxophones, versus another in the horns and trombones. The match is interrupted with a new character personified as a lyrical waltz, showcasing the oboe, soprano saxophone and flutes. Droplets of musical color follow, with a fugato variation on our characters' motives, showcasing the low woodwinds, euphonium and percussion. The piccolo, clarinets and trumpets push the celebration to a feverish crescendo, as all our characters vie for the musical spotlight.

– Paul Dooley

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About the Artists

Jimmy Santos-Rivera

Jimmy Santos-Rivera (he/him) is currently pursuing a master of music in wind conducting at The University of Texas at Austin, where he serves as a graduate teaching assistant. In this role, he assists in conducting and managing the university’s concert bands, athletic bands, and conducting courses. He earned his bachelor of arts in music education, with a minor in percussion, from the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras. Born and raised in Puerto Rico, his career has been deeply rooted on the island. Prior to moving to Austin, Santos-Rivera spent eight years teaching concert band, percussion, and music theory at Escuela Especializada en Bellas Artes Pablo Casals. As a performer, he has played in the percussion section of the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra, the Puerto Rico Wind Symphony, and the Puerto Rico Philharmonic Orchestra. In 2019, he joined the 248th Army Band in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where he currently serves as a percussionist in various ensembles and as the principal conductor of the concert band. His mentors include Carlos Ávila, Eddy Marcano, Karlo Flores, and Carmen Acevedo.

Alec Rodriguez 

Alec Rodriguez is a conductor and music educator pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts in Wind Band Conducting at the University of Texas at Austin, where he serves as a Graduate Assistant with the University Bands. In this role, he assists with conducting, ensemble operations, and undergraduate teaching while advancing his artistry and scholarship. From 2022 to 2025, Rodriguez was Associate Director of Instrumental Music at Clovis High School (CA), conducting the Symphonic Band and String Orchestra, leading the percussion program, and managing transportation and facility operations. Previously, he taught at Independence High School (2019–2022), directing the Symphonic Band and Indoor Percussion Ensemble, which earned first place at the 2022 WGI Merced Regional. Rodriguez holds a Master of Arts in Music – Conducting and a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from California State University, Fresno. A passionate advocate for student-centered, inclusive music-making, he emphasizes emotional authenticity, technical excellence, and diversity in repertoire. Active in the marching arts, Rodriguez serves as Front Ensemble Coordinator for Blue Devils B and has worked with Red Wave Indoor, Golden Empire Drum and Bugle Corps, and Bakersfield College Indoor. His research focuses on expanding wind band repertoire to reflect diverse and LGBTQIA+ voices.

Cliff Croomes

Cliff Croomes serves as the associate director of bands and director of the Longhorn Band at The University of Texas at Austin. Prior to this appointment, Croomes was the assistant director of bands at Louisiana State University and the music director and principal conductor of the Civic Orchestra of Baton Rouge. Previous to his appointment the faculty he studied at LSU for his Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees. Dr. Croomes earned his Bachelor of Music Studies from The University of Texas at Austin and is an alumnus of the Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps from Rosemont, Illinois. He has performed with ensembles throughout the United States, London, Paris, Switzerland, Germany, Italy and consulted throughout Japan. Dr. Croomes holds an endorsement with Innovative Percussion Inc. and is a founding board member of the composer diversity initiative “And We Were Heard” as well as a member of the Dr. William P. Foster Project advisory board. Croomes also holds an honorary membership in Kappa Kappa Psi.

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symphony band

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Upcoming Events

WIND ENSEMBLE
with the Mariachi Paredes de Tejastitlán
Wednesday, October 21, 7:30 p.m.
Bates Recital Hall
 

WIND SYMPHONY
Free Admission
Wednesday, November 4, 7:30 p.m.
Bates Recital Hall
 

WIND ENSEMBLE
Sunday, November 8, 4:00 p.m.
Bates Recital Hall
 

SYMPHONY BAND
Free Admission
Sunday, November 15, 7:30 p.m.
Bates Recital Hall
 

Butler Holiday Concert
Saturday, December 5, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, December 6, 4:00 p.m.
Bates Recital Hall
 

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