QCWE 30th Anniversary Season - Walking the Walk

This year marks the 30th anniversary season of the Quad City Wind Ensemble. Founded by Dr. Charles DCamp, then Director of Bands at St. Ambrose University, it has become, in the words of Myron Welch, Director of Band Emeritus at the University of Iowa, "one of the best adult bands in the country." The QCWE has performed six times at the prestigious Iowa Bandmasters Association conference and was the winner of the 2012 American Prize in Band Performance (community division).

I am the fifth Music Director of the ensemble and am in the midst of my ninth season with the organization. I suppose that gives me some sense of longevity. During my tenure, I have strived to develop the QCWE, through a combination of "cornerstone" works, as well as new literature. We have performed a concert dedicated solely to the work of women composers and commissioned a work, Roy Magnuson's To have seen the worst…but expect the best…in commemoration of our twenty-fifth season.

The QCWE is experiencing unprecedented musical growth and fiscal strength. A series of outstanding Board Chairs has brought new insights and ideas to the group, allowing the Music Director the luxury of expanded programing. This year alone we are reaching much larger audiences and playing at the top of our game. Our first concert, Inspiration, included compositions influenced by factors outside the music itself: people, places, things, fact, and fiction. The program included:

• Testament (1988) Robert Jager
• Esprit de Corps (1878) John Philip Sousa
• “Nimrod,” from Enigma Variations (1899/1965) Edward Elgar, arr. Alfred Reed
• Of Sailors and Whales—Five Scenes from Melville (1990) W. Francis McBeth

• Buffalo Dances (2006) Robert W. Smith
• Scenes from Billy the Kid (1938/2000) Aaron Copland, arr. Quincy Hilliard
• Hymn to the Infinite Sky—Poem for Wind Orchestra (2003) Satoshi Yagisawa

While I don't usually put much stock in such things, we received a standing ovation in the middle of the program (after McBeth). This was a stimulating program, with what I felt was a great deal of variety. It seems important to note, however, that only three of the seven composers represented are still living. For an art form whose history is relatively young (the first compositions for the "modern wind band" date from the early twentieth century), this really isn't a very good track record.

Many composer speak of being "advocates of new music" and I believe that I am. But the time had come to put money where my mouth was. And, quite literally, we've been able to do that. Thanks to a generous donation from a local business (solicited by another board member), we've purchased (as opposed to endless begging and borrowing) all of the music for our February 28 performance. It's Musica Nova, consisting of music all written after 2001 by little known composers, some at the very beginning of their careers. And it's important to note that no dead, white, European, males are allowed. The program looks something like this:

Celebrating new art

Daniel Montoya, Jr.: Release the Hounds  (2012) http://danielmontoyajr.com 

Michael Mikulka: Marche Slava (2009) $60.00 (3:00) http://www.michaelmikulka.com

Kenyon Wilson: Five (consortium-commissioned premiere) http://www.kenyonwilson.com

Julie Giroux: No Finer Calling (Symphony) (2007) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julie_Giroux 

Jared Beu: Toward Skies End  (2012) http://jaredbeu.com/

David Maslanka: Remember Me (2013) for cello and 19 players http://davidmaslanka.com/  

Rick Kirby: Of Banners Crimson and Golden Skies (2014) http://www.spiritofthemusic.com/

I am thrilled to conduct this concert. I know none of the works, so the program will be a challenge for the conductor and the ensemble. As for the audience, you're going to love it!