During the next few days, Greatbatch School of Music will present two very different concerts.
Tonight, Nov. 10, the Houghton Symphony Orchestra will perform at 7:30. The Jazz Ensemble will take the stage at 7 p.m. next Tuesday, Nov. 14. Both groups will perform works from a variety of composers, both new and old.
“Notably, we are doing music by Hank Mobley, Randy Brecker, Duke Ellington, Cedar Walton, Thelonious Monk, Chick Corea and Curtis Fuller,” Dr. Ken Crane, Director of Jazz Activities, explained of his ensemble’s concert. “Each of these composers are big-name jazz artists who influenced generations of jazz musicians—including us.”
In addition to the works of well-known composers, the ensemble will also feature the work of one of its own students. “In recent years we have been blessed to have great young jazz composers in our midst,” said Crane. “There will be an original composition of Marc LeGrand, senior guitar player.”
“I get inspired by these young composers, so I brought out one of my own favorite compositions, specially modified for our small-big-band.” Crane continued, “Other than the homegrown features, I always try to have our students and our audiences exposed to compositions by great, historically important jazz artists.”
The Symphony Orchestra is also committed to an eclectic mix of old and new composers. Jeffrey Zane Hansen ‘18, a music composition major, commented, “I greatly appreciate the Houghton Symphony Orchestra’s willingness to perform music by people who happen not to be dead, which can be a surprisingly rare thing for an orchestra, especially considering that a lot of current composers are writing music that both has intellectual merit and is fairly accessible.”
Kira Browning, graduate conductor for the orchestra, gave more insight into the process of choosing concert music. “The theme for this week’s concert is Autumn Magic, as several of our selections reference magic. For example, we will be playing the ‘Overture to The Magic Flute’ by Mozart and ‘The Sorcerer’s Apprentice’ by Dukas.” She later added, “The subtitle for this concert is ‘A Journey in Musical Colors,’ and the program will take the audience through a number of pieces which vary in style, or colors, much like the leaves in autumn.”
“Our concert has a really wide audience; it is both relatable for younger audiences, like in the concert earlier in the week, and also for more mature audiences as well,” remarked Hansen. “This concert has a really wide variety of music, some of it familiar like Paul Dukas’s ‘The Sorcerer’s Apprentice’, which many know because of the Disney Cartoon, as well as pieces by living composers like Brian Balmages’s ‘Summer Dances’ and ‘Swamp Thang’ by Richard Meyer.”
The Orchestra will also reprise two pieces from their Collage concert: ‘Summer Dances’ and ‘The Girl in 14G,’ featuring Professor Amanda Cox. “Of the pieces programmed, the string players are especially excited to play ‘Swamp Thang’ by Richard Meyer,” Browning said. “It is a strings-only piece with exciting rhythms and sassy melodies.”
When speaking on the impact and importance of music, Hansen commented, “I am reminded of some of the passages in 1 Chronicles about the role of musicians in ancient Israel. In 1 Chronicles 25, it speaks of how the musicians were employed in prophecy through their skilled music-making. While this is not perfectly analogous to the Houghton Symphony Orchestra, I think that we can still say something about what is true and what is beautiful using the music that we create, and think that this is true, at least in part, with the music we are going to be presenting during this concert.”