The free concert will open with Joseph Wilcox Jenkins’ well-known “American Overture,” directed by graduate assistant conductor Katie Ebert.

The central work on the program is James Syler’s “The Hound of Heaven,” a six-section composition based on a 19th-century poem by Francis Thompson. In 1993, the piece won the National Band Association William D. Revelli Memorial Composition Contest and the Colonel Arnald Gabriel Composition Award.

Also included in the repertoire is a version of Edward Elgar’s “Enigma Variations,” transcribed by Earl Slocum, who was the director of bands at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for many years.

To conclude the concert, the ensemble will perform “La Mezquita de Cordoba,” written by American composer Julie Giroux.

“‘La Mezquita de Cordoba’ is an exciting work that expresses the diverse history and culture of the Spanish city of Cordoba,” said John T. West, professor of music and director of bands at Western. “It is a high-energy piece which requires much of the ensemble – a guaranteed crowd-pleaser.”

The WCU Wind Ensemble is the premiere instrumental ensemble at WCU and is comprised of 50 student musicians. The ensemble has performed at many state and regional conferences and tours the region every other year.

For more information, contact the School of Music at (828) 227-7242.

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Last modified: Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2007