The Yale Concert Band, Thomas C. Duffy, Music Director, opens its season with an eclectic program:
• Celebrating Hispanic Awareness Month. The Band premieres its commission of “Chávez, 1927” by Giovanni Santos, commemorating the life of Cesar Chávez (1927-1993), a Mexican-American civil rights activist and leader and co-founder of the National Farm Workers Association. Chávez fought for equal rights and humane working conditions and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1994.
• “William Tell Overture” (Gioachino Rossini). This lively overture from the opera of the same name is most famously known as the theme music for ‘The Lone Ranger’ in radio, television, and film.
• “Variations on a Korean Folk Song” (John Barnes Chance) is based on Arrirang, an ancient folk tune of love and heartbreak that the composer learned while serving in the U.S. Army in Seoul, Korea.
• “Intrada 1631” (Stephen Montague) is based on a 17th century South American liturgical chant, written in Quechua, the native language of the Incas. Juan Pérez Bocanegra’s original processional music has been expanded for the modern force of a brass choir and field drums.
• “Umoja: Anthem of Unity” (Valerie Coleman). “Umoja” is a Swahili word meaning “unity.” It is the principle of the first day of Kwanzaa.
Other music:
•“O Magnum Mysterium” (Morten Lauridsen)
•“Falling Falling Alone Together” (Thomas C. Duffy)