Thomas C. Duffy, Music Director. “Dust” for wind ensemble and brass quintet by Jennifer Jolley, feat. Seraph Brass (all-women quintet).
● Jennifer Jolley wrote “Dust” in reflection of her time in Lubbock, TX, when she served on the faculty at Texas Tech University School of Music. During periods of isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic, she took long drives and immersed herself in the landscape, climate, and history of the vast state. From high plains, to rolling prairies, to verdant grasslands, from being caught in brief, intense hail showers and dust storms and the scorching sun, she came to know Texas through its ambient and tactile qualities. As she puts it, “Texas is extreme in that way, in every way. It’s immense and intimate, precarious and nurturing, vital and violent all at once.”
Seraph Brass was founded by trumpet soloist Mary Elizabeth Bowden (Yale School of Music M.M. 2006) with a mission to showcase the excellence of women brass players and highlight musicians from marginalized groups, both in personnel and in programming. In addition to performances and residencies, Seraph performs as a 10-piece ensemble, as soloists with symphony orchestras and wind bands, and in collaboration with other chamber artists. Seraph Brass performs a diverse body of repertoire, ranging from original transcriptions to newly commissioned works and core classics. More information on Seraph Brass (https://www.seraphbrass.com/)
● Viet Cuong wrote “Deciduous” after his father’s death, comparing the experience of grief and healing to the cycle of life, where there is the loss of one’s ‘leaves,’ after which the leafless winter eventually is followed by a spring.
● “Second Suite in F for Military Band” by Gustav Holst is based on English folk songs and dance. Each of its four movements possesses its own distinctive character—from slow and tender to lively and complex—ending with a resetting of the well-known tune ‘Greensleeves.’
Other music: “The Other Side Silence – Finale” (Stephen Roberts), “Like an Altar with 9000 Robot Attendants” (Ryan Lindveit), “Stand the Storm” (Julian Work), “Frozen Flame March” (T. C. Duffy)