Wind Orchestra has finger on pulse of USU music
The high pitched drone of flutes, clarinets and French horns can barely be heard over the bellowing of tubas and saxophones.
The tuning of 45 wind instruments isn’t exactly music to your ears.
Professor Thomas Rohrer steps up onto the conductor’s platform at the front of Practice Room 104 and lifts his hands into the air. Silence fills the room until at the flick of Rohrer’s wrist music flows from saxophones, bassoons, and oboes. Rohrer flings his arm into the air as if releasing a Frisbee and other instruments join in with the clash of cymbals.
Abruptly Rohrer stops the music and shakes his head; the students moan.
“Let’s do that again. Whatever happened before, happened. Now let’s just see if we can forget about it and move on. It sounds like the treble is turned up on your stereo, if you know what I mean. Come on, let’s fire it up!” Rohrer says.
Utah State University’s wind orchestra has been around for barely morethan 100 years and is considered to be the “flagship ensemble” of the USU instrument ensembles. The orchestra is the basis for the marching band, symphony, pep band and jazz band.
Only nine of the orchestra’s 45 members are not involved in other music groups on campus. The orchestra is the most selective of all the bands on campus, usually taking only one person per part.
“I’ve done wind orchestra for two years. I tried out because my friend was, but it has been a lot of fun,” said Brandi Harline, a sophomore majoring in social work.
Entrance to the ensemble is based on auditions and competition is very tight.
“I play the tuba now, but I used to play the trombone. Trombone studies are really strong here at USU so I wanted to get out of the way of those who were actually majoring in the area,” said David McCollum, a junior majoring in culinary arts.
The ensemble plays pieces which include contemporary wind music as well as time-tested standards from the band repertoire.
The ensemble has earned an outstanding reputation in the region by performing at the Utah Music Educators Convention and the College Band Directors National Association Western Division Conference.
“Wind orchestras are nationally a new concept,” said the group’s conductor Thomas Rohrer. “It has only been about 75 years that bands have sat in a concert setting, whereas the orchestral setting has been around for hundreds of years. Sometimes audiences don’t realize that there is a serious component to wind instruments and they aren’t really sure what a ‘wind orchestra’ is. Wind orchestras are still trying to find their identity.”
On Friday, the ensemble will hold a concert titled “Postcards.” The concert’s pieces include a Spanish overture, “La Procession de Rocio,” “The Year of the Dragon” and “Casey at the Bat”, which is based on the famous baseball poem and has received numerous performances by the U.S. Marine Band during its transcontinental tours. John Gudmundson, director of jazz studies, will provide narration.
For their finale, the ensemble will perform “Postcards” which is whimsical song that plays itself backwards at the midpoint.
The concert will be held at 7:30 p.m. in the Morgan Theatre. Admission prices for adults are $5. USU students get in free with ID.
-amcconkie@cc.usu.edu
(Photo by Jessica Alexander)