U of A Bands to Hold Final Concert of Fall Semester Nov. 25

U of A Bands will hold a final concert of the fall 2024 season at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 25, in the Faulkner Performing Arts Center. 

The Wind Symphony is under the direction of assistant director of bands Chase Jones with assistance from assistant director of bands Christopher Agwu and graduate conductor Cy Curtis. The band will begin the evening with the following selections: 

• Mother Earth - A Fanfare (2003) - David Maslanka (1943-2017) 
• Pageant (1953) - Vincent Persichetti (1915-1987) 
  • Christopher Agwu, guest conductor 
• I Know Moonrise (2019) - Jess Langston Turner (b. 1983) 
  • Cy Curtis, graduate conductor 
• Scenes from "The Louvre" (1966) - Norman Dello Joio (1913-2008) 

The Wind Ensemble is under the direction of Christopher Knighten, director of bands, with assistance from Jones and Agwu. The group will also be joined by Composer-In-Residence Edward Jacobs. 

A graduate of U-Mass, Cal-Berkeley and Columbia University, Jacobs is a recipient of the Guggenheim Fellowship and the Charles Ives Fellowship of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Jacobs created and curated the East Carolina University New Music Festival for 20 years, as well as the highly innovative and respected North Carolina NewMusic Initiative. His music has been recorded on several professionally-produced releases and is available through the American Composers Alliance. More information is available at https://edwardjacobs.org/ 

The Wind Ensemble's program will include the following selections:

• Fanfarria (2002) — Roberto Sierra (b. 1953) 
  • Christopher Agwu, guest conductor 
• Bootlegger's Break (2023) — Mason Bates (b. 1977) 
  • Chase Jones, guest conductor 
• Prismata (2023) — Edward Jacobs (b. 1961) 
  • Edward Jacobs, guest composer 
• Unidad en Ritmo (2023) — Michele Fernandez (b. 1978) 

All concerts are free to attend and will be held at the Faulkner Performing Arts Center on the campus of the U of A. Concerts will also be livestreamed at bands.uark.edu. 

Participation in concert bands is open to all U of A students, regardless of major. Auditions for the spring 2025 semester will be held Dec. 2-5. Students interested in auditioning for a band can sign up for an audition at bands.uark.edu. 

About the University of Arkansas Bands: The University of Arkansas Bands Program, part of the Department of Music in the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, began in 1874 and is one of the oldest band programs in the country. The program has seven ensembles including the Razorback Marching Band, Hogwild Band, and five concert bands with over 400 student members representing every college at the university.