Symphonic Band and Wind Ensemble in concert April 22

The Furman University Symphonic Band and Wind Ensemble will present a concert Friday, April 22 at 8 p.m. in McAlister Auditorium on the Furman campus.

Open to the public, “Gloriosa!” is conducted by Director of Bands Leslie W. Hicken, and Director of Athletic Bands Jay Bocook, with guest conductor Gary Green of University of Miami. Tickets are $5 for adults, $3 for students.

The program includes works by John Klohr, David Holsinger, Alfred Reed, Oja Gjeilo, Camille Saint-Saëns, Yasuhide Ito and Joseph Hellmesberger.

Gary Green is Professor of Music and Director of Bands Emeritus of the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami. In addition to supervising all band activities, he was the conductor of the Frost Wind Ensemble and Chairman of Instrumental Performance. He supervised all graduate conducting students in the wind and percussion area.

Prior to coming to Miami, Green served 10 years as Director of Bands at the University of Connecticut in Storrs, Conn. He is a member of the American Bandmasters Association, the College Band Directors National Association, the Music Educators National Conference, the Florida Bandmasters Association, and the Florida Music Educators Association, and received the Phillip Frost Award for Excellence in Teaching and Scholarship in the Frost School of Music in 2002. In March 2007, he joined the ranks of Frederick Fennell, William Revelli, and John Paynter in the Bands of America Hall of Fame.

For more information, contact the Furman Band Office at (864) 294-3069.

About Furman Bands
Established in 1920, Furman Bands are among the oldest college bands in the South. Approximately 200 students are involved with the band program each year, and over 40 percent are majoring in music. The Wind Ensemble is comprised of the top wind and percussion students on campus as determined by audition with the director and applied teacher at the beginning of each semester. In addition to the regular series of campus concerts each year, the Wind Ensemble tours and performs at both state and regional music conventions. Recent performances have included the CBDNA Southeastern Division conference in Jacksonville, Fla., Symphony Hall in Chicago, Ill., and Carnegie Hall in New York City. The Wind Ensemble performs significant literature for various wind combinations that includes highly regarded original band works, compositions for wind orchestra, and notable works from the chamber wind repertoire. They have premiered works by W. Francis McBeth, Warren Barker, Jess Turner, Stephen Hicken, Ed Green, and Jay Bocook.