Furman Symphonic Winds in concert March 16

Furman Symphonic Winds will present a concert Friday, March 16, at 8 p.m. in McAlister Auditorium on the Furman University campus.

The CLP concert, “A Pocketful of Posies,” is open to the public. Tickets for the Sound Quality Concert Series event are $15 for adults, $10 for seniors, and $5 for students. The performance is held in conjunction with the South Carolina Band Directors Association All State Band Clinic, which takes place the same weekend.

Under the baton of Director of Bands Leslie W. Hicken, Furman Symphonic Winds will present Percy Aldridge Grainger’s iconic “Lincolnshire Posy,” in addition to works by John Philip Sousa, Carolyn Bremer, Anthony Barfield and Paul Hindemith. The ensemble will pay homage to the work of American composer David Maslanka by performing “On This Bright Morning.”

Professor of Low Brass and Music Department Chair Mark Britt

Guest artist for the performance is Furman’s Professor of Low Brass and Department Chair Mark Britt. Britt will be featured as trombone soloist in a composition by New York composer Barfield, entitled “Red Sky.”

For more information about the event, contact the Furman University Music Department’s Band Office at 864-294-3069, or email the department at FurmanMusic@furman.edu. Tickets may be purchased at the door or online at this link.

About Les Hicken
Charles E. Daniel Professor of Music Leslie W. Hicken joined the Furman music faculty in 1993. He directs the wind ensemble, symphonic band and chamber wind ensembles, and serves as assistant director to the marching band. In 2010, he led the wind ensemble to the American Bandmasters Association National Convention in Charleston, S.C. In 2019, Furman Symphonic Winds will perform as a showcase ensemble at New York City’s historic Carnegie Hall for the New York Wind Band Festival.

A member of the South Carolina Band Directors Association Hall of Fame, Hicken is president of the South Carolina Band Directors Association, and member of the American Bandmasters Association. Prior to joining the faculty, Hicken was the director of bands at Youngstown State University (Ohio) and director of the Youngstown Symphony Youth Orchestra. He also performed as a clarinetist in the Youngstown Symphony Orchestra. Earlier in his career, Hicken taught in Durham, N.C. and performed as a clarinetist in the U.S. Military Academy.

Hicken holds a bachelor’s degree from the Eastman School of Music, and advanced degrees from Columbia University and Indiana University.