My growing admiration

One of the main works on the Fall program is Sidus, by Thomas Doss. Born in Linz, Austria, with both parents as professional musicians, he has been studying music since age 7. He's been composing since age 11.

I gotta say, the guy is good.

Sidus is growing on me, big time. Now, there are some non-traditional parts of this piece. Measures that are 'timed' in terms of seconds (eg 15-sec, 20 sec), rather than your traditional four-beats. There are also measures where the band sings, hisses (part reads "S___" and you say "Essssssssssssss"), shushes (part reads "Sh_____" and you say "Shhhhhhhhhh") and even whistle. It's different.

I think this was slightly intimidating to the ensemble at first, because we started rehearsing at this section with little to no context about the piece. But after a few times of running the whole thing down, it starts to make sense. Sidus has all the elements of a great film score - lush melodies, action-oriented musical sequences and brilliant fanfares. This piece changes character so many times over it's course, you might think it needs psychiatric care. But, I know it will have you on the edge of your seat.

You can hear a sample of Sidus by clicking here

Perhaps the composer said it best...
"Music makes us grasp our finiteness and glimpse at infinity. "

- Thomas Doss

Progress

The 4th Movement of Ira Hearshen's Symphony on Themes of John Philip Sousa has proven to be quite challenging, and a pain point for most folks across the band. Looking at and listening to some of the challenging licks, we know this piece isn't an homage to the performers in anyway shape or form! But, we're persevering.

Aside: that's Mr. Hearshen on the left. I can't get over the fact that this is the guy who wrote music for Toy Story2 and a Bug's Life. Such nice, sweet movies. I'm sure the scores are challenging, but I'm not sure they are as challenging as this!

Last week, we started rehearsing at measure 250, which I had nearly forgotten about, because I was so concerned about 306 (more on that next week, I'm sure).

Even amongst the midst of sixteenth notes, sextuplets and boat loads of accidentals, I could hear things coming together. Not only are we getting more and more accurate (and faster - at least closer to the intended tempo), but we're paying attention to things musically.

In other news, we have another month to polish it up!
Our next concert: November 18th!

Welcome to Musical Musings

Hello everyone! My name is Heather and I'm a member of the clarinet section in the Knightwind Ensemble. I'll be using this space to share thoughts and perspectives on our rehearsals and general band happenings.

Hopefully this will give you a little insight into the amount of effort we put in to make this all look effortless during the performance! Our goal is to foster, encourage, and develop the appreciation of wind music in the community.

Check back for more details on how we're progressing. I might even share an inside joke or two from our maestro, John Steinke.

Countdown to concert: 39 days ... 6 rehearsals, including dress. :)