WT Concert, Symphonic Bands to Close Out Semester with Free Concert

Copy by Chip Chandler, 806-651-2124, cchandler@wtamu.edu

CANYON, Texas — Compositions by big names of the past and present will be performed at the final concerts of the year by West Texas A&M University’s Concert and Symphonic bands.

The Concert Band will perform at 6 p.m. May 7, followed by the Symphonic Band at 8 p.m., both in Mary Moody Northen Recital Hall on WT’s Canyon campus.

Admission is free. For information, call 806-651-2840.

The Concert Band’s repertoire will include “Sevens” by Samuel Hazo, “Evergreen” by Viet Cuong, Danzón No. 2 by Arturo Márquez and arranged by Oliver Nickel, “Warsaw Concerto” by Richard Addinsell; and the finale from Symphony No. 1 by Vasili Kalinnikov.

Norrin Hodgson, a graduate student in music from Odessa, will conduct “Sevens,” and Chema Garcia, a graduate student in music from Wellington, will conduct Danzón No. 2. Piper Fowler, a senior music major from Amarillo, is piano soloist for Warsaw Concerto.

“Preparing for this concert has been a fabulous combination of hard work and pure joy,” said Russ Teweleit, professor of music education. “This group is among the best I’ve ever had the pleasure to work with, and this concert will be an absolute treat for the audience. It is full of a wide variety of styles of band music and orchestral transcriptions spanning over 125 years, including ‘Evergreen’ by one of the top composers for band today, Viet Cuong. The work was premiered in 2024 and is unlike any other band piece I’ve ever heard.”

The Symphonic Band’s repertoire will include “Vienna Philharmonic Fanfare” by Richard Strauss, “Anti-Fanfare” by Andrew Blair, “Shenandoah” by Omar Thomas, “The Thunderer” by John Philip Sousa, “Soul” from Concerto for Wind Ensemble by Kevin Day and “Rocky Point Holiday” by Ron Nelson.

“This concert will be a celebration of the end of a great semester for the Symphonic Band,” said Don Lefevre, associate professor of music and director of bands. “The band excelled in its Carnegie Hall concert on March 13, as well as in its concerts closer to home. During my 37 years at WT, I have never had a more talented group of students.”

The concerts will be streamed on the WT School of Music’s Facebook page.

Fostering an appreciation of the arts is a key component of the University’s long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.

That plan is fueled by the historic One West comprehensive fundraising campaign, which reached its initial $125 million goal 18 months after publicly launching in September 2021. The campaign’s new goal is to reach $175 million by 2025; currently, it has raised more than $165 million.

About West Texas A&M University

WT, a Regional Research University, is redefining excellence in Canyon, Texas, on a 342-acre residential campus, as well as the Harrington Academic Hall WTAMU Amarillo Center in downtown Amarillo. Established in 1910, the University has been part of The Texas A&M University System since 1990. WT, a Hispanic Serving Institution since 2016, boasts an enrollment of more than 9,000 and offers 66 undergraduate degree programs, including eight associate degrees; and 44 graduate degrees, including an integrated bachelor’s and master’s degree, a specialist degree and two doctoral degrees. The University is also home to the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, the largest history museum in the state and the home of one of the Southwest’s finest art collections. The Buffaloes are a member of the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference and offers 14 men’s and women’s athletics programs.

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