Month-by-Month with the 2008-09 Concordia Wind Orchestra

Last year, I wrote this short piece to give prospective students an idea of what the CWO experience entails. It may be one year outdated, but it still provides useful insight.

Several months in the life of the Concordia Wind Orchestra, 2008-09:

August: A new school year begins. Week of Welcome is loaded with orientation activities, reunions of friends, and CWO auditions. Before classes begin, all major ensembles hold auditions to determine student placement within the ensemble. The CWO audition consists of three sections: a prepared etude, an excerpt from the upcoming years' literature, and 4 scales selected at random from the major, minor, or chromatic scales. On the first day of rehearsal, five students were congratulated for receiving perfect scores (2 freshmen flutists, and the principal clarinetist, bassoonist, and saxophonist). With student placement complete (sometimes adjustments are made during the semester), rehearsals begin in earnest for the fall concert.

September: The ensemble rehearses hard on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:30-5:15. All students are required to observe the "15-minute standard," which means they are present, warming up and preparing for the rehearsal. This standard applies for call times before performances as well. The biggest surprise for returning students is that Prof. Held has actually softened up and included a 5-minute break during every rehearsal. The trumpet section is particularly appreciative.

There are no performances this month, but the CWO takes part in its annual tradition - the retreat! This year's version is especially adventurous - a camping trip in the Cleveland National Forest (our local mountains that are in Orange County - we're not just all about beaches!). Did I say this would be an adventure? Students were divided into groups and given a meager amount of cash to take care of their responsibilities. In the end, the equipment group managed to secure enough tents and sleeping bags to save on rental and generously gave their left over portion to the dinner group (hey, they wanted to have enough food!). Everything actually went off without a hitch as all the groups did an excellent jobs using their budget and coming up with plenty of food and shelter. The retreat itself was a great time. Once we survived an onslaught of bugs in the late afternoon, they went away and we had a very fun evening of food, frisbee, hacky-sack, tree-climbing, camp golf, and campfire worship. The highlight of the night probably was the tarantula that one of the students coaxed into his hat. After everyone had a chance to pet it and take a few pictures, he was off on his merry way. Everyone successfully survived the night and early morning hike led by Prof. Held's 5-year-old son, and we were on our merry way (after we successfully broke into one of the vans whose driver locked the keys away!). The final act of the retreat was to rejoin civilization, get dressed up and attend a fabulous concert by the American Winds and tuba soloist extraordinaire, Patrick Sheridan.

October: Things are really getting serious in rehearsal now with the fall concert coming up quickly (the 5 minute break stays intact, though!). This year, the Wind Orchestra is preparing an All Saints' Day concert. Probably the most challenging piece is David Gillingham's No Shadow of Turning, pushing our sound control and expressive abilities to the limit. We're also very excited to perform two of Frank Ticheli's most beloved works back-to-back, An American Elegy followed by Amazing Grace.

November: The All Saints' Day concert is a perfect example of the Concordia Wind Orchestra's mission to serve the community as a faith-centered musical ensemble. The concert is filled with challenging, inspiring, and highly-respected works placed in the context of a deeper message. The concert opens with a three portrayals of human grief - a Steven Stucky arrangement of Purcell's Funeral Music for Queen Mary, an Armenian song of sadness and hope called Giligia, by Alfred Reed (accompanied by the image Armenian Sadness,by Fons Heijnsbroek) and Ticheli's well-known An American Elegy. Our faith carries us far beyond sadness though, and this is expressed in the second part of the concert which highlights faith themes of redemption, praise, eternal life, faithfulness, and peace through music selections and narration.

This memorable concert was performed on campus, at a Los Angeles church, and at our area Lutheran high school for their chapel service. An then, in a flash, it was time to think "Christmas!"

December: This is the whirlwind month! Students are frantically finishing major class projects, prepping for finals, and readying performance juries. But this is also the month of Concordia's biggest music event, an unforgettable experience for the performers and audience - our Christmas concerts. The CWO traditionally plays during the 2nd half of the concert, alternating Christmas selections (and sometimes joining) with the Concordia Choir and Master Chorale. After the Concert Handbells take that role in the first half, we have an impressively fast and efficient stage-change, replacing the handbells with the full wind orchestra set-up. We perform to five sold-out audiences each year, and the concert is an Orange County Christmas highlight.

January: One week before classes begin, CWO members report back to campus. It is tour time! After one day of intensive rehearsals, we leave for a four-day tour through California, taking us to Lutheran churches in Paso Robles, Fremont, Santa Maria, Oxnard, and Torrance. This year's tour concert takes on a unique format - an Evening Prayer worship. We have this special liturgy orchestrated by a local composer named Charles Raasch and put all of our tour repertoire in this worship format. We bring soprano Natalie Hovsepian (junior at Concordia) along to do the chanting and sing special arrangements of The Lord's Prayer and a hymn. In the end, this concert/worship hybrid was an excellent example of the Concordia Wind Orchestra's mission as a faith-centered wind band. Seven performances over four days (including one school perforamance and two morning worship services) may sound like a lot, but we still have time for many fun and educational tour excursions. Tours are more than an opportunity for performance outreach. Students also experience many things. This year, we managed a stop at the Niles Silent Film Museum (location where Charlie Chapman made it big), including a screening of a Charlie Chapman film. We also had a lively guided tour of the monarch butterflies that migrate to the Bridges State Beach, followed by a perfect afternoon at Santa Cruz beach (sunny and 70 degrees in January!). And between performances on Sunday, we stopped to tour the Getty Center - one of the world's most spectacular art museums.

February: After the tour, there was no time to rest. Rehearsals began in earnest, with only two weeks to prepare our very popular annual family concert. This year's theme is "SuperMusic for SuperHeroes." A hilarious skit accompanied our concert, with a superpower potion being developed by a Concordia professor, which was stolen by Lex Luther, who trapped Batman, Robin, and Superman, and was finally defeated when all of the kids in the audience who came dressed as superheroes zapped him with their superlollypops combined with the the newly-found power in "Superconductor's" conducting baton. This concert is a community highlight, filling the CU Center with enthusiastic families. After the concert, the patio is filled with superhero-themed kid games led by CWO members with lots of prizes for the kids. This year's concert was taped for broadcast on Irvine City Televison.

March/April: With 20 of our 28 performances behind us already, things calm down a bit for two months. Rehearsals are occupied in preparation for our spring concert and two more outings to area churches for their worship services. This year we are preparing a Palm Sunday service, so we are having Charles Raasch arrange two hymns for the Lenten season: "No Tramp of Soldiers' Marching Feet" (whose text makes several marching band references) and "My Song is Love Unknown." Charlie will join us as organist for these settings on Palm Sunday. We'll prepare other music appropriate for Lent, including O Sacred Head Now Wounded by William Latham. The Wind Orchestra is always enthusiastically-received by congregations. Having a wind orchestra in worship is a spectacular and highly expressive way to enhance worship.

May: Our spring concert arrives - a collaboration with the Art Deparment themed, "Sonic Portraits: Music and Art in Synergy." The concert includes all music that is based in the visual arts. The program has large prints of each painting depicted by the music. One of our pieces, Prism by Steve Shafer, is accompanied by a video art installment (and it has an unbelievably beautiful penny whistle solo played by flutist Megan Salgado). Performing Pictures at an Exhibition, Scenes from the Louvre, and Art in the Park challenge and inspire us, but the highlight is a new work composed by junior Christian Guebert. This piece is inspired by three paintings by recent Concordia graduate, Justin Morris.

Closing out the year is our traditional performance at Concordia's commencement ceremonies (Pomp and Circumstance way too many times!). We part ways with our graduates, ready for some rest but reflecting on what has been a landmark year in the history of the Concordia Wind Orchestra.

CUI's tuba instructor, Charlie Warren, releases Music Minus One Tuba CD

Charlie Warren and his Disneyland-based brass quintet, the Pacific Coast Horns, have released a new Music Minus One CD for solo tuba, titled "Take Five." This is a great way for students to learn solo pieces with high quality accompaniment on CD, in regular tempo and slower tempo.

CWO Performs Ticheli's Amazing Grace

The Concordia Wind Orchestra performs for worship at Immanuel Lutheran Church, Orange, CA in 2009. Directed by Jeff Held. Permission granted by Manhattan Beach Music.

Concordia - a great alternative to the major university music program

If you are considering Concordia alongside a major university, please consider the following:

Especially if you've already auditioned at a major university, there are some obvious differences between the big music departments and Concordia. I'd like to take this opportunity to explain some not-so-obvious things that hopefully make Concordia a strong alternative.

School size: Concordia is a small school. If you would like to have a significant music education but don't want to be swallowed up in a "factory" of music students, Concordia is the place for you. If you want to be able to take a short walk to the music building to practice in the middle of the day, that is no problem. Our campus is small and and the music buildings are accessible, which is not the case at many major universities. Of course this means that you won't be competing against dozens of motivated musicians on your instrument. In most cases, you'll be one of a few music majors on your instrument. If you are the type of student that has intrinsic motivation, the lack of massive competition won't keep you from being a high achiever. And the close-knit nucleus of music majors who have similar goals as you will become your best friends as you share many experiences.

Becoming a seasoned performer: The flip side of our small size is that you will have numerous high-pressure performance opportunities. You'll be able to compete for the principal chair as a freshman (if you are a particularly strong player) and you won't have to beat out a whole studio of graduate students to get it. Even if you are not the principal player in your section in the Concordia Wind Orchestra, our policy of not doubling parts unless it is necessary for balance (mainly in the clarinet section) means that you will have a playing experience more like what is common in a symphony orchestra - you'll be singularly responsible for your part. The result is freedom to phrase and express your part and make decisions about how to do this. Therefore, you'll be expected to think and execute a high level of musicianship and your part will be very exposed - each performance is high stakes! And our repertoire is advanced college music.

At Concordia, you will become a very seasoned performer. The Concordia Wind Orchestra performs nearly 30 times per year, its associated chamber ensembles perform anywhere from 2-15 times per year. Also, as a soloist you will be expected to perform a piece in a noon recital twice per semester. Students who achieve the 300 level in applied study by their sophomore year are eligible to present a half recital (app. 30 minutes). Juniors give a half recital and seniors give a full recital. And our music department's close association with worship provides an additional layer of performing for soloists and chamber groups. If you want to become a great performer, you'll have plenty of practice at Concordia!

Private Study: Concordia is located in one of the most musician-dense populations in the entire world. When a position becomes available, we have an unbelievable pool of talented candidates. Concordia's teachers are some of the finest in Southern California. Their resumes attest to that (you can read them at www.cuimusic.com/privatestudy.html).

Instrument Access: If you are an instrumentalist that needs access to more than your own instrument, we can accommodate. Percussionists can view our extensive list of outstanding instruments, including a Musser 5-octave marimba at www.cuimusic.com. Trumpet players can check out a C trumpet, piccolo trumpet, D/Eb trumpet, or a flugelhorn. Clarinetists can check out an Eb clarinet, bass clarinet, alto clarinet, or an A clarinet. And we have a new contrabassoon for bassoonists. And all of these instruments are less than 4 years old, and they are top-of-the-line professional models. There are not many schools our size that can boast such a collection of instruments.

Degree: Concordia offers a Bachelor of Arts in music. One of the emphases that you can select is performance. We don't offer a Bachelor of Music degree, which requires more units than a Bachelor of Arts (although many music majors far exceed the number of required music units to graduate). However, a Bachelor of Arts degree fully educates you. Sometimes students are nervous about majoring in music because they are afraid that they are locking themselves into a particular career path. Not so with a bachelor of arts. You will develop your non-musical skills fully - the skills of communication, writing, and thinking. Make no mistake about it, these skills help you stand out in a very competitive fields.

Faith-centered Music: And finally, the most significant thing that makes Concordia distinctive against major universities - Christian ministry. We hear a lot about spiritual connections with music, but at Concordia music affords a spiritual connection with the Lord. Many concerts take sacred themes, and most of our groups perform regularly in worship.

If you want to play music at a high level in a uniquely faith-based way, please consider Concordia. Our facilities may not be as spectacular, but the Concordia Experience more than makes up for this.

FAQs About College Music

If you are soon to be in college and you are a musician, please take 10 minutes to read this excellent article by Dr. Scott Harris. Although it addresses the perspective of a percussionist, it applies to any musician.

1. FAQs About College Music / Percussion

2. Now, I have a few comments to help you understand Concordia's music program...

Should I major in music ed or performance? Another issue to keep in mind is that the typical student working toward a performance career will get a master's degree and often a doctorate in their performance area. Having a broader approach to your undergraduate study will keep more doors open.

But I really want to perform. Do I lose performance opportunities as an education major? At Concordia, most music majors give a senior recital, and many also give a junior recital. It isn't required, but it is rather common regardless of an emphasis in performance, music education, or church music. On top of that, once you achieve the "300 level" on your instrument, you can give a recital - some students get there before their junior year, allowing them to give 3 undergraduate recitals.

How long does the degree take to complete? At Concordia, students should be able to graduate in 4 years. Music Education students might be wise to take an extra semester to accommodate student teaching. This is an advantage of Concordia, since many universities are growingly unable to matriculate music majors in 4 years.

What should I play for an audition? Unlike the scenario explained in Dr. Harris' article, Concordia usually does not have the private teachers sitting in the auditions. However, his point about learning about the teacher you will spend 4 years with is very important. Please get to know Concordia's studio faculty. If you are considering the music major, please contact me about setting up a complimentary lesson with your potential studio teacher.

If I don’t major in music can I still take lessons and play in the band? Concordia is a different environment than what is explained in Dr. Harris' article. Here, many non-majors participate in the top groups and many not only take private lessons, but receive extra scholarship money (in addition to money provided to play in ensembles) to pay for them.

Do you have more questions? Go to www.cui.edu/music for a detailed overview of Concordia's music department. And don't hesitate to contact Concordia music faculty with questions.

Jay Mason and the Grammys

Concordia Adjunct Professor of Saxophone Jay Mason contributed to three Grammy nominated albums/songs this year:

 Category 14: Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album, “The Sinatra Project”, Michael Feinstein.  Jay played lead alto saxophone, baritone saxophone, flute, oboe, and bass clarinet. 

 Category 49: Best Large Jazz Ensemble Recording, “Act Your Age”, Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band.  Jay played baritone saxophone, flute, and bass clarinet. 

 Category 85: Best Instrumental Composition, “Hit the Ground Running”, track from “Act Your Age”, Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band.

 Jay also contributes to two high profile current soundtracks, for the film The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Jay plays a baritone sax solo in one scene) and several United Airlines commercials for the Olympics and Super Bowl.

Long Beach Press Telegram Previews CWO Concert

The Long Beach Press Telegram published a feature article about Francis Johnson and Steve Charpie's attempt to promote his legacy. The article was timed to help promote Steve's concert with the Concordia Wind Orchestra on Feb. 17. Read the article

CUI's Flute Teacher, Susan Fries, Publishes Book

Susan Fries recently published a book about legendary flutist Marcel Moyse, titled My Teacher, Remembering Marcel Moyse. The book is a narrative of 54 individual stories about famous flute teacher/performer, Marcel Moyse, who was the most-recorded flutist in France between the 1920s and 1940s.

Book excerpt
Book website

Steve Charpie

Our Feb. 17, 2008 (3:00) the Concordia Wind Orchestra will perform with trumpeter Steve Charpie. Steve is a expert on early American brass instruments. A great article and video about Steve was posted yesterday on the Long Beach Press Telegram website.

Student Instrumentalists Color Christmas at Concordia

Concordia University has a grand tradition of Christmas concerts. This year's concert featured the Concordia Choir, Master Chorale, Concordia Wind Orchestra, and Concert Handbells in 5 sold-out performances. The Wind Orchestra performed the following:

Fantasia on a 13th-century Carol (James Hosay)
Jesus, Jesus Rest Your Head (arr. Tom Wallace)
Sussux Mummers' Christmas Carol (Percy Grainger)


The Wind Orchestra and organist Charles Raasch accompanied the audience in a setting of "Joy to the World," and accompanied the choirs for a Richard Nance setting of "Savior of the Nations Come."

Concordia student instrumentalists accompanied the choirs for two movements of Bach's grand Mass in B Minor (Gloria, Dona nobis pacem). Some also performed on the double choir motet by Scheidt, "Nun komm Der Heiland," another setting of the same hymn by Michael Praetorius, and soloist Kathryn Hinton played flute with the Concordia Concert Handbells on "Do You Hear What I Hear."

Concordia instrumentalists play an important role in this great tradition.