ITG 2004

Lisa Blackmore, Reporting

According to John W. Kincaid’s program notes, the first Western State brass band workshop was held in the summer of 1974. These workshops have spawned several other brass bands throughout the western United States. The Reading Session was also billed as the Western State College Colorado Brass Band Thirtieth Anniversary Concert.

Don M. McLaurin conducted the band for the first two selections. They opened with Folk Festival by Dmitri Shostakovich arranged by Howard Snell. It was a lively piece with lots of technique required in the cornets and indeed the entire band. The second work was Philip Wilby’s Concert Gallop featuring the solo cornet quartet of Ritchie Clendenin, Frank Hilligas, Bryan Goff, and Joan LaRue. This pleasant tune was originally scored for four euphoniums and band and can also be performed as a solo, duet, or trio.

Ritchie Clendenin, the band’s co-principal cornetist, announced that anyone interested could join and play with the band for the remainder of the program. As approximately twenty more cornetists came to the stage, James Klages mentioned his informative CD on the history of the American cornet tradition is available for $5.

The “reinforced” band played Stephen Bulla’s Images for Brass. This is a new piece that was written for the Marine Brass in commemoration of the Marines landing at Iwo Jima. It is a substantial work consisting of four movements, incorporating traditional patriotic tunes with an exciting conclusion.

John W. Kincaid conducted the next two compositions. William Himes’ arrangement of the traditional This Is My Father’s World is available through the Salvation Army of Chicago. The arrangement is a sensitive rendition of the tune, and featured solos by Gary Ambrosier on flugel horn, and Ritchie Clendenin on cornet, and especially nice playing on E-flat cornet by Mark Baker. A tradition British brass band march titled Viva Birkinshaw by William Rimmer followed. Don McLaurin conducted Gunnison Rhapsody by Carlyle Sharpe. Sharpe teaches at Drury University and this work is available by contacting him directly. This beautiful work emphasized the warm tone of the brass band.

Robert Nagel, one of the “founding fathers” of ITG came to the podium and conducted Philip Wilby’s arrangement of Thine Be the Glory. He told the ensemble to think about those who are placing their lives at risk on a daily basis. The second, third, and ripiano cornets moved to the back of the ensemble to perform the antiphonal fanfare parts. This poignant arrangement is available in the BlackDyke Brass Band Publication Series.

The reading session concluded with Sousa’s The Stars and Stripes Forever in a stately tempo with good controlled playing by the group. Deirdre Fotescu did a nice job of performing the famous piccolo solo.

Over all, the band played beautifully…with blend and intonation coming across surprisingly well considering the large number of extra players.