By Cinara Marquis
After last semester’s concert, a member of the ensemble raised an important question to Daniel Gordon, the Symphonic Band director and music professor at SUNY Plattsburgh — why does the band never perform music by women composers?
“I realized that in over 30 years of directing the Symphonic Band, I have programmed only a couple of pieces by women composers,” Gordon wrote in an email. “So I decided to dedicate an entire program to that theme to rectify the situation.”
Tonight the Symphonic Band is honoring women composers with a full program of songs, all of which were composed by women. The performance will take place in the E. Glenn Giltz Auditorium at 7:30 p.m. There is no admission charge.
Gordon wrote that he believes music is more meaningful when listeners understand how it relates to other things.
“(The performance) also had the possibility of looking prescient about the presidential election,” he explained. “There was the chance that we would be performing a program of women composers only a couple of weeks after electing a woman president. But it didn’t turn out that way.”
After the ensemble member came to Gordon last semester, he found himself asking many questions — why are there so few women composers? Does music composed by women sound different from music written by men?
He found that they are complicated, nuanced questions embedded with traditional values, societal norms and gender stereotypes.
“We can’t answer all of those questions with this concert, but at least we can give women composers the voice that they deserve,” Gordon wrote. “As for whether or not music by women composers sounds different from music by men composers, I invite anyone to come to the concert and judge for themselves.”
PROGRAM
“Women Composers,” directed by Gordon, will consist of a variety of compositions written by women.
“Albanian Dance ‘Shōta’” was composed in 2005 by musician Shelley Hanson. Hanson’s compositions have been performed on every continent except Antarctica.
“Syntonos” was composed in 1986 by the prolific composer Anne McGinty. She was the first woman commissioned to write an original work for the United States Army Band. The song “Hall of Heroes” premiered in 2000, with McGinty conducting.
“Fort McHenry Suite” was composed in 2000 by Julie Giroux. The suite includes “Rockets’ Red Glare,” “Dimly Seen Through the Mists of the Deep” and “When Freemen Shall Stand.” The collection is named after the Battle of Fort McHenry, the event that inspired the lyrics to “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
“Through the Forest” was composed in 2017 by Hanna Lehtonen. The Finnish conductor, music educator, composer and producer was a director of the Suomen Tyōväen Musiikkiliitto summer music festival in Finland, where Gordon taught and performed in residency.
“American Labor Songs” was composed in 2018 by Kemberly Archer. The suite, which includes “Medley (one),” “Which Side Are You On?” and “Medley (two),” was created after Archer founded a union chapter at the Illinois Education Association.
PERSONNEL
The Symphonic Band consists of both students and community members.
On piccolo are Trevor White and Ashley Filion; on flute are Khristina Heffernan, Lindsey Pulver and Breeley Rawls; on oboe is Edna Stroinski; on clarinet are Oliver Lain, Emma Kurtzberg, Vincent Ferrara, Beth Delles, Shannon Breen and Amy Mountcastle; and on bass clarinet is Kaelyn Morgan.
On alto saxophone are Ewan Erhardt, Laura Holtman and Aleena Landeta; on tenor saxophone are Elijah Schenk; and on baritone saxophone is Joshua Farrell.
On trumpet are Joe Marocco, Sam Mosier, Sara Dean, Sara Brunell, Rayne Jacobs and Kirk Lancto; on french horn are Lydya Felix, Samantha Marocco, Tom Whitney and Bruce McRae; on trombone are Cody Walke, Timothy Lloyd and Hillary Sponable; on euphonium is Casey Belrose; and on tuba are Eric Weller, Riley Breyette and Glenn Myer.
On Percussion are Ngozi Permaul, Luke Gearhart, Mike Lewandowski and Isaac Bulriss.
GET INVOLVED
The Symphonic Band is a one-credit college course within the music department — MUS 393. The group meets every Tuesday and Thursday from 3:30 to 4:45 and is open to all regardless of major and without audition requirements.
“A special aspect of the Symphonic Band is that all students who register for credit get an automatic small scholarship every semester just for being in it,” Gordon explained. “In other words, they get paid to play.”
Check out the SUNY Plattsburgh music calendar at plattsburgh.edu/plattslife/arts/music-calendar.html
