Director of Bands Thomas C. Duffy celebrated his 40th year at Yale in 2022. As a special gift, Yale Bands alumni and friends mounted a fundraising campaign to honor him by naming an annual concert after him. In perpetuity, the Band’s April concert will be “The Thomas C. Duffy Yale Concert Band Spring Concert,” the program of which will include one of his wind band compositions.
Thomas C. Duffy, Music Director. “Dust” for wind ensemble and brass quintet by Jennifer Jolley, feat. guest artists Seraph Brass (all-women quintet)
Jennifer Jolley wrote “Dust” in reflection of her time in Lubbock, TX, when she served on the faculty at Texas Tech University School of Music. During periods of isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic, she took long drives and immersed herself in the landscape, climate, and history of the vast state. From high plains, to rolling prairies, to verdant grasslands, from being caught in brief, intense hail showers and dust storms and the scorching sun, she came to know Texas through its ambient and tactile qualities, which she saw reflected in the state’s diverse social, political, and religious climate. As she puts it, “Texas is extreme in that way, in every way. It’s immense and intimate, precarious and nurturing, vital and violent all at once.”
Seraph Brass was founded by trumpet soloist Mary Elizabeth Bowden (Yale School of Music M.M. 2006) with a mission to showcase the excellence of women brass players and highlight musicians from marginalized groups, both in personnel and in programming. In addition to performances and residencies, Seraph performs as a 10-piece ensemble, as soloists with symphony orchestras and wind bands, and in collaboration with other chamber artists. Seraph Brass performs a diverse body of repertoire, ranging from original transcriptions to newly commissioned works and core classics. More information on Seraph Brass (https://www.seraphbrass.com/)
● Viet Cuong wrote “Deciduous” after his father’s death, comparing the experience of grief and healing to the cycle of life, where there is the loss of one’s “leaves,” after which the leafless winter eventually is followed by a spring.
● Gustav Holst’s “Second Suite in F for Military Band” is based on English folk songs and dance. Each of its four movements possesses its own distinctive character—from slow and tender to lively and complex—ending with a resetting of the well-known tune “Greensleeves.”
● In his “Stand the Storm,” Julian Work’s goal was to develop his own style of orchestration, using whatever compositional devices might best serve the needs of his current subject. Describing himself as a composer influenced by the music of Debussy and Ravel, Work deliberately tried to avoid falling into predictable patterns. This march does not sound like the “usual” march, but is a compelling compilation of meters, motives, and machinations!
Other music: “Toccata Marziale” (Ralph Vaughan Williams), “Like an Altar with 9000 Robot Attendants”
(Ryan Lindveit), “The Other Side Silence - Finale” (Stephen Roberts), “Frozen Flame March” (T. C. Duffy)