By
Angela Orlando
Arizona Summer Wildcat
Imminent adventure is inspiring excitement among UA Wind Ensemble musicians. For the first time in its history, the group will travel to Europe for performance and competition next week.
"This is an amazing opportunity," said second-year doctoral student Bruce Taylor. "It's wonderful to be able to showcase ourselves to the entire world."
Having majored in music, Taylor has also had extensive experience traveling in Europe, and is in charge of touring logistics for the ensemble.
The performance tour begins at the World Music Contest on Tuesday in Kerkrade, Netherlands. Then the group travels to Mullhouse, France on July 6, and Winterthur, Switzerland on July 7.
Only two bands in America were chosen this year to compete at the group's last stop - the annual World Association of Symphonic Bands and Ensembles Conference - which occurs in Lucerne, Switzerland July 10.
The other band is the United States Marine Corps Band, Taylor said.
In order to compete at the conference, the ensemble had to audition.
"We submitted a tape of ourselves performing last fall," Taylor said, "and it was judged by an international panel."
Shannon Casey completed her Master's degree in conducting at the UA last semester, and will accompany the ensemble as an organizational assistant. Casey has never been to Europe, and is "kind of overwhelmed by the whole thing," she said. "I'll be making sure all the musicians have their music - that kind of thing."
Casey hopes these travels will prove both enjoyable and educational.
"I'm most excited about Lucerne," she said. "We'll spend the most time there, and go to workshops and lectures. I'll get a chance to see how people from all over the world conduct their orchestras - what gestures they use to interpret the music."
The ensemble added three American musical pieces to their repertoire for the tour.
"La Fiesta Mexicana," composed by the local musician H. Owen Reed, reflects Tucson's culture. The group will also perform Robert Russell Bennett's "Suite of Old American Dances," and the 45-minute-long "Concerto for Alto Saxophone and Wind Ensemble" by David Maslanska.
Maslanska, a long-time friend of UA Wind Ensemble director Gregg Hanson, will accompany the group to Europe. Guest saxophone soloist Joseph Lullof of the University of Michigan, will perform the concerto with the ensemble in Lucerne.
"(The Concerto) really makes you sit and think about your life," Casey said. "You don't notice how long it is. It feels like five minutes."
Each student contributed $500 to the cost of the trip, Casey said, and several campus groups donated money to the ensemble's travel fund.
The ensemble will perform a free "Bon Voyage Concert" Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at Pima Community College's Proscenium Theater, 2202 W. Anklam Road. Call 621-2998 for more information.
