BS
Bryn Spejcher
  • communication sciences and disorders
  • Class of 2013
  • Bloomingdale, IL

Bryn Spejcher to perform in Symphonic Band fall concert

2010 Oct 28

The Augustana Symphonic Band will explore the grand themes and everyday moments of American life during its annual fall concert on Saturday, October 30, at 8 p.m. in Centennial Hall (3703 7th Ave.). The free public concert will feature music from five contemporary American composers, including several new compositions.

Bryn Spejcher plays the flute in the band. Spejcher is a sophomore majoring in communication sciences & disorders from Bloomingdale, IL.

Frank Ticheli's "Angels in the Architecture" unfolds as a dramatic conflict between light and darkness, good and evil. The music incorporates the melodies of three traditional songs of peace: a 19th-century Shaker hymn, a traditional Jewish piece and the popular Genevan Psalter, "Old Hundredth." These universal representations of peace are interspersed with fast-paced, turbulent expressions of death and spiritual doubt.

"Symphony on the Themes of John Philip Sousa" was composed by popular American arranger and orchestrator Ira Hearshen. The piece pays homage to the patriotic marches of John Philip Sousa, including "Hands Across the Sea" and "The Stars and Stripes Forever." Hearshen recently has become popular with a new generation for his orchestration of the music for A Bug's Life; Monsters, Inc.; and Toy Story 2.

The Symphonic Band's third piece, "Color Code This!" is a new composition by Ohio University's internationally acclaimed professor Mark Phillips. The title refers to the color-coding system that the Department of Homeland Security uses to assess the threat of terrorism. Phillips says the piece contains "a lot of fireworks," as well as some "deliberately cheesy" references to modern American masterpieces.

"ImPercynations" by Steven Bryant is a compilation of melodic fragments from the work of famous 20th-century composer Percy Grainger. Bryant describes the piece as a "genetically altered, crossbred, hybrid offspring" of Grainger's original "musical wildflowers."

The final piece in the concert, John Corigliano's "Gazebo Dances," is inspired by the summer evening band concerts that take place in village pavilions across the country. Corigliano originally wrote the piece as a piano duet, but expanded it to include a full band in 1972.

The Symphonic Band is Augustana's oldest musical ensemble. Since its founding in 1874, it has grown in size and reputation; the band's annual spring tours include performances throughout the United States and the world. The band is directed by Dr. James M. Lambrecht, who has served as a professor at Augustana since 1988. Last fall, Lambrecht served as a guest conductor for the prestigious Musashino Academia Musicae Wind Ensemble in Tokyo, Japan.

About Augustana: Founded in 1860 and situated on a 115-acre campus near the Mississippi River, Augustana College is a private, liberal arts institution affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The college enrolls 2,500 students from diverse geographic, social, ethnic and religious backgrounds and offers more than 70 majors and related areas of study. Augustana employs 287 faculty members and has a student-faculty ratio of 11:1. Augustana continues to do what it has always done: challenge and prepare students for lives of leadership and service in our complex, ever-changing world.