The Williams Symphonic Winds to Perform “Sounds of Sightâ€
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. – The Williams Symphonic Winds will give a concert on Saturday, Feb. 21, at 8 p.m. in Chapin Hall on the Williams College campus. This free event is open to the public.Members of the Symphonic Winds, directed by Steven Dennis Bodner, are excited to be joined by Thomas Bergeron to premiere a concerto for trumpet, wind ensemble, and electronics by composer Jay Wadley. Also on the program will be music that explores connections between the aural and the visual--can we see sounds? can we hear colors?--including Karel Husa's Les Couleurs Fauves, excerpts from Michael Gordon's Van Gogh, Edgard Varèse`s Octandre, and James MacMillan's as others see us.
The Williams Symphonic Winds is a 60-member ensemble dedicated to performing the most significant music written for the chamber and large wind ensemble mediums in provocative concerts. Now in his ninth year as Music Drector, Steven Dennis Bodner has developed the ensemble's identity as a leading proponent of the performance of new music on campus. The ensemble has commisioned and premiered a number of works by contemporary composers, including Williams faculty and alumni.
Recognized as one of the premier wind ensembles in New England, the Symphonic Winds performed at the 2006 College Band Directors National Association Eastern Division Conference. In recent years, the Symphonic Winds has been noted both for its adventurous and creative programming and for the quality of its performance, described as "astounding" by critic-composer Barton McLean and "amazingly good" by the composer Louis Andriessen.
