Play golf, raise Pride scholarship money!

The first ever “Pride of Oklahoma Scholarship Golf Tournament will be held at the OU Jimmie Austin Golf Club, Saturday afternoon, June 21, 2008. This event will provide Pride staff and students the opportunity to interact with band alumni, supporters, and friends, while raising funds for the band scholarship endowment. A wide array of participation and sponsorship opportunities are available to fit virtually everyone’s interest and availability. Space is limited so act now to ensure you have a spot for this terrific event. Click here for more information. Why a golf tournament? From the brochure: Due to the time demands of band membership, as well as ever increasing academic responsibilities, Pride of Oklahoma members find it difficult if not impossible to work outside jobs during fall semester. As a result, scholarships are an essential resource to sustain the quality of the Pride. Presently, The Pride of Oklahoma is able to offer scholarships to approximately one third of our members each year from existing endowed funds. Our desire is to increase both the number and size of these awards to offset increasing educational costs. Achieving this goal will allow us continue to attract and retain the best collegiate band members in the nation. Your participation in this event as a sponsor, a golfer, or both, makes it possible for us to grow the endowed funds necessary to support the band scholarship program. Thank you for helping us continue the tradition of excellence for which The Pride of Oklahoma has become known throughout its 104 year history. See you on the course! Additionally, plans are being made for a “Dance Band Reunion” to be held in the evening following the tournament. OU Band Alumnus Joe Windes, and OU Band Alumnus/OU Jazz Ensemble Director, Jay Wilkinson are heading up this event. Stay tuned for more details! [From the webmaster: we've also added the event and the registration deadline to our Events calendar, so if you're subscribed to that, you'll see it all in place for June 21. Who can resist the chance to whack the bejeebus out of some golf balls to raise money for the next generation of alumni?? If you play golf at all, sign up today!] Posted by Brian Britt on 5/2/08; 12:47:44 PM from the Alumni sightings, Pride of Oklahoma dept. Discuss #

Wednesday Lunch with the Wind Symphony!

Well, yes, all the concerts for this academic year are over. But wouldn't you like one more chance to hear your fine OU Wind Symphony perform? Perhaps at a convenient time, like at noon on Wednesday, so you don't have to cancel evening plans? With both eclectic and familiar tunes, and maybe some chamber music because, well, why not chamber music? As you may have guessed, you're in luck! The Wind Symphony appears once again at 12:00 PM on April 30 in Catlett Music Center's Paul F. Sharp Concert Hall, in a Sutton series concert to help fulfill the Doctor of Musical Arts requirements for Russell T. Pettit and Debra L. Traficante, conducting students of Dr. Wakefield. Russell will be conducting Peter Mennin's Canzona, Eric Leidzen's transcription of Wagner's Trauersinfonie, and Norman Dello Joio's 1963 classic Variants on a Mediæval Tune. My personal favorite of the three is Dello Joio's Variants on a Mediæval Tune, which I had not heard performed in about ten years until the Symphony Band picked it up last year, and Russell brought it to the Wind Symphony this year as a challenge for his recital. Based on the medieval tune In Dulci Jubilo, better known tody as the hymn/Christmas carol Good Christian Men, Rejoice, the piece is a statement of the tune and a set of wildly divergent variations scored for maximum use of the full tonal range of the modern wind ensemble. At times it's lush and indulging its Christian overtones, and at other times private and almost exposed (if memory serves, the score calls for three "cornet" parts and two "trumpet" parts, so with five different high-brass lines, there's little room for error). Dello Joio reused some of the ideas a year later in his score for NBC's The Louvre, a color TV tour of that museum's treasures, the likes of which had never before been broadcast in the United States. Some of that, in turn, made it into his later classic band work Scenes From The Louvre, but the ideas started right here. It's both a personal and communal expression of the spirituality of a jubilant and reflective life. It's one of my all-time favorites. Debra is conducting movements I, II, and IV of Vincent Persichetti's archetypal 1921 work Symphony No. 6 for Band, Op. 69, and ten movements of William Walton's…unique Façade, an Entertainment, also from 1921, with poems by Edith Sitwell, recited by Zachary Kropp. It's hard to describe Façade without using the program notes, and that would be cheating, but it's definitely an interesting mid-week musical experience! (Hint: look at the page for Façade on the William Walton site and note that the title of the first setting that hasn't survived in its entirety is "Ass Face." They're not performing that one.) With classic English chamber music overtones for often-nonsensical poems commissioned by—let's face it—rich people who didn't have anything better to do until World War II reset Britain's priorities, Façade is both an energetic romp and quiet personal meditation, with expert recitation by young Mr. Kropp. It's definitely not your standard "band" fare, and it'll stay with you for a while (in a good way). Admission is free, and both Debra and Russell (who were both also Pride of Oklahoma graduate assistants in 2007) would love to conduct for you, so take some extra time on Wednesday and get some classic band love before the semester ends! Posted by Webmaster on 4/25/08; 4:37:10 AM from the OU Music dept. Discuss #

Kelli Masters: Sports Agent

From today's Oklahoman. Posted by Webmaster on 4/24/08; 1:38:32 PM from the Alumni sightings dept. Discuss #

A memorial concert for Mady Byrne (1988-2008)

The Symphony Band and Concert Band present a memorial concert for hornist, Mady Byrne, who passed away suddenly in February on the scheduled date of ensembles’ first concert. This final concert for the semester is presented on Monday, April 21, at 8:00 p.m, in the Paul F. Sharp Hall at Catlett Music Center on the University of Oklahoma Campus. Concert Band selections include: West Highland Sojourn by Robert Sheldon Shenandoah by Frank Ticheli Journey into Diablo Canyon by David Shaffer Psalm 46 by John Zdechlik and Cheerio March by Edwin F. Goldman. The Symphony Band, of which Mady was a member, performs: Boys of the Old Brigade March by W. Paris Chambers Laboring Songs by Dan Welcher Sanctuary by Frank Ticheli Flag of Stars by Gordon Jacob Blithe Bells by Percy Grainger and Niagara Falls by Michael Daugherty. Concert admission is free. Click on the image of the poster to download a printable version [1.5MB PDF, contains a photograph of Mady Byrne] to post where people may gather. Posted by Webmaster on 4/5/08; 9:14:24 PM from the OU Music dept. Discuss #

Wind Symphony concert on April 14

The Wind Symphony presents their final Sutton Series Concert for the spring on Monday, April 14, at 8:00 p.m., in Paul F. Sharp Hall. The program includes: Norman Dello Joio's Variants on a Mediaeval Tune John Adams' Lollapalooza selections from William Walton’s Façade, an Entertainment Russell Peck’s The Glory and Grandeur featuring three percussion soloists and Carter Pann’s Slalom. For tickets, please call the F.A.C.T.S. box office at 325-4101. Tickets prices for Sutton performances are $8 for adults and $5 for faculty, staff, students and seniors. (Click on the image of the concert poster to get your own PDF version, suitable for printing, framing, or papering your office!) Posted by Webmaster on 4/5/08; 8:55:21 PM from the OU Music dept. Discuss #