The curtains rose for the Fullerton College Symphonic Winds as they held their first concert of the fall semester on Oct. 29, 2024. The Symphonic Winds serve as the primary ensemble for wind, brass and percussion music majors at Fullerton College.
The concert was directed by David Lopez, a professor for the Fullerton College music department, and consisted of the 62 person ensemble performing a mix of modern and classic musical pieces.
One of the highlights of the entire show was, “From Glen to Glen,” by Robert Sheldon. The piece was commissioned by Klamath Falls Community Band conductor Rob Izzett who dedicated the piece to his son who tragically passed away.
The composition starts very playful, trying to capture the essence of a young child’s life until the music starts to slow down into a more melancholy sound. One can feel the emotion during the slow parts especially during the tuba sections as Izzett’s son was a tuba player. The song then starts to pick up into a more cheerful sound and ends on an exciting note.
The Symphonic Winds are able to capture the emotion that is poured into this composition thanks to many hours of practice and experience.
“Experience really does help in music. Learning the music is kind of its own preparation, which helps with experience and it helps when performing for future concerts,” said Lopez.
Another stand out from the show was the final piece of the night called, “Animation,” by Randall Standridge. Inspired by the sounds of Carl Stalling, known for his work composing for old Warner Bros. cartoons, Standridge wanted to create a piece that sounded like a lost episode of an old cartoon and the Symphonic Winds ensemble accomplished just that.
The piece starts off very reminiscent of the intro from Looney Tunes, capturing the essence of old school cartoons and carrying it throughout the entire track. The unique sounds from the various pieces of percussion sound like they were stripped straight from the cartoon which helps visualize all the wacky scenes that the piece is narrating.
There were also some very funny moments that the band executed perfectly throughout the piece such as members of the ensemble wearing sunglasses while they performed their solos and one member perfectly mimicking the sound of a cartoon character falling from a high distance. The piece is very wacky and it is sure to make anyone who is a fan of the Looney Tunes cartoon laugh.
The Symphonic Winds ensemble has been practicing for this concert since the beginning of the fall semester putting in countless hours to make sure that this concert went as smoothly as possible.
“If you want to get better as a musician you have to practice every single day. But if you love it, then you’ll love doing it, you’ll love practicing every day and that’s what makes you a better musician,” said euphonium player Raphael Federico.
The Symphonic Winds kicked off the fall concert season at Fullerton College and there are many more concerts set to take place on campus over the next couple of months. For more information on upcoming shows visit the music department website and make sure to catch a show before the year ends.
“Anyone can pick up an instrument, you just have to have the passion to continue working on it – as for becoming a musician you have to be willing to work really hard and be able to work well with other people,” said flute player Stacy Osnaya.
