Sixty-six individuals will take the stage at Carnegie Hall in New York City as the Arkansas Tech University Symphonic Wind Ensemble on Wednesday, Dec. 15.
The following individuals will comprise the ATU Symphonic Wind Ensemble for the Carnegie Hall performance:
Flutes/Piccolo
Diana Nava of Russellville
Olivia Hopkins of Arlington, Texas
Hannah Smith of Greenbrier
Mikayla Hayes of Charleston
Nicole Brown of Dover
Oboe/English Horn
Grace Davis Cabot
Bassoon/Contrabassoon
Anna Bloodworth of Russellville
Megan McGinnis of Van Buren
Logan Anderson of Rogers
Eb Clarinet
Jessica Garrett of Benton
Bb Clarinet
Piper Turner of Van Buren
Tess Butler of Hot Springs
Jacob Stover of Mount Ida
Morgan Bates of Cabot
Mackenzie Murphy of Bryant
Corrigan Burkett of Springdale
Anna Shelton of Batesville
Low Clarinets
Kaitlyn Rebidue of Cabot
Corrigan Burkett of Springdale
Saxophones
Andrew Garrett of Benton
Mya Manes of Morrilton
Elizabeth Barrett of Midlothian, Texas
Bodhi Lovely of Russellville
Gabriel Hart of Dover
Horn
Isaac Deaver of Fort Smith
Jimmy Rhine of Cabot
Brad Wills of Dardanelle
Hannah Lomax of Russellville
Zoe Covey of Cabot
Aaron Mack of Van Buren
B♭ and Piccolo Trumpets
Sanders Hilburn of Cabot
Trey Brown of Mena
Kiera Klein of Cabot
Colton Guill of Hot Springs
Jacob Capper of Springdale
Kendall Pomeroy of Siloam Springs
Preston Abbott of Russellville
Jake Hodges of Russellville
David Hall of Cabot
Trombone
Brendan Frazier of Denton, Texas
Jacob Hawkins of Cabot
Dawson Schalk of Dover
Julie Osorto of Russellville
Anthony Montgomery of North Little Rock
Bass Trombone
Riley Kelley of Russellville
Donald McBride of Van Buren
Euphonium
Logan Jones of Cabot
Nathan Dunlap of Springdale
Brick Wasson of Van Buren
Tuba
Sean Perdue of Cabot
Katie Rodriguez of Russellville
Avery Langston of El Dorado
Bennett Ashlock of Clarksville
Percussion
Adam Chasteen of Maumelle
Allison Spears of Van Buren
Riley Carpenter of Dover
Blaed Walters of Muldrow, Okla.
Jessie Hernandez of Berryville
Jacob Six of Van Buren
Bryan Torres of Rogers
Megan McGinnis of Van Buren
Contrabass
Tandem Young of Dover
Alex Madden of Prairie Grove
Piano/Celesta
Tim Smith of Russellville
Adam Chasteen of Maumelle
Harp
Hannah Murphy of New York, N.Y.
The Carnegie Hall concert is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. Eastern Standard Time/6 p.m. Central Standard Time on Wednesday, Dec. 15. Bands from Cabot High School and Russellville High School will also perform as part of the show.
The program the ATU Symphonic Wind Ensemble will take to Carnegie Hall includes “Celebration” by ATU music faculty member Philip Parker, a “Copland Suite” of music by Aaron Copland, “Soul” from “Concerto for Wind Ensemble” by Kevin Day and “A Lincoln Address” by Vincent Persichetti.
Following an intermission, the performance will continue with “My Jesus, Oh What Anguish” by Johann Sebastian Bach as arranged by Alfred Reed and the third movement of “Symphony No. 8” by David Maslanka.
Dr. Daniel A. Belongia, ATU director of bands and professor of music, is conductor of the ATU Symphonic Wind Ensemble.
Dr. Jon Nash, ATU assistant director of bands and assistant professor of music, will be guest conductor on “Celebration.” He will stand in for Hal Cooper, professor emeritus of music and former director of bands at ATU. Cooper was slated to guest conduct the piece during the May 2020 Carnegie Hall performance by the ATU Symphonic Wind Ensemble, which was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Three members of the ATU music faculty — Dr. Jon Clements (baritone voice), Ken Futterer (oboe) and Dr. T.J. Perry (trumpet) — will join the ensemble on “Copland Suite,” which is a pairing of “Old American Dances” and “Quiet City.”
The structure of “A Lincoln Address” calls for a narrator to recite some of President Abraham Lincoln’s most famous quotes. With a university band and two high school bands from Arkansas on the program and the presidential theme of the piece, Belongia had an idea.
“I wondered…what if Bill Clinton would agree to be our narrator?” said Belongia. “We worked on it for some time, and I believe that President Clinton wanted to collaborate with us, but we recently received regrets that he will be unable to attend. Since Stephanie Streett was our connection and advocate to President Clinton, we are thrilled she has agreed to be our narrator in his stead. Stephanie served in the White House during President Clinton’s administration and has deep roots in the Russellville community, including serving as a clarinet player in Travis Beard’s bands at Russellville High School.”
Gary Green, emeritus professor of music and director of bands at the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami, will guest conduct the ATU Symphonic Wind Ensemble’s performance of “My Jesus, Oh What Anguish.” Green became a mentor to Belongia when the latter was an undergraduate and graduate music student at the University of Miami.
Learn more about the ATU Department of Music at www.atu.edu/music.
