Mission Peak Wind Symphony (MPWS) free concert welcomes you on Saturday, January 21, at 8 p.m. at Chabot College, Hayward

Come and experience “Dawn” as Mission Peak Wind Symphony (MPWS) ushers in a new season on Saturday, January 21, at 8:00 p.m. at Chabot College, Hayward.

Following the opening fanfare, “Prelude to the Shining Day” by Yo Goto, the audience will get to appreciate Gustav Holst’s “The First Suite in E-flat,” one of the cornerstone masterworks—perhaps the cornerstone—in concert band repertoire. Premiered in 1920, the Suite was the British composer’s first piece of music written for military band; yet, it managed to convince many other prominent composers at that time that serious music for large ensembles could be written beyond the orchestral format and, specifically, for the combination of woodwinds, brass, and percussion. Each of the three movements of the Suite is carefully crafted such that the full dynamic and stylistic range of the group is showcased by the time that the final March reaches its conclusion. The value of Holst’s composition is demonstrated in John Mackey’s “Aurora Awakes” when the final chord of Holst’s first movement is borrowed for Mackey’s own final chord. Given that the wind ensemble genre is fairly new in the grand scheme, this type of “vertical programming,” where one piece of music being played is directly influenced by another, is rare. Be sure to look for this subtle relationship as the goddess of dawn rises to break the day!

While “Dawn” suggests a new beginning, it also holds new challenges. Inspired by the true story of a Japanese fishing boat that was contaminated at sea by a nuclear weapons test in 1954, Hirokazu Fukushima composed “Eternal Memoir: The Saga of the Lucky Dragon.” Through his work, he seeks to bring about empathy to the tragedy, and greater awareness to the nuclear challenges that we all face. Fukushima has traced and expressed the truth of the event. Then in the brighter half of the piece, the boat’s spirit is portrayed as a dragon breathing life and rising to heaven.…

MPWS’s season-opener with guest appearance of Castro Valley High School music students carries a special personal meaning to Music Director Travis Nasatir. Nasatir grew up in the Castro Valley school system and performed in the band, orchestra, and jazz program of Castro Valley High School in his freshman year. He then transferred to the San Francisco School of the Arts (SOTA) and studied under Steven Hendee. “My time at SOTA was highly influential in my musical development and understanding of wind band as an art form. Steve (Hendee) was the primary source of my education there,” recalled Nasatir. “It is my pleasure to share the stage with my former teacher as he directs the Castro Valley High School Wind Ensemble.”

“Dawn”

Mission Peak Wind Symphony

Saturday, January 21, 2017 at 8:00 p.m.

Reed L. Buffington Center for Performing Arts

25555 Hesperian Blvd., Chabot College, Hayward

www.missionpeakwinds.org

Free Admission