UNCW Wind Symphony & Chamber Winds

Monday February 27, 2006
UNCW WIND SYMPHONY & CHAMBER WINDS KICK OFF THEIR SPRING SEASON WITH A FREE CONCERT IN KENAN AUDITORIUM

Wilmington, NC – The UNCW Wind Symphony, in collaboration with the Chamber Winds ensemble, will kick off their spring season at 8 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 27 in Kenan Auditorium. Highlights of the evening include Alexandre Guilmant’s Morceau Symphonique, which features a trombone solo by UNCW Department of Music faculty member Jerald Shynett, and an encore presentation of the Chamber Winds performance of Mozart’s “Gran Partita.”

UNCW assistant professor Jerald Shynett, who has played with musical greats such as Ray Charles, Liza Minelli, Steve Lawrence and Edie Gormet, takes center stage for Morceau Symphonique. Composed in 1902 by French organist, Alexandre Guilmant, this piece features one of most popular solos of the trombone repertoire.

Also included in the evening, the Chamber Winds, a select group of students from the music department, will perform an encore of Mozart’s Serenade in B-flat, “Gran Partita.” The piece, featured in last month’s Homage to Mozart festival, is one of the masterpieces of the wind repertoire. “We’re still celebrating Mozart,” said Christofer Ackerman, Wind Symphony and Chamber Winds conductor, “the ensemble loves to play this piece and audiences love to hear it”.

Also included in the program: Robert Jager's quirky and delightful three movement work, Third Suite; Morton Gould's evocative and thought provoking Ballad for Band; A transcription of Brahms' Blessed Are They from "A German Requiem,” and the exciting Vaughn Williams "Toccata for Band", one of the most celebrated pieces in all of the wind band literature.

This concert is free and open to the public. For more program information, call the UNCW Department of Music at 910-962-7416 or visit www.uncw.edu/music.

ABOUT THE ENSEMBLES

The Wind Symphony is UNCW’s premiere symphonic band and its members consist of music majors in the Department of Music, other university students, outstanding high school musicians, local music teachers, and other community members. The Wind Symphony is a place where the university connects with the community striving to create the highest level of musical communication possible through the performance of the wind band repertoire.

The UNCW Chamber Winds is a subset of the university’s Wind Symphony that primarily consists of music majors in the Department of Music and performs works emphasizing strong musician independency and soloist practices. This is an opportunity for music majors to push their own personal artistic abilities to the highest level.

Chistofer Ackerman received his Bachelor of Music in Education, cum laude, at The University of Arizona, Tucson and his Master of Music in Performance at Northwestern University. Currently acting as substitute trumpet for the New World Symphony and Principal Trumpet of the Wilmington Symphony Orchestra, he has maintained a richly diverse musical life that has included solo performances, lead parts in off-Broadway shows, extensive touring though Norway and Germany, CD recordings, studio work, and numerous other venues throughout the United States, Central America, and Europe.



PHOTO CREDIT: UNCW/Jamie Moncrief