Imperium - Michael Sweeney is a 1977 graduate of Indiana University

with a bachelors in music education. He has won multiple ASCAP

awards for his compositions. This piece is one of his best, it is very
bold and full of articulations and dynamic contrasts. A great piece to
close out the Symphonic Band section of the night!
Swingin Holiday - Ralph Ford is a composer, arranger, conductor, and
clinician born in 1963. He has been a professional arranger since the
young age of 15, and this is just one of his great works. This medley
brings together 3 popular Christmas tunes - We Three Kings, Silent
Night, and Jolly Old St. Nicholas. All of this in a laid-back swing
style.
April in Paris - Vernon Duke, born Vladimir Dukelsky, is a well respected Russian composer of classical music. He wrote many jazz
standards, such as I Cant Get Started, and I Like the Likes of
You. April in Paris is a classic, and here it is arranged by Rick
Stitzel.
Greensleeves - This jazzy arrangement of the traditional Christmas
tune is done by Chris Sharp, a composer and orchestrator of Sanford,
FL. He is an avid trombonist, and spent time as a band leader at Walt
Disney World for several years. This arrangement has a bossa nova
feel to it, mixed with swing. It is a great straight ahead jazz chart.

Thank you for coming! I would like to extend thanks to

Principal Whipple for all of his support, to all of my
wonderful, hardworking students, and of course to all of the
parents who make this possible!

Jefferson Instrumental Music Department

proudly presents the
6th-8th Grade Symphonic Band
and
Jazz Ensemble

Winter Concert

December 11th, 2015

7:00pm

Program

Ms. Katie Orrell

Conductor, Band Director

Symphonic Band

Symphonic Band

Under an Irish Sky

arr. Larry Neeck

Fire Dance

David Shaffer

Midnight Sky

Brian Balmages

Shepherds Hey

Flutes

Trombones

Baritone Saxophone

Clarinets

Percy Aldridge Grainger

Arr. Chip De Stefano

Incantation and Ritual

Tenor Saxophones

Oboe

French Horns

Trumpets

Brian Balmages
Baritone

Imperium

Michael Sweeney

Alto Saxophones
Percussion

10 Minute Intermission

Jazz Ensemble
Swingin Holiday

Traditional
arr. Ralph Ford

April in Paris

Vernon Duke
arr. Rick Stitzel

Greensleeves

Traditional
arr. Chris Sharp

Jazz Band
Alto Saxophones

Trumpets

Trombones

Tenor Saxophones

Percussion

Piano

Program Notes
Under an Irish Sky - Larry Neeck is a well known modern composer of
concert band and jazz band repertoire. He holds a Bachelor of the Arts
degree in Music from the University of Pittsburgh and a Masters in
Music Education from the Eastman School of Music. This piece combines two old Irish folk tunes, Slane and Brian Borus March. It
challenges the students to be expressive in their playing; we worked a
lot on musicality with this piece!
Fire Dance - David Shaffer is a highly-sought after conductor,
clinician, and composer born in Columbus, Ohio. He holds a Bachelor
Degree in Music from the Ohio State University and a Masters degree
from Miami University. This piece features our wonderful percussion
section, while challenging the woodwinds with lots of trills and articulations.
Midnight Sky - Brian Balmages, born in 1975, is an award-winning
composer, conductor, and performer. In 2010 he received the Harvey
G. Phillips Award for Compositional Excellence. I chose this piece
because of its intricate textures and lyrical nature which allowed us to
really focus in on breath support.
Shepherds Hey - Percy Aldridge Grainger was born in 1882 in Australia. He became a very well known composer and piano virtuoso upon moving to Europe where he studied both mediums at the Dr. Hoch
Conservatory in Frankfurt. This piece has become a classic in band
repertoire, this version was arranged by Chip De Stefano for beginning
ensembles. Students will encounter this again in years to come!
Incantation and Ritual - This has always been one of my favorite
pieces for beginning bands as it is supported by a driving percussion
part and lots of technical, melodic runs in the woodwinds. Balmages
knows how to write simply, yet captivatingly!