I’ve spent the last week in Oregon, partially prepping for my upcoming trip with earthsongs to the ACDA National Convention in Chicago, but mostly because the Oregon Wind Ensemble, led by my friend and teacher Robert Ponto, is giving the world premiere of Supernal Dragonfly.  Thursday and today marked the two rehearsals that I would get to observe and participate in with the ensemble, and I was stunned and heartened to hear the other works that will be performed along with my piece.

The first work on the performance will be Musica Boema by Czech composer Zdeněk Lukáš.  While there seems to be a fair amount of information regarding the composer and the commission of the work, there does not appear to be any notes regarding the work itself.  The sounds present in the work are very earthy, sound very much like distilled folk tunes used to portray anything between a funeral procession to a marching army, but the composer himself did not write any notes that would give insight into the works content or its construction.  Between the score and parts there are massive discrepancies, more than likely caused by the haste at which the piece ultimately needed to be smuggled out from under the Iron Curtain into the United States (Wisconsin, specifically) for its premiere back in 1978.  I had the great pleasure of playing this work with the OWE my sophomore year at UO; though Mr. Lukáš was actually still alive at that point, and it has been an amazing experience to relive that time on the other side of proscenium.

Another work appearing on this concert is a new work entitled Upriver by Dan Welcher.  The piece is an epic depiction of the Lewis and Clark expedition, peppered with folk song after folk song, strung together with Shenandoah, and even featuring several fiddle solos!  I do not know the work very well having only heard it once and watched Mr. Welcher coach the ensemble along to bring out the nuance hidden in the piece.  The strange thing about Mr. Welcher being apart of this performance is by how much he and I have in common:  1.  We’re both having world premieres on the same night by the same ensemble, 2. We are both bassoonists, though judging by his bio, he has been – and probably still is – a far better player than me.  The third thing is the weirdest of all, and that is we both share a birthday:  March 2nd!  Strange, but very cool!

I am so excited an honored to be apart of this amazing concert.  I hope the ensemble has a blast with their performance.  Thank you for all of your work hard work.  I am deeply, deeply grateful!