Saturday, December 8th will be a very important day for the SXU Orchestra and the SXU Wind Ensemble.
The two groups will be coming together for their Holiday concert, “As White As Snow”.
The concert, which starts at 7:30 p.m. in the Music Performance Space, will be an exciting night filled with beautiful songs and holiday happiness.
Pr. Lara Reagan will be featured on the saxophone in both ensembles.
She will be the soloist for “Sonata for Alto Saxophone” by Robert Muczynski during Wind Ensemble’s portion of the concert.
Pr. Reagan will be playing the vocal line made famous by Frank Sinatra in his rendition of Irving Berlin’s famous Christmas tune“White Christmas,”; she will be accompanied by the orchestra for this song.
Members of both ensembles are excited to be playing with Pr. Reagan. “I’m really excited because this is the second time I’m going to be playing with a soloist, and I feel honored to play with Lara Reagan since she’s an amazing musician and person,” beamed Miguel Esquinca, a junior biology/music major and member of both the orchestra and wind ensemble.
This concert will host the world premiere of Emily Lawlor’s “As White As Snow”. The Wind Ensemble, who will be playing the piece, was able to video chat with Lawlor earlier in the week.
“Being the first band to play ‘As White As Snow’ and actually being able to skype with the composer, Emily Lawlor, makes me feel honored not only to be the first band playing it, but having the opportunity to talk to a living composer is amazing and I may never have that opportunity again,” said Jaclyn Heuser, a first year music education student and member of both the orchestra and wind ensemble.
This is not Lawlor’s first composition or her first premiere for her compositions. As a child, her parents nurtured her love for music, and she began studying music at age six.
By the ripe old age of twelve, she had created her first piece of music. Her music has been performed by the UNLV Brass Band, the Canyon Del Oro High School Concert Band, and the UNLV Women’s Choir, just to name a few.
Lawlor attended Eastern Arizona College in Thatcher, AZ, and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, from which she received her undergraduate degree in Euphonium Performance and Music Composition. Currently, she is working on her Master’s of Music in Composition at Brigham Young University.
“As White As Snow” is actually just one part of a seven song cycle for wind ensemble, on which Lawlor is still hard at work. Each piece is based on a verse of the book of Isaiah and can be played separately or together.
“As White As Snow” is based on Isaiah 1:18 and is meant to represent the washing away of our sins through the forgiveness and everlasting power of Jesus.
Other pieces featured in the concert cover a large range of music.
The wind ensemble will be playing John Philip Sousa’s “People Who Live in Glass Houses,” a collection of songs based on different types of beverages, as well as William Schuman’s “Chester”.
The orchestra will be playing a few selections from their recent Shakespeare-themed concert as well as “Sleigh Ride” by Leroy Anderson. Some members of the wind ensemble will be joining the orchestra for this timeless holiday classic.
Esquinca said, “The audience is going to be exposed to a combination of not only classical music but also Christmas classics, and this is a perfect concert to end the fall season.”
This event begins at 7:30 p.m. on December 8th in the Music Performance Space. It will be free to SXU students, staff, faculty, and prospective students. It is $5 for senior citizens and $6 for general admission.
Santa hats and festive holiday wear are strongly recommended, but they are not required.
For more information, contact Jeff Malecki at malecki@sxu.edu or (773)298-3422.
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