The Cal Poly Wind Orchestra and Wind Ensemble will present a program that includes the return of more than 70 of its Cal Poly alumni musicians.
The “All Hail, Green and Gold!” concert features the return of the Alumni Symphonic Band. “We are delighted to welcome back our band alumni on stage, some dating back to the 1950s,” said Director of Bands Christopher J. Woodruff. “The last time we gathered like this was in 2016 to celebrate the bands’ centennial.”
The Cal Poly Wind Orchestra and Wind Ensemble will open the program with several works.
The Wind Ensemble will play David Maslanka’s “A Child’s Garden of Dreams,” inspired by the dreams of a young girl prior to her passing. “It has a complex, moving narrative, kind of like ‘The Twilight Zone’ meets ‘Fantasia,’” said trumpeter Alonzo Morales, a physics major from Campbell, California.
The Wind Orchestra will perform Stephen Bryant’s “Dusk,” a lyrical, chorale-like work that simultaneously captures the reflective calm and fiery hues of sunset.
The Alumni Symphonic Band open its set with the boisterous “Adventures” by Ayatey Shabazz, and will close with Frank Ticheli’s “Blue Shades.”
Flutist Virginia Urbach (English, ’69) was excited when she received the invitation to perform in the alumni band. “My husband Roy (Electronic Engineering, ’69) and I met while in band in 1967, and can’t wait to rehearse and perform at Cal Poly again.”
The concert will be conducted by Woodruff, Associate Director of Bands Nicholas P. Waldron, and Director of Bands Emeritus William V. Johnson.
The event is sponsored by Cal Poly’s Music Department, College of Liberal Arts and Instructionally Related Activities program.
