Professor Bobby R. Francis will lead the world premiere of his wind symphony recording project.
Experience musical excellence at the Ensemble Concert Series: TCU Wind Symphony Concert Thursday, Sept. 28, 7 p.m. in the Van Cliburn Concert Hall at TCU. Professor Bobby R. Francis, a recipient of a $10,000 TCU 150th Anniversary Commemoration Grant, will lead the world premiere of his wind symphony recording project.
“Upon learning of the 150th anniversary initiative, the idea emerged to spotlight the immensely talented composers that have graduated from or are still students in the TCU School of Music,” explained Francis.
The upcoming performances will feature compositions created by esteemed TCU alumni as well as current School of Music students. The Wind Symphony recording project also includes professional audio recording sessions, a subset of which will be captured on video to document the rehearsals leading up to the concert. The audio recordings and video will then be compiled to distribute across various social media platforms and a compact disk set.
A Collection of TCU Alumni and Current Students
Francis hand-picked innovative composers he wanted to include in the project.
Kevin Day ’19
Kevin Day ’19. Photo credit: Sara Bill Photography/Karen Cubides Agency
Kevin Day is a leading voice in music composition, with his “Concerto for Wind Ensemble” considered for the 2022 Pulitzer Prize. He made his conducting debut at Carnegie Hall at the New York International Music Festival and serves as the vice president of the Millennium Composers Initiative, a collective of more than 120 global composers.
The TCU Wind Symphony will perform a newly commissioned piece written for the wind ensemble and Mariachi Sangre Royal. The concert will also feature his concerto “Pyrotechnics,” featuring international trumpet soloist Jens Lindemann, who will visit campus for a recording session and concert in October.
Quinn Mason ’18
Quinn Mason ’18
Quinn Mason is a renowned composer whose music has been commissioned and performed by professional orchestras nationally and internationally, including the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Maryland Symphony Orchestra, Hartford.
The concert will feature his piece “Soul to Soul,” dedicated to the memory of prominent composer David Maslanka.
“I wrote a eulogy for Maslanka that ended with the words, ‘David Maslanka taught us that the understanding of what music brings to humanity is not brain to brain but soul to soul,’” said Francis. “Inspired by my statement, Mason took these final words as the title and inspiration for his piece.”
Curtis Wilson ’63
Curt Wilson ’63
Curtis Wilson is a prolific composer and educator who served as the director of the TCU Jazz program and taught on the Theory/Composition faculty, where he led the jazz ensemble to international prominence. He has written music for the TCU Wind Symphony, TCU Symphony Orchestra, Fort Worth Symphony and internationally-known jazz soloists, among others.
The concert will also include compositions written by:
- Haley Woodrow, Composition ’16
- Aaron Klein, doctor of Musical Arts in Composition ’22
- John Cope, doctor of Musical Arts in Composition ’25
- Harrison Collins, Music Composition ’24
- Mark Adam Sakovich ’13
Learn more about the Wind Symphony Recording Project.
Join us for the Ensemble Concert Series: TCU Wind Symphony Concert premiere.