Six composers who drew inspiration from Lake Clark National Park’s serene and wild setting, pictured here, during the 2023 Composing in the Wilderness program will have their works premiered Oct. 15 at the Stephen F. Austin State University Wind Ensemble’s first performance of the 2024-25 school year.
“The SFA Wind Ensemble is excited to present these new works for the unique perspectives they add to the wind band repertoire,” said Dr. Tamey Anglley, SFA director of bands. “All six of the pieces are programmatic based on the different experiences each composer had while on their Alaskan adventure. Many include innovative sounds and tone colors that have never been experienced in a wind band setting, such as the sound of snow melting or birds stepping on leaves in a forest. The process of bringing these pieces to life has been fun and innovative for our students to experience.”
The Composing in the Wilderness program is led by adventurer-composer Dr. Stephen Lias, SFA professor of composition, and offered by the Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival in collaboration with Alaska Geographic and the National Park Service.
Selected through a rigorous national application process, six composers chosen to participate in the program were transported by bush planes into the remote and stunning wilderness of Lake Clark National Park. They camped, hiked and paddled while drawing inspiration from the wildlife, geology, scenery and dangers of their surroundings then spent three days in a secluded retreat to begin composing their pieces.
After months of finalizing pieces, many of the composers will visit the SFA campus to watch the SFA Wind Ensemble premiere their compositions. The pieces will then be performed by Carolyn Barber and the University of Nebraska – Lincoln Wind Ensemble, and The Grand Valley State University Wind Symphony under the direction of Kevin Tutt.
“Our adventure in Alaska was full of surprises. Everyone got out of their comfort zone and pushed themselves to their physical and mental limits,” Lias said. “In doing so, we became close friends and got deeply in touch with our wild surroundings. It is a great mystery how inspiration becomes music; but the greater the inspiration, the more we hope the resulting music will resonate with authenticity. I’m so excited to bring these new works to the concert hall here at SFA!”
To learn more about Composing in the Wilderness, visit composinginthewilderness.com.
For information on SFA’s Micky Elliott College of Fine Arts performances and to purchase tickets, visit sfasu.edu/boxoffice.
ABOUT STEPHEN F. AUSTIN STATE UNIVERSITY
Stephen F. Austin State University, the newest member of The University of Texas System, began a century ago as a teachers’ college in Texas’ oldest town, Nacogdoches. Today, it has grown into a regional institution comprising six colleges — business, education, fine arts, forestry and agriculture, liberal and applied arts, and sciences and mathematics. Accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, SFA enrolls approximately 11,000 students while providing the academic breadth of a state university with the personalized attention of a private school. The main campus encompasses 421 acres that include 37 academic facilities, nine residence halls, and 68 acres of recreational trails that wind through its six gardens. The university offers more than 80 bachelor’s degrees, more than 40 master’s degrees and four doctoral degrees covering more than 120 areas of study. Learn more at sfasu.edu.
By University Marketing Communications
