Wind Symphony concert to feature world premiere of Reeves’ ‘Meet Your Maker’

A world premiere of “Meet Your Maker” by David Reeves will be a highlight of a concert by the Stephen F. Austin State University Wind Symphony when the student ensemble performs at 7:30 p.m. Monday, April 28, in W.M. Turner Auditorium on the SFA campus.

Directed by Dr. Dan Haddad, associate director of bands at SFA, the Wind Symphony will also perform standard pieces in the wind band repertoire in addition to newer works.

Reeves’ “Meet Your Maker” includes the following sections: Troublemaker, Haymaker, Dealmaker and Peacemaker. The SFA Wind Symphony led the consortium for this new work.

“This piece is in no way a percussion concerto, but I’m very interested in getting the percussion section’s sound represented in the clearest, best possible light,” the composer said of the work. “This can be hard to achieve, whether due to a ‘boomy’ concert hall, compositional choices regarding the range or instrumentation, tuning, etc. This piece physically integrates the percussion section with the wind section. As the piece progresses, the percussionists travel through the wind arcs, stopping at small percussion ‘stations’ along the way.”

Reeves has written extensively for percussion and has also composed works for orchestra, wind band, chamber ensembles, instrumental solos and voice. His works draw from jazz, funk, world music, minimalism and electronica. He has also collaborated with contemporary choreographers as a composer and percussionist.

His works have been frequently performed throughout the U.S. and have also been performed in the U.K., Spain, Italy, The Netherlands, Australia, Japan, Singapore, Thailand and Russia. His works have been awarded or recognized by Percussive Arts Society, World Percussion Group, Aries Composer Festival, International Percussion Institute, Great Plains Marimba Festival and more. He is a Pearl/Adams and Innovative Percussion artist and has worked as an arranger for more than 30 years nationally and internationally.

The Wind Symphony will also perform a newer piece, “Febris Ver” (Spring Fever) by Nancy Galbraith, along with one of the foundations of wind band repertoire, Second Suite in F by Gustav Holst, and another older work by notable composer Charles Ives, “Old Home Days.”

Graduate student Amanda Bruner of Little Rock, Arkansas, will conduct “Rhosymedre” by Ralph Vaughan Williams.

Concert tickets are $8 for adults, $6 for seniors and $3 for students and youth. Call the SFA Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407 or visit sfasu.edu/boxoffice for tickets. For additional information, contact the SFA School of Music at (936) 468-4602.