World-renowned Composer Joins Baylor Bands for Thursday Concert

For their first concert of the year, the Baylor Symphonic Band and Baylor Wind Ensemble are proud to welcome prolific guest composer and conductor Frank Ticheli, D.M.A., as a special guest, at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 19, in Jones Concert Hall on the Baylor University campus.

“I can’t wait to make music with those exceptional students again, and I always love spending time with my longtime friend, Eric Wilson, and all of his wonderful colleagues,” says Ticheli, professor emeritus of composition at the University of Southern California's Thornton School of Music. “Many things make the Baylor School of Music special: their care for one another, like family; their commitment to musical excellence; and the talent that the students display in every concert I’ve heard them perform.”

Ticheli is renowned throughout the world and is an accomplished conductor as well. During his time on campus, he will interact with members of the Symphonic Band and Wind Ensemble and meet with composition and conducting students.

“With each visit to the Baylor campus, Dr. Ticheli’s wholehearted and impassioned interactions have enriched the academic and artistic lives of students and faculty alike,” said Eric Wilson, D.M.A., director of bands at Baylor.

The award-winning conductor has a strong history of collaboration with the Baylor School of Music. Ticheli’s first interaction was in the late 1980s, when former Director of Bands Michael Haithcock conducted his Concertino for Trombone, with former trombone professor David Gier as soloist. He has spent time on campus with students and faculty numerous on numerous occasions since.

Wilson said a particularly special collaboration with Ticheli was commissioning him to compose Lux Perpetua in 2020, honoring the lives of two former Baylor Music students who died in 2014. The work was premiered before a standing-room-only crowd at the annual state convention of the Texas Music Educators Association, who were both moved and mesmerized by a poignant and powerful composition.

“This performance left the audience and performers speechless (and in tears) while time seemed to stand silently still at its conclusion,” Wilson said. “This was among the last meaningful musical sounds produced that year as the pandemic emerged only a few weeks later. Since that time, Lux Perpetua, which was breathed to life first on our campus by Baylor students, has been played by ensembles across the globe. It is a memory I will never forget.”

Thursday evening’s program opens with Steven Bryant’s Ecstatic Fanfare, performed by the Symphonic Band and conducted by Assistant Director of Bands Stuart Ivey, D.A., followed by both ensembles performing works by Ticheli: Sanctuary (2005), Angels in the Architecture (2008), Postcard (1993), Serenade for Kristin (2018) and Fantastic Dreams (2023).

Ticheli will conduct his Angels in the Architecture and Fantastic Dreams, while the remaining Ticheli works will be conducted by Associate Director of Bands Isaiah Odajima, D.M.A., and Wilson with their respective ensembles. Additionally, Serenade for Kristin will feature Assistant Professor of Oboe Euridice Alvarez, D.M.A., as soloist with the Wind Ensemble.

“It’s a pretty diverse set of pieces performed,” Ticheli said. “A brand-new piece, Fantastic Dreams, makes use of a wide range of colors and textures to evoke four dream scenarios in four short movements. Angels in the Architecture unfolds as a dramatic conflict between forces of darkness and light, featuring a singer, whirly tubes, crystal wine glasses and other evocative sounds. There’s a chamber piece, Serenade for Kristin, that features solo oboe. Again, the stylistic range is quite diverse.”

As Wilson said, “In performances of his music, audiences connect deeply with Dr. Ticheli’s thoughtful compositional voice and authentic personality, and this concert will be one not to miss.”

The Baylor Symphonic Band and Baylor Wind concert on Sept. 19 is free and open the public and also available for viewing via livestream.

 ABOUT THE BAYLOR UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MUSIC

Celebrating more than 100 years of musical excellence, the Baylor University School of Music provides transformational experiences that prepare students for careers in music. Students thrive in a Christian environment characterized by a nurturing resident faculty, an unwavering pursuit of musical excellence, a global perspective, dedication to service and devotion to faith. They investigate the rich musical and cultural heritage of the past, develop superior musical skills and knowledge in the present, and explore and create new modes of musical expression for the future. While preparing for future leadership roles, students join with School of Music faculty in enhancing the quality of community life, enriching the larger culture and making Baylor a place in which heart, mind and soul coalesce. Baylor’s School of Music is a member of the National Association of Schools of Music and the Texas Association of Music Schools. Degree programs include bachelor’s and master’s degrees in performance, music education and academic majors, as well as doctoral degrees in church music. Degrees leading to the Bachelor of Music Education conform to certification requirements of the Texas Education Agency. Visit the School of Music website to learn more.                                                                     

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked Research 1 institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 20,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 100 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions. Learn more about Baylor University at www.baylor.edu.