Because of the coronavirus pandemic, musical performances before live audiences of the general public will not be held until conditions warrant. However, the Department of Music is continuing its series of online presentations. Links will be posted at www.frostburg.edu/concerts.

Visit www.frostburg.edu/concerts and click an event to be directed to the FSU Localist Events page; click the red “Join Steam” button on the right side of page to join the livestream.

Unless otherwise noted, concerts are free to view online. For info, contact FSU’s Department of Music at 301-687-4109.

If you miss the livestreams, Music Department recitals are available for viewing on YouTube: Frostburg Music Department.

FSU Department of Music to Present Wind Ensemble in Concert

Frostburg State University’s Department of Music will present the Wind Ensemble in its concert, “Classics Reimagined,” on Friday, April 9, at 7 p.m. at FSU’s Upper Quad Amphitheatre. This event is free and open to the campus community.

Maximum capacity at this venue is 100 persons. To reserve your spot, email Dr. Brent Weber at bmweber@frostburg.edu. A 6-foot distance must be maintained between individuals or families, and attendees must maintain a 12-foot distance from the ensemble. In case of rain, the concert will be livestreamed from Pealer Recital Hall, and the audience will be limited to 50 members of the campus community. If this happens, the band members will use PPE (bell and instrument covers) to ensure safety.

The program will include “anti-FANFARE” by Andrew Blair; “Irish Tune” by Percy Grainger; “The Carnival of the Animals” by Camille Saint-Saëns, arranged by Bocook; “Children’s March” by Grainger; “Serenade, Op. 7” by Richard Strauss, arranged by Weber; “Shepherd’s Hey” by Grainger; “Oblivion” by Astor Piazzolla, arranged by Robert Longfield; and “Powerhouse” by Raymond Scott, arranged by Murtha.

“anti-FANFARE” is a short, exciting concert opener for woodwinds and percussion inspired by Blair’s forays into contemporary jazz fusion and electronica.

“Irish Tune From County Derry” is a setting of a now-famous tune from the Irish county of Derry in the north (also sometimes called Londonderry).

“The Carnival of the Animals” (“Le Carnaval des animaux”) is a humorous musical suite of 14 movements by French romantic composer Saint-Saëns.

“Children's March” was scored for band by Grainger in 1919 from a piano solo he had composed between 1916 and 1918. Grainger had a keen interest in folk music and used traditional folk tunes as the basis for many of his works. This folk tune, however, is his original.

“Serenade for 13 Wind Instruments, Op. 7,” from 1881, is the first work of the German composer Strauss to have survived in the concert hall. Although a youthful work, its charm, vivacity and technical assurance makes it a worthy successor of Mozart’s “Gran Partita,” upon which it is modeled.

Grainger made several different settings of “Shepherd’s Hey,” which is based on a folk tune. The first setting appeared in 1909. The band version came in 1918. The tune itself is a Morris dance, a centuries-old tradition of fluid, group dancing from England.

“Oblivion” is a hauntingly atmospheric piece by Argentine tango composer Piazzolla. Written in 1982, it was used in the soundtrack of Mario Bellocchio’s film, “Enricho IV.”

“Powerhouse” (1937) is an instrumental musical composition by Scott, perhaps best known today as the iconic “assembly line” music in animated cartoons released by Warner Bros.