News Article

The Gonzaga University Wind Ensemble will present world premiers of two new works by Gonzaga University faculty composers Rev. Kevin Waters, S.J., and Robert Spittal in a program titled "Concert Collage" at 7 p.m., Nov. 17 at The Met. It is free and open to the public. (Please note: this time is different than originally scheduled.)

The concert will focus on works composed in the last 100 years, and features the University Wind Ensemble, Chamber Winds and Percussion Ensemble.

"Sky Dreams" was composed by Spittal, a GU music professor, and is dedicated in the memory of the late astronaut Michael P. Anderson and the Crew of Space Shuttle Challenger. Spittal called the work, "a tone poem that pays tribute to those who dedicate their lives to achieving their dreams, while serving the greater good of humankind." The Challenger crew, he said, "lost their lives tragically in the service of others, shared in the realization of their dreams of traveling in space – a dream that demands courage, a thirst for adventure, an intellectual curiosity, and an extraordinary dedication to scientific discovery."

The piece will be performed by the GU Wind Ensemble, with the composer conducting. Spittal's works have been performed and recorded by ensembles in the United States, Europe and Asia, and he has written several original scores for GU theatre productions in recent years, including the upcoming "Weaving Our Sister's Voices."

The other work to premiere on the program is Rev. Waters' "Lines from Shakespeare," which was composed for 11 winds. Each of its three movements is inspired by a particular phrase from the works of the great English writer. Rev. Waters' works have been performed and recorded by ensembles internationally.

Other works by composers William Schuman, Paul Hindemith, Gustav Holst and Eastern Washington native Morten Lauridsen also will be on the program.

For more information, contact the GU music department at (509) 323-6733, or visit its Website at www.gonzagamusic.com