Illinois State University's Wind Symphony gives its fall concert this weekend, with a rangy program of old and new works spanning 1694 to 2023.
The Nov. 17 concert marks the Midwest premiere of Passages, a cross-genre suite by composer Will Healy featuring a vocalist, jazz saxophonist and two emcees.
Healy is in town working with director Tony Marinello and the musicians, including student soloists Isabella Green (vocals) and Darius Botley (tenor sax).
“When Dr. Marinello reached out to me about this piece, I was like, ‘Yes. Hands down, yes.’” said Botley in an interview for WGLT’s Sound Ideas. “It was something different and something I’d never heard before.”
Botley is double majoring in music education and jazz studies. He grew up playing in concert band and chose to lean toward jazz upon arriving at ISU. So, Passages is a perfect example of all his skills, put together.
“I’m not one to back down from a challenge or a new opportunity,” said Botley. “I love that that’s where music is going, melding genres and breaking the musical divide. When I heard this piece, I was like, this is new. This is good new.”
Genre-bending collaborations by living composers have become increasingly common repertoire in symphonic band repertoire, particularly in educational settings. Marinello has made a concerted effort to lean in with Passages and Omar Thomas’ Come Sunday, the Wind Symphony’s featured piece last fall.
But Marinello said there’s a fine line between appreciation and appropriation. He felt confident in Passages, which Healy wrote from text by emcee Spiritchild, who will perform Sunday alongside fellow emcee Deshawn McKinney from Madison, Wisconsin. The half-hour suite was commissioned by Robert Carnochan, director of bands at the University of Miami—and a friend and mentor to Marinello. ISU is the first band in the Midwest to perform the piece.
“We don’t want to do something that seems forced,” said Marinello. “The composer, Will Healy, who will be with us this weekend, runs a group in New York called the ShoutHouse ensemble. This genre-breaking idea is the genesis of the whole ensemble.”
Passages has been on the books for months, but playing it became even more meaningful when Carnochan died unexpectedly in September. His family’s connection to ISU is deeper than just Marinello; Carnochan’s daughter is a graduate assistant for ISU Athletics.
Sunday’s concert includes Percy Grainger’s Irish Tune from County Derry, a canonical chorale which will be played in Carnochan’s honor. Additional works on the program include Steven Stuckey’s arrangement of Funeral Music for Queen Mary, magneticfireflies by Augusta Read Thomas, William Grant Still’s Summerland for Wind Ensemble and Baron Piquant on Pointe by Donald Grantham.
“That range is very beneficial,” said Botley. “I think sometimes people can get stuck in one way of thinking and one way of listening to music. If people went to concerts with an open mind, it will give a different listening experience I think they’ll enjoy.”
In a way, that’s also what Passages is all about. Spiritchild’s spoken word is drawn from the biblical parable of the Tower of Babel.
“As human beings, we have way more in common than we don’t have in common,” said Marinello, “which is a very appropriate message now more than ever. Do we save lives in the concert hall? Probably not in the traditional sense. But we do have the opportunity to help people access their thoughts, feelings and emotions. For lack of a better term, it was described as being like an 'emotional chiropractor.'”
“I completely agree,” Botley said. “Music now needs to go in a completely different direction. We have all different kinds of people from different walks of life. They hear music differently. Music moves them differently. Music isn’t a universal language, but it’s a language which evokes feeling in everyone.”
The ISU Wind Symphony presents Passages and other works at 3 p.m. Sunday at the Center for Performing Arts, 351 S. School St., Normal. Tickets are $12 for the general public, at 309-438-2166 and events.illinoisstate.edu.
