(Posted November 3, 2014)

HUNTINGDON, Pa. -- Slavic music will be the focus of the fall semester Juniata College Wind Symphony concert -- at least to begin with -- as the ensemble leads off with "Puszka," by contemporary composer Jan van der Roost at 3 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 9 in Rosenberger Auditorium in the Halbritter Center for the Performing Arts.

Tickets for the concert are $5 for adults and Juniata students with ID or children under 18 are admitted free. The Wind Symphony is directed by James Latten, professor of music at Juniata.

The concert opens with "Puszka," written in 1987 by the Dutch composer as a series of "gypsy" dances. Van der Roost wrote the composition in the style of Slavic dances and the title, "Puszka," is the name of a vast prairie in Hungary where gypsies herd wild horses.

The next selection is "Russian Christmas Music," by Alfred Reed, which was written in 1944 as an effort to improve U.S.-Soviet relations. Reed was an American composer and divided the work into four sections: "Carol of the Little Russian Children," "Antiphonal Chant," "Village Song" and "Cathedral Chorus."

Selected honors ensembles will also perform several compositions during the concert.

In the second part of the concert, the ensemble will perform the Irving Berlin classic "Alexander's Ragtime Band." The song was Berlin's first hit, written in 1911, and has been covered by hundreds of bands and singers.

Frank Ticheli, a contemporary band composer who was a guest artist at Juniata in 2008, wrote the ensemble's next selection, "Sanctuary." The song was written in 2006 for wind ensembles and concert bands.

The concert will end with "Havendance," by David Holsinger. Holsinger, a contemporary American composer, wrote the song for his young daughter, Haven, and its driving rhythms are meant to suggest the movements of a young girl twirling around the house.

The members of the Wind Symphony are as follows:

The Juniata College Honors Saxophone Quartet

Alto sax: Kyle Kister, a senior from Somerset, Pa.
Alto sax: Jason Ward, a senior from Hawk Run, Pa.
Tenor sax: Kate Bock, a sophomore from Warriors Mark, Pa.
Baritone sax: Brian Gilbert, a senior from Stroudsburg, Pa.

The Juniata College Honors Woodwind Quintet

Bassoon: Allison Brown, a senior from Monroeville, Pa.
Oboe: Alexandra Stroud, a junior from Ellicott City, Md.
Flute: Alex Debrecht, a senior from Winston-Salem, N.C.
Clarinet: Robert Shaw, a sophomore from Springfield, Va.
Horn: Aaron Zack, a sophomore from Media, Pa.

The Juniata College Honors Brass Quintet

Horn: Adam Rothstein, a sophomore from Huntingdon, Pa.;
Trumpet: Brandon Leckemby, a senior from Somerset, Pa.
Trombone: Joey Schnaubelt, a freshman from Altoona, Pa.
Trumpet: Bradley Spayd, a junior from Altoona, Pa.
Tuba: David Toole, a junior from West Grove, Pa.

Flute: Pallma Crouch, a junior from Bethel, Conn.; Alex Debrecht, a senior from Winston-Salem, N.C.; Phoebe Harnish, a freshman from Christiana, Pa.; Katie Jeffress, a sophomore from Corpus Christi, Texas; and Sarah Roberts, a sophomore from Ellicott City, Md.

Oboe: Alexandra Stoudt, a sophomore from Fleetwood, Pa., and Alexandra Stroud, a junior from Ellicott City, Md.

Bassoon: Allison Brown, a senior from Monroeville, Pa.

Clarinet: Laura Kelly, a junior from Gibsonia, Pa.

B Flat Clarinet: Emma Hannan, a freshman from Falls Church, Va.; Kaleigh Herron, a sophomore from Croton-on-Hudson, N.Y.; Robert Shaw, a sophomore from Springfield, Va.; Anna Sweeney, a sophomore from Carlisle, Pa.; and Nikea Ulrich, a sophomore from Homer, N.Y.

Bass Clarinet: Theresa Uniacke, a freshman from Mechanicsburg, Pa.

Contrabass Clarinet: Brittney Isom, a freshman from Weatherly, Pa.

Alto Saxophone: Kyle Kister, a senior from Somerset, Pa., and Jason Ward, a senior from Hawk Run, Pa.

Tenor Saxophone: Kate Bock, a sophomore from Warriors Mark, Pa.

Baritone Saxophone: Brian Gilbert, a senior from Stroudsburg, Pa.

Horn: Adam Rothstein, a sophomore from Huntingdon, Pa.; Cody Sieber, a sophomore from Mount Union, Pa.; Jack Thompson, freshman from Delmar, N.Y.; and Aaron Zack, a sophomore from Media, Pa.

Trumpet: Axel Jessin, a freshman from Austin, Texas; Brandon Leckemby, a senior from Somerset, Pa.; Bradley Spayd, a junior from Altoona, Pa.; and Yvonne Wojciechowski, a freshman from Arlington Heights, Ill.

Trombone: Joel Canner, a junior from State College, Pa.; Devin Clark, a freshman from Mound Ridge, Kan.; and Joey Schnaubelt, a freshman from Altoona, Pa.

Euphonium: Nathan Anderson-Stahl, a sophomore from Camp Hill, Pa., and Dennis Wilt, a freshman from Altoona, Pa.

Tuba: David Toole, a junior from West Grove, Pa.

String Bass: Rebecca Katz, a sophomore from Somerset, Pa.

Contact April Feagley at feaglea@juniata.edu or (814) 641-3131 for more information.