Posted on Monday, March 21, 2011
The Westminster College Wind Ensemble recently recorded "Rising Winds from the Valley," a new work by composer and Mercer Area School District band director Travis Weller.
The Wind Ensemble is under the direction of Dr. R. Tad Greig, Westminster associate professor of music and director of bands.
"We have had the pleasure of recording Travis' compositions in the past," Greig said. "These opportunities provide us the challenge of preparing a piece of music in a very limited time: rehearsal in preparation for this recording took approximately one hour."
"Our approach is very professional," Greig added. "The students receive the music, have a few moments to look over their specific parts, I talk them through my interpretation - based on the composer's wishes - and we rehearse. The musicians realize they have very little time to prepare, as they are working on a great deal of other music. It provides them a glimpse into the performance profession, where correct notes, rhythms, and musicianship are expected immediately."
The composition was written for the Seneca Valley Intermediate School Band and will be published by Band Works. The recording will be used on the sample CD and sent to schools across the country.
Recordings from the Wind Ensemble's February "Music from the Masters" concert are available on YouTube.
According to Greig, this is a project he had considered for some time but had concerns about the sound and picture quality commonly seen in online videos: "As I looked at various clips online, many were low resolution and had been recorded poorly. If we were going to put our ensemble out into the public like this, I wanted to be sure the quality of the recordings met the high quality of the actual concert."
Greig worked with a professional production company, recording technologist, and audio technician to create a high-definition video. Selections include: "Festive Overture" by Dmitri Shostakovich; two movements from Brett Dietz's "Percussion Concerto," featuring adjunct music faculty Perry Gatch; and Vincent Persichetti's "Symphony for Band."
Visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YKswuTYlzY to view a sample or visit www.youtube.com and type "Westminster College Wind Ensemble" in the Search box.
Greig, who serves as chair of Westminster's Department of Music, joined the faculty in 1995. He earned an undergraduate degree from Grove City College, a master's from Youngstown State University, and Ph.D. from Kent State University.
Contact Greig at (724) 946-7279 or e-mail greigrt@westminster.edu for more information.
