This concert is a celebration of Gustav Holst and Alfred Reed, two of the most important composers for Wind Ensemble. The music selected is a combination of festive works and compositions inspired by the human and divine nature and spiritual quest. This program is in continuation of the celebration of the 150th birthday of one of the most important and influential composers for wind ensemble, Gustav Holst. The Queen’s University Wind Ensemble will interpret A Somerset Rhapsody in Holst's honour; a beautiful complex work less often performed. From his energetic overture The Music-Makers to the entertaining five folk songs included in Armenian Dances, Alfred Reed revels his incomparable orchestration talent when composing for winds and percussions. Contemplation & Awakening from Reed’s Revelations from the Lotus Sutra is a masterpiece that should be interpreted more regularly. The Lotus Sutra from Mahayana Buddhism of East Asia is the teaching of human respect, self-perfection, and world peace – in a word, humanism. This humanistic principle leads mankind from division to unity, from discord to harmony, and from conflict to peace.
The Queen’s University Wind Ensemble, directed by Dan Tremblay, is open to all members of the university community by audition. The Wind Ensemble usually meets twice a week and performs two times a year. In past years, conjunct concerts with other high-calibre Canadian wind ensembles and conductors were encouraged. Past collaborations included performances with the McGill Wind Symphony (Alain Cazes), Western University (Colleen Richardson), UofT (Gillian MacKay), and the Central Band of the Canadian Forces (Capt. Fullerton). The Wind Ensemble is performing a repertoire of classic, contemporary, and newly composed music.