Longtime Winds followers will remember euphonium player extraordinaire, Harvey Gleiser, who passed away in 2010 after a lifetime of music-making. Our concerts on February 8 and February 22 include a tribute to Harvey.
Harvey left a generous bequest to the Winds, and we have used some of those funds to partner in a consortium for a new concerto for euphonium by renowned composer, Johan de Meij.
The UFO Concerto for Euphonium and Wind Orchestra is de Meij’s first solo work for euphonium and wind orchestra. Johan de Meij is no stranger to the Winds: indeed we have
performed his works several times, and have been honoured to have him as our guest conductor, most notably in a performance of his best-known work, Symphony No. 1, Lord of the Rings. The Winds’ performance of Lord of the Rings with Johan de Meij at the podium is the most popular performance on our YouTube channel.
Our February concert marks the Canadian premiere of de Meij’s UFO Concerto, and features Robert Miller, Besson/Buffet-Crampon Artist and Clinician and euphonium instructor at the University of Toronto.
Mr. Miller is a renowned virtuoso, having performed with the Hannaford Street Silver Band, Intrada Brass, the Canadian Staff Band, the Weston Silver Band, and both the Hamilton and Mississauga Temple bands. In 2013 Robert Miller released an album, Fountain of Euph, available in iTunes.
The Winds are busy preparing the concerto, and look forward to working with Mr. Miller on this great work.
The UFO Concerto fits in perfectly with the outer space theme for this concert, with music from ET, Battlestar Galactica, and 2001: A Space Odyssey, When You Wish Upon a Star, Debussy’s Clair de Lune, Turrin’s High Flight, and Balmages’ Gravity Waves.
Please join us for Music from Other Worlds, February 8 in Kitchener and/or February 22 in Waterloo!