The EMU Wind Ensemble will perform 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 2, in Lehman Auditorium.
The 45-member ensemble, conducted by David J. Snively, adjunct professor of music at EMU, will perform works by Darius Milhaud, Aaron Copland, Vincent Persichetti and Eric Osterling.
"Suite Francaise" by French composer Darius Milhaud is a five-movement work. Each movement is a tone painting of a provence in France as the composer saw them between the first and second world wars. The provence’s are: Normandie, Bretagne, Ile De France, Alsace-Lorraine and Provence.
A "Tribute to Aaron Copland" will feature excerpts from three of his most popular works: "Fanfare For The Common Man," "Appalachian Spring" and "Rodeo."
An American work by a composer who helped with the revolution in band music in the 1950’s, "Pageant" by Vincent Persichetti, starts with a beautiful chorale-like slow section. followed by a quite dissonant allegro.
A concert March by Eric Osterling titled "Charter Oak" will round out the evening.
David Snively retired last year after serving 19 years as band director at Broadway High School. He teaches clarinet and has played in the EMU orchestra and wind ensemble and other chamber ensembles.
He holds a bachelor of music degree and a master of music in clarinet performance from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY. While at Eastman, he was a member of the Eastman Wind Ensemble under the direction of Frederick Fennell and Clyde Roller.
Following graduation, he played in the Richmond Symphony while teaching clarinet at the University of Richmond and serving as band director in the Hanover County Schools. He later played in the Ft. Lauderdale (Fla.) Symphony, now the Florida Philharmonic, and the Miami Opera Orchestra. He was also on the faculty of Broward Community College and taught clarinet at Florida Atlantic University. In addition, he played with the Miami Philharmonic, the Florida Chamber Orchestra and the Palm Beach Symphony and Opera Orchestras.
The wind ensemble, in its fourth year, includes EMU students and alumni, students from Eastern Mennonite and Harrisonburg High schools and other players from the greater Shenandoah Valley area.
Admission to the concert is free. Donations are welcomed for the EMU music student scholarship fund.