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<\/p>\nUnder the direction of Drs. Patrick Dunnigan (FSU Professor of Music and Director of Bands) and David Plack (FSU Director of Athletic Bands), Tallahassee Winds will complete its 2025-2026 season with a concert in Opperman Music Hall at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 28. Admission is free.<\/p>\n
At an early point in my articles about the Winds\u2019 performances, I typically refer to the group as either a \u201csymphonic band\u201d or a \u201cwind ensemble.\u201d Both terms are accurate, and even interchangeable, but I believe each has a particular focus. Tallahassee Winds consists of some 70 musicians performing a wide array of instruments, ranging from tuba to piccolo.<\/p>\n
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Tallahassee Winds rehearses for its season finale concert on April 28, 2026.<\/p>\n
\u201cSymphonic\u201d describes well the breadth and depth of instrumentation that produces the full, rich, lush sound that in my opinion is the hallmark of Tallahassee Winds\u2019 performances. Also, \u201csymphonic band\u201d more readily contemplates the inclusion of some string instruments. Indeed, Tallahassee Winds includes a single string bass player, whose deep bowings enhance each concert, ensuring that Winds\u2019 audiences sample the best of both musical worlds.<\/p>\n
However, \u201cwind ensemble\u201d to me has a special charm and appeal. The French adverb \u201censemble\u201d translates as \u201ctogether.\u201d (Thank you, college French.) Some English definitions of ensemble refer to a group working toward \u201ca single effect.\u201d Tallahassee Winds\u2019 members encompass a variety of ages (ranging from twenty-somethings through eighty-somethings), backgrounds, and occupations.<\/p>\n
Members share one thing in common. All of them realized during school years the pleasure and satisfaction of performing music in a group in which everyone contributed to a common objective. All cherish the experience and want to continue their avocation after graduating.<\/p>\n
Dr. Bentley Shallahamer, then Assistant Dean of FSU\u2019s College of Music, formed Tallahassee Winds in 1997 specifically to provide adult musicians that opportunity. \u201cWind ensemble\u201d better captures the motivation, sense of purpose, and happy subordination of self to a common goal that permeate Tallahassee Winds\u2019 rehearsals and concerts.<\/p>\n
For the final concert of the season, Dunnigan and Plack, who have guided Tallahassee Winds since Shellahamer retired in 2012, invited members to nominate pieces for the program. I will highlight several of the winning entries.<\/p>\n
\u201cMarch King\u201d John Philip Sousa was at the height of his fame in 1928 when he performed in Denton, Texas as part of a tour. Afterwards, he received a petition from an astonishing number of students at a local all-female college urging him to compose a march \u201cjust for us.\u201d<\/p>\n
The 1997 edition of \u201cTexas Highways\u201d reports that the gallant Sousa responded, \u201cIt is impossible to resist the request of 1,700 charming Texas girls.\u201d After something of a false start, Sousa composed \u201cDaughters of Texas.\u201d Not surprisingly, the march became a favorite in Texas venues.<\/p>\n
In program notes accompanying \u201cSailing with Whales,\u201d composer Rossano Galante describes the exhilaration of finding, then journeying with, a group of Orca whales. The piece begins with a trumpet fanfare worthy of a John Williams film score, then depicts the speed, power, and \u201cmajesty\u201d of this \u201capex predator,\u201d as well as the quieter social interactions within the pod.<\/p>\n
\u201cAmparita Roca\u201d by Jaime Texidor is a popular example of the \u201cpaso doble\u201d (\u201ctwo step\u201d) march form. Over time, the genre has evolved in remarkable ways. It began as an 18th Century Spanish military march, became a staple of bullfight music during the 19th Century, and finally morphed into a form of ballroom dancing still seen in competitions.<\/p>\n
Timothy Mahr based his \u201cFantasia in G\u201d on the same text of a German poem that inspired Beethoven to compose his Symphony No. 9. Written for the St. Olaf College Band, this piece creates a celebratory atmosphere while conspicuously paying tribute to Beethoven\u2019s famous piece. Imagine \u2014 Beethoven in a nutshell!<\/p>\n
\u201cSymphonic Dance No. 3\u201d by Clifton Williams\u2019 is part of a larger work that reflects the impact of Latin culture on the City of San Antonio. The music describes the pageantry of traditional celebrations (street parades, bull fights, bright costumes) and recognizes, in the composer\u2019s words, \u201cthe colorful legacy of a proud people.\u201d And there is more!<\/p>\n
If you go<\/p>\n
What: Tallahassee Winds season finale<\/p>\n
When: 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 28<\/p>\n
Where: Opperman Music Hall, FSU<\/p>\n