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Thursday | 7:30pm
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11/20/25 @ 7:30pm
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Free
Music at Butler: Butler University Wind Ensemble
Schrott Center for the Arts
No Tickets Required
The second concert of the Butler University Wind Ensemble season invites you on a profound exploration of our planet Earth—the Blue Marble—through the lens of three exceptional twenty-first-century composers. We commence with Sally Lamb McCune’s composition, “High Water Rising.” The composer explains: “The piece was originally inspired by David Shumate’s poem, “High Water Mark” (2004). The depiction of a catastrophic flood—waters rising to unprecedented heights, carrying away everything in their path, and the lasting impact on those who endure such events—sparked my musical imagination.” Although the idea had been gestating for some time, “High Water Rising” was begun in 2017, shortly after the United States withdrew from the Paris Climate Agreement. Signed by 195 nations, this accord aimed to unite the global community in combating rising temperatures—a critical effort, considering the U.S. is the second-largest contributor to global pollution.
Next, we present a new work born from our Butler University Wind Ensemble commissioning initiative. Gala Flagello, a prolific composer for wind ensembles, has crafted “Love and Nature,” which premieres as part of this concert. According to the score’s program note: “ ‘Love and Nature’ (2024) was commissioned by a consortium of wind bands led by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The piece explores how love endures through cosmic lore, social movements, and mythic symbolism. Its three movements each evoke a different elemental realm—earth, air, and fire—symbolizing a blossoming of kindness and hope for our planet’s future. The first movement, ‘Flower Power,’ draws inspiration from the iconic social movement of the 1960s and 1970s, musically contrasting fragility with resilience, beauty with utility, and nonviolence with force. It echoes Marc Riboud’s photograph ‘The Ultimate Confrontation: The Flower and the Bayonet’ and incorporates a musical ‘Easter egg’—a countermelody representing countercultural ideals. The second movement, ‘Star-Crossed,’ captures the hope, whimsy, and longing of star-crossed lovers through celestial textures and luminous scoring. The final movement, ‘Slow Burn,’ examines the dual symbolism of burning—romantic passion and anger—using controlled, indigenous fire practices that mitigate drought-driven climate effects. Bright, wooden sonorities pay homage to our forests and emphasize the importance of ecological restoration.”
Finally, we conclude with an evocative pairing of music and film. Composer Julie Giroux, who has composed hundreds of works for winds, presents her “Symphony No. 6: The Blue Marble,” a piece which highlights the awe-inspiring grandeur of our planet. Accompanied by a live film, the Wind Ensemble will guide you on a breathtaking journey from the highest mountains to the deepest oceans, offering a cinematic experience that underscores our shared responsibility to protect this magnificent world.
THIS PERFORMANCE IS FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC, NO TICKET IS REQUIRED.
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