Composer Don Owens visits South High School

Composer, musician, educator and mentor Don Owens visited South High School today to discern the sonic capabilities of the students currently in the Wind Ensemble.  Professor Owens has been co-commissioned by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Downers Grove South High School to write Concerto for Brass Quintet and Wind Ensemble.  The piece, which will feature the Gaudete Brass Quintet, will be premiered when the bands from District 99 perform at Carnegie Hall in New York City on March 2, 2015.  Professor Owens time listening to the students musicians today will enable him to differentiate the technical and artistic traits in the composition to suit the student musicians in the ensemble.  We are looking forward to hearing the world premiere of this piece at Carnegie Hall!

NYC/Carnegie Hall Tour Guest Musicians - Meet composer/conductor Don Owens

We are thrilled to announce that composer/conductor Don Owens has been commissioned to write a piece for the South High School Wind Ensemble and the Gaudete Brass Quintet.  This piece will be premiered when the South HS Wind Ensemble debuts at Carnegie Hall on March 2, 2014. Additionally, Professor Owens will be the guest conductor for the closing selection in the performance, Paul Whiteman's orchestration of Rhapsody in Blue.  

Don Owens, Coordinator Emeritus of the Jazz Studies and Pedagogy Program, Director Emeritus, Contemporary Music Ensemble, and the National High School Music Institute at Northwestern University, began his tenure at Northwestern University in 1979. Before coming to Northwestern, he taught for twelve years at Evanston (Illinois) Township High School where his duties included directing band, brass ensembles, and jazz band, as well as teaching classes in music theory, popular music, free improvisation, and composition. He created the Electronic Music Studio at ETHS in 1971. 

Owens received the Bachelor of Music Education degree from North Texas State University, where he also studied Composition and Jazz. His Master of Musical Arts degree is from the University of Illinois, where he majored in Composition. He studied composition with Morgan Powell, Merrill Ellis, Samuel Adler, and Salvatore Martirano. He has won several grants and awards, and is regularly commissioned for new works.

In his first few years at Northwestern, Mr. Owens conducted the nationally renowned Jazz Ensemble, directed the "Wildcat” Marching Band and Symphonic Band, and taught advanced Method classes for undergraduate Music Education Majors. He eventually was appointed Coordinator of the Jazz Studies and Pedagogy Program, teaching courses in Jazz Writing, Seminar in Jazz Pedagogy, Jazz in the Public Schools, and conducted the Jazz Ensemble. Under his leadership, the Northwestern Jazz Program grew to offer the B.M. in Jazz Studies and the M.M. in Jazz Pedagogy. 

In addition to Owens' responsibilities in the Jazz area, he served as Director and Primary Conductor of the internationally acclaimed Northwestern University Contemporary Music Ensemble for over 20 years. This group performed over 200 world premiers, as well as the standard 20th century repertory. In 1991, the Northwestern CME served as the primary chamber music ensemble for the John Cage Now World Festival. In the spring of 1995, the CME served as one of two visiting Artist Ensembles for the National Meeting of the Society of Composers at the University of Iowa. In 2002, the CME played a major role in the Stephan Wolpe Festival, sponsored by the School of Music.

During the summers, Owens served as Director of the National High School Music Institute, from 1991 to 2004. Under his leadership, the enrollment increased by 100%. With a curriculum that required the attending students to declare a Major - Classical Guitar, Composition, Jazz Studies, Music Education, Piano, Strings, Voice, or Winds and Percussion- NHSMI consistently attracted students from all 50 states, as well as many foreign countries.

Mr. Owens is an internationally recognized clinician/conductor. He has served as an adjudicator and has conducted Festival and All-State Concert and Jazz Bands in Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, Washington, Wisconsin, Canada, Greece, Germany, and Norway. As a conductor, he has shared in the art of music making with world famous figures from both the Jazz and Contemporary Classical idioms. His compositions have been performed across America, as well as in Canada, England, Greece, Germany, Japan, Norway, and South America.

In April of 1998, Mr. Owens presented a Faculty Recital of his original compositions at Northwestern. A CD of that recital, plus other works was produced: Don Owens/Compositions. In April of 2001, he presented another Faculty Recital, with all new works, including two works for Jazz Ensemble, one Chamber work, entitled...Harmolodics I..., and two Wind Ensemble pieces, Two Elegies for Alto Saxophone and Wind Ensemble, and a major work in four movements, Concerto for Wind Symphony. The new CD, Don Owens/Compositions II, from that recital (and Don Owens/Compositions I) are available from the Composer. This second CD also contains Sirhcaladav, for solo soprano saxophone and wind ensemble, performed by Chris Vadala and the National High School Music Institute Wind Ensemble, a work commissioned by The Commission Project. Also in 2001, Owens premiered a new work entitled, Foundations, a set of miniature episodes for Concert Band, performed by the IMEA District VII Junior Honor Symphonic Band. In January, 2002, Mr. Owens premiered a new work, plus conducted several of his other compositions and arrangements with the Athens (Greece) Municipal Jazz Band, as well as a concert of new music with the Athens Municipal Contemporary and Computer Music Ensemble. In 2004, Three Movements for Symphonic Band, was premiered by the York Community Symphonic Band under the baton of Ronald Polancich, who commissioned the work. In January of 2005, the first movement of a new work for Jazz Tenor Saxophonist and Symphonic Band was premiered at the MENC Convention at the University of Michigan by the McCracken Middle School Symphonic Band, Chip Destefano, conductor, Matt Olson, soloist. In 2006-2007, Mr. Owens engaged in a composition project with the Highland Park (IL) Middle Schools sponsored by the Ravinia Outreach Program, which produced three new works, Elm Place Overture for Orchestra (Also, transcribed for concert band.), Suess Sayings for choir, and 9 Miniatures and an Essay for Band. In May, 2007, he premiered Celebration 40, commissioned and performed by the Elk Grove (IL.) High School Symphonic Band. Music, My Gift, My Life, for choir and wind ensemble was commissioned by the Downers Grove South High School in 2008. The Glenbrook North High School Wind Ensemble commissioned Intermix, for combo and wind ensemble in 2009, a work that has been performed across the U.S. Downers Grove North High School commissioned a major work for percussion and wind ensemble entitled Triplet Set, for three percussion soloists, harp and wind ensemble in 2010. More recently Mr. Owens has been fulfilling jazz commissions for high school and collegiate levels.  

NYC Carnegie Hall Tour Guest Musicians - Meet the Gaudete Brass Quintet

We are pleased to announce that the Gaudete Brass Quintet will perform with the South HS Wind Ensemble at Carnegie Hall on March 2, 2014.  The group will premiere a commission by composer Don Owens, written for the South HS Wind Ensemble and the GBQ.  Additionally, the members of the ensemble will play in the finale of the concert, Paul Whiteman's rendition of Rhapsody in Blue.

Since 2004, the Gaudete Brass Quintet has committed itself to presenting serious brass chamber music through compelling concerts, commissioning new works and adventurous recordings. The group has engaged in live performances at venues such as Merkin Hall and Symphony Space in New York City and Millennium Park in Chicago, commissioned new works from noted composers such as David Sampson, Rob Deemer, John Cheetham and Stacy Garrop, and appeared on radio broadcasts on WFMT in Chicago and Nashville Public Radio.

While keeping this rigorous performance schedule, the Quintet has recorded three albums: Brass Outings (2006), winner of the CDBaby Editors' Choice distinction and nominee for Just Plain Folks Best Classical Chamber Album; Conversations in Time with organist R. Benjamin Dobey (2011, Pro Organa); and Chicago Moves, produced by Grammy winner Judith Sherman and featuring several of its commissioned works (forthcoming 2012, Cedille Records).

In addition to having served as Artists-in-Residence at Carthage College (Kenosha, WI) and presenting composition workshops to young artists at Columbia College and Roosevelt University in Chicago, the quintet has also presented educational programs and concerts at prominent institutions including The Juilliard School, Eastman School of Music, and Vanderbilt University.

The members of the Gaudete Brass Quintet are Ryan Berndt, trumpet;  Julia Filson, horn;  Bill Baxtresser, trumpet;  Scott Tegge, tuba;  Paul Von Hoff, trombone.

To read more about the individual members of the ensemble, click here.

How do you get to Carnegie Hall?

In American folklore, appearing Carnegie Hall has long been the symbol of reaching the apex of a performance career.  So much so, the above colloquialism, and the resulting answer (practice,) is familiar to musicians and non-musicians alike.

First appearing in the syndicated column “The Wit Parade” by E.E. Kenyon on March 13, 1955 the story contains the clever remark.  It is worth noting that in this column, the word "practice" is not repeated.

The absent-minded maestro was racing up New York’s Seventh Avenue to a rehearsal, when a stranger stopped him. “Pardon me,” he said, “can you tell me how to get to Carnegie Hall?” “Yes,” answered the maestro breathlessly. “Practice!”

Well, student musicians from District 99 are currently practicing hard to prepare for their performance on this hallowed stage.  It must be true because the concert is now officially on the Carnegie Hall web site:

We are honored, excited and humbled to have this opportunity.  We are confident that the student musicians from District 99 will represent the school and community to the highest possible degree.

Stay tuned to this blog for unfolding information about the tour.  For right now, we all need to get busy and - you guessed it - PRACTICE!!!!!!!!!