NYC Carnegie Hall Concert Repertoire

District 99 and the South High School Bands are pleased to announce our tour repertoire for our performance at Carnegie Hall.

Monday Evening, March 2, 2015, at Eight O'clock

Isaac Stern Auditorium / Ronald O. Perelman Family Stage

COMMUNITY HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT 99 & BOB ROGERS TRAVEL

presents

New York Nouveau

performed by

Downers Grove North High School Symphonic Band

Downers Grove North High School Wind Ensemble

William S. Miller, Jennifer Mullen, Brayer Teague - Conductors

Downers Grove South High School Wind Symphony

Downers Grove South High School Wind Ensemble

Greg Hensel, Craig Roselieb, Glenn Williams - Conductors

With special guest artists:

Gaudete Brass Quintet

Don Owens, composer & conductor

Peter Wilson, violin

and distinguished alumni guest artists:

Kristin A. Bowers, clarinet

Ian Williams, piano

Lauren Wood, saxophone

Hannah Young, harp

Downers Grove North High School Symphonic Band

                          ROSSANO GALANTE            Mount Everest

                                STEVEN BRYANT            The Machine Awakes

                                  JOHN WILLIAMS            Theme from “Schindler’s List”

                                    arr. John Moss            Peter Wilson, violin soloist

                           HENRI VIEUXTEMPS            Souvenir d’Amerique

                                arr. Stephen Bulla            Peter Wilson, violin soloist

                                         KARL KING            Torch of Liberty

                                                          

Downers Grove South High School Wind Symphony

                          JOHN PHILIP SOUSA            Manhattan Beach March

                            ed. Frederick Fennell

                              ANTONIN DVORAK            Finale from The New World Symphony

                                   arr. Larry Daehn

                                   EARLE HAGEN            Harlem Nocturne

                                   arr. Alfred Reed            Lauren Wood, saxophone soloist

                        LEONARD BERNSTEIN            West Side Story

                                   arr. Jay Bocook           

                                  THOMAS ALLEN            Whip and Spur March

                                    arr. Ray Cramer

                                                          

Intermission

Downers Grove North High School Wind Ensemble

                             ROBERT SHELDON            Metroplex

                           SCOTT MCALLISTER            Black Dog

                                                                       Kristin A. Bowers, clarinet soloist

                                                                       Hannah Young, harp accompanist

                                   FRANK TICHELI            Angels in the Architecture

                        ALBERTO GINASTERA            Danza Final - Malambo

                                    arr. David John           

Downers Grove South High School Wind Ensemble

                        LEONARD BERNSTEIN            Overture to Candide

                                 arr. Walter Beeler

                                    JESS TURNER            The King of Love My Shepherd Is

                                                          

                                      DON OWENS            Concerto for Brass Quintet and Wind Ensemble

                                                                             Movement I - Rejoice!

                                                                       Ryan Berndt, trumpet

                                                                       Bill Baxtresser, trumpet

                                                                       Julia Filson, horn

                                                                       Paul Von Hoff, trombone

                                                                       Scott Tegge, tuba

                                                                      

                       MICHAEL MARKOWSKI            Joy Ride

                                                                      

                                  RYAN GEORGE            Riff Raff

                                OTTO H. JACOBS            The Aviation Cadet March

                               arr. Craig Roselieb

District 99 Jazz Orchestra

featuring current students from North & South High Schools, District 99 music faculty,

District 99 alumni, and special guest artists

                          GEORGE GERSHWIN            Rhapsody in Blue

                                                                       Ian Williams, piano soloist

                                                                       Don Owens, guest conductor

Notes ON THE PROGRAM

Mount Everest - Rossano Galante

Mount Everest is comprised of robust brass melodies, sweeping woodwind lines, and rhythmic ostinato. This composition captures the epic grandeur and beauty of Mount Everest, the highest mountain on earth.

Rossano Galante was born in Buffalo, NY in 1967 and earned a degree in trumpet performance from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1992. He then was accepted into the film composition program at the University of Southern California and studied with film composer Jerry Goldsmith. Among Galante’s film credits as composer or orchestrator include Big Fat Liar, Scary Movie 2, The Tuxedo, and Tuesdays With Morrie. Commissions for his music have come from the Amherst Chamber Orchestra, Hofstra University Symphonic Band, Nebraska Wind Symphony, Syracuse Symphony Youth Orchestra, and West Genesee High School Wind Ensemble.

The Machine Awakes - Steven Bryant

The Machine Awakes is the sound of something not human (but of humans hands) - something not entirely organic, but most definitely alive - waking for the first time. From the opening swirling textures, we sense the first hesitant sparks of thought, attempting to find form and coherence. This new machine - sentient, aware - comes fully awake, possessed of emphatic self-determination and unfathomable purpose.

Steven Bryant (b. 1972, Little Rock, Arkansas) is an active composer and conductor, with numerous works for orchestra, band, and chamber and electro-acoustic ensembles. He studied composition with John Corigliano at The Juilliard School, Cindy McTee at the University of North Texas, and Francis McBeth at Ouachita University.

Theme from “Schindler’s List” - John Williams / arranged by John Moss

“Schindler’s List” is Steven Spielberg’s 1993 black-and-white film based on the true story of Oskar Schindler, a Nazi Czech businessman, who used Jewish labor to start a factory in occupied Poland. As World War II progressed and the fate of the Jews became apparent, Schindler’s motivations switched from profit to human sympathy. Assisted by his accountant, Itzhak Stern, Schindler devised a plan to employ concentration camp workers in his Czech factory, saving over 1,100 Jews from death in the gas chambers of Auschwitz.

The theme from the movie is performed by the solo violin, accompanied by the ensemble. The melody evokes the emotions of grief and despair, but finds sufficient hope to fulfill the desire for survival. The Motion Picture Academy awarded John Williams an Oscar for the best original score for the music he composed for the film.

Souvenir d’Amerique - Henri Vieuxtemps / arranged by Stephen Bulla

In 1843 at the age of twenty-three, Henri Vieuxtemps, the great French violin virtuoso-composer, left Europe for his first American tour.  He toured America for six months, from Boston to New Orleans, but by his own admission it was not a successful series of engagements. He found the audiences too raw, too unused to “music classique” - with the exception of one piece. Early in the tour, Vieuxtemps had composed a brilliant and facile set of variations on Yankee Doodle and, everywhere he played, this “Souvenir d’Amerique” was a success.  With this work, Vieuxtemps later wrote, “I became popular and got my foot in the door, for better or worse, opening the way for others.”

Torch of Liberty - Karl King / arranged by James Swearingen

Composer of over 188 marches in his lifetime, Karl King left an indelible mark on march music and on the band world. Heavily influenced by his early years trooping as a circus musician, many of his marches are in an up-tempo circus march style with his most familiar being Barnum and Bailey’s Favorite.  In fact, when interviewed in the last year of his life he referred to conducting the Barnum and Bailey Band at Madison Square Garden as his proudest moment.  In addition to circus marches, Mr. King also composed many marches in a patriotic march style including tonight’s selection, The Torch of Liberty, composed in 1942.

Manhattan Beach March - John Philip Sousa / edited by Frederick Fennell

During Sousa’s lifetime, Manhattan Beach was a highly fashionable New York summer resort, and in 1883 Sousa and his band began a long series of engagements there.  With nineteen former members of Patrick Gilmore’s Band, a dozen or so very capable players from Europe and some of the most outstanding artists from other bands in his group, Sousa knew the entertainment potential of his band.  David Blakely was skeptical, and it was at the first Manhattan Beach concert series that he invited the most prominent critics and musicians in New York to hear the band and offer criticism.  Their comments were so flattering that Blakely was convinced that Sousa was correct in his judgement.  Sousa composed Manhattan Beach during the first summer and added many operettas and other major works during subsequent summers at the resort. 

Symphony No. 9 in e minor, Opus 95 - Finale - Antonin Dvorak / arranged by Larry Daehn

The New World Symphony, known more properly as Symphony No. 9 in E Minor, Op. 95: From the New World, is an orchestral work by Antonin Dvorak that is a major milestone in the validation of American—or “New World”—music and lore as source material for classical composition. Written while Dvořák was living and working in New York City the symphony purportedly incorporated the composer’s reflections on his American setting. The piece premiered at Carnegie Hall on December 16, 1893. Arranger Larry Daehn was born in Rosendale, Wisconsin, in 1939 and grew up on the farms of that state. He received a B.A. in Musical Education from the University of Wisconsin at Oshkosh in 1964 and his Masters degree in 1976 from the University of Wisconsin at Platteville An avid admirer of Percy Grainger, he has written several arrangements of that composer's melodies and an article on the Grainger Museum. He is the owner of Daehn Publications.

Harlem Nocturne - Earle Hagen / arranged by Alfred Reed

Written in 1939, this standard in the jazz repertoire has been covered by more than 500 artists.  In addition to appearing several times on the Billboard Charts, this song was also the theme song for the Mike Hammer television series in the late 1980’s.  Composer, arranger, conductor and editor, Alfred Reed’s life was intertwined with music almost from birth in New York City on January 25th, 1921. With over 200 published works in all media, many of which have been on required performance lists for over 25 years, Dr. Reed is one of the nation’s most prolific and frequently performed composers. In addition to winning the Luria Prize in 1959, he has been awarded over 60 commissions! His work as a guest conductor took him to 49 States,  Canada, Mexico, Europe, Japan, Australia and South America. He was the first “foreign” conductor to be invited to conduct and record with the world famous Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra.Dr. Reed left New York for Miami, Florida, in 1960, where he made his home until his death on September 16, 2005.

West Side Story - Leonard Bernstein / arranged by Jay Bocook

Premiered in New York City in 1957, this milestone production marked Stephen Sondheim’s Broadway debut.  Featuring a collaborative team for the ages consisting of Leonard  Bernstein, Jerome Robbins, Stephen Sondheim and Arthur Laurents. The show is inspired by the universal themes also found in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.  This arrangement by Jay Bocook is a medley a few of the great songs from the show, including: Maria;  Tonight;  One, Hand, One Heart;  Cool; Somewhere, and America. Although the show was nominated for Best Musical in 1957, the award went to Meredith Wilson’s The Music Man.  An award winning feature film was produced in 1961 featuring the incomparable Natalie Wood and Rita Moreno.  The film garnered 10 of the eleven awards for which it was nominated, including Best Picture.  A native of Clearwater, Fla., Bocook is recognized internationally as a composer, arranger, conductor and educator. Bocook's works have been performed at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games in Atlanta and the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, Utah. In 2003, his music transcriptions of noted film composer John Williams were premiered by the U.S. Marine Band in a concert at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. An encore performance with Williams and the "President's Own" took place in 2008. In 2009, Bocook was inducted into the Drum Corps International Hall of Fame. He is also a member of the American Bandmasters Association.

Whip and Spur March - Thomas Allen / arranged by Ray Cramer

The music of Allen reflects his life as professional musician in the world of entertainment. He was a violinist and made his debut with a professional dance orchestra in Massachusetts at the age of twenty. He later played in an Opera House orchestra in Boston. He was the business manager for Edwin G. Bates Musicians for a time, but returned to orchestra playing. Although Allen wrote a great amount of music for a variety of dances, acrobatic acts, and short dramatic sketches, most all is forgotten. Only a few rags and galops are still heard in rodeos, circuses, and concerts. Some titles still occasionally heard are General Mixup, U.S.A., Blue Streak Galop, Saddle Back Galop, Horse Marines, Battle Royal, and Majestic. Whip and Spur Galop is usually taken in one, or a very fast two beats per bar, thus it sounds "difficult." However, the notes are all quarter and eighth notes, and fall easily under a player's fingers. It is an exciting little galop, equally enjoyable for the performer and the listener.  Arranger Ray Cramer is Director of Bands emeritus from Indiana University, spent more than 30 years teaching music and conducting at the Jacobs School of Music at IU.

Metroplex - Robert Sheldon

A musical portrait of Manhattan's cityscape, Metroplex opens with a vision of the New York skyline, tall buildings and concrete canyons. This leads to an urban jazz scene in one of Harlem's clubs. Finally the music takes us on a wild taxi ride through the heavy traffic of this incredible city. The skyline is seen once more as we leave Manhattan, hopefully to return again soon.

Robert Sheldon is one of the most performed composers of wind band music today. A recipient of numerous awards from the American School Band Director’s Association, Phi Beta Mu and the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, his compositions embody a level of expression that resonates with ensembles and audiences alike. His music is performed around the world and appears on many international concert and contest lists.

Black Dog - Scott McAllister

Black Dog is a rhapsody for solo clarinet and wind ensemble. The work is inspired by classic hard rock music, particularly Led Zeppelin’s rhapsodic-style song Black Dog. The clarinet solo takes the role of the lead singer in a hard rock band with its extreme range and emotions juxtaposed with the pyrotechnic solos in true “Hendrix” fashion. The rhapsody begins with a long solo cadenza which introduces most of the material in the work. The middle section is a very slow, upward, “Stairway to Heaven” gesture. The last section of Black Dog concludes with a “head-banging” ostinato pattern that leads to the final fiery cadenza.

Scott McAllister was born in Vero Beach, Florida, in 1969, and completed his doctorate in composition at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University. McAllister has received numerous commissions, performances, and awards throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia. He has also been featured at the Aspen, Chautauqua, and The Prague/American Institute Summer Festivals. McAllister has received awards, performances, and/or commissions from ASCAP, The American Composers Orchestra, The Rascher Quartet, I Musici de Montreal, Charles Neidich, The Verdehr Trio, Jacksonville Symphony, Da Camera, The Ladislav Kubik Competition, The United States New Music Ensemble, The President's Own Marine Band, The Florida Arts Council, and The Florida Bandmaster's Association. Scott McAllister's music is recorded on Summit Records, Naxos, ITunes and Centaur labels and his music can be found at Lydmusic.com. Scott McAllister is Professor of Composition at Baylor University.

Angels in the Architecture - Frank Ticheli

Angels in the Architecture was commissioned by Kingsway International, and received its premiere performance at the Sydney Opera House on July 6, 2008 by a massed band of young musicians from Australia and the United States, conducted by Matthew George.  The work unfolds as a dramatic conflict between the two extremes of human existence–one divine, the other evil.

The work’s title is inspired by the Sydney Opera House itself, with its halo-shaped acoustical ornaments hanging directly above the performance stage. 

Angels in the Architecture  begins with a single voice singing a 19th-century Shaker song:

I am an angel of Light

I have soared from above

I am cloth’d with Mother’s love.

I have come, I have come,

To protect my chosen band

And lead them to the promised land.

This “angel”–represented by the singer–frames the work, surrounding it with a protective wall of light and establishing the divine.  Other representations of light–played by instruments rather than sung–include a traditional Hebrew song of peace (“Hevenu Shalom Aleicham”) and the well-known 16th-century Genevan Psalter, “Old Hundredth.”  These three borrowed songs, despite their varied religious origins, are meant to transcend any one religion, representing the more universal human ideals of peace, hope, and love. An original chorale, appearing twice in the work, represents my own personal expression of these aspirations.

In opposition, turbulent, fast-paced music appears as a symbol of darkness, death, and spiritual doubt.  Twice during the musical drama, these shadows sneak in almost unnoticeably, slowly obscuring, and eventually obliterating the light altogether.  The darkness prevails for long stretches of time, but the light always returns, inextinguishable, more powerful than before.  The alternation of these opposing forces creates, in effect, a kind of five-part rondo form (light–darkness–light–darkness–light).

Just as Charles Ives did more than century ago, Angels in the Architecture poses the unanswered question of existence.  It ends as it began: the angel reappears singing the same comforting words.  But deep below, a final shadow reappears–distantly, ominously.

Danza Final - Alberto Ginastera

The Argentine composer Alberto Ginastera was perhaps the most influential 20th century composer of classical music from Latin America.  His contacts and influences wee broad: he studied with Aaron Copland, taught Astor Piazzolla, and the rock group Emerson-Lake-and-Palmer used a movement of his Piano Concerto on their album Brain Salad Surgery. 

Danza Final is the final movement of Ginastera’s four-movement orchestral suite Estancia.  The dance is cast in the form of a malambo, a dance specific to Argentina with roots dating to the 1600s.  Only males are allowed to participate in this dance, and it is often used by gauchos (cowboys) to prove their manhood. The clasping of hands and a use of the feet akin to tap dancing are a hallmark of this style. The composer’s Malambo, Op. 7, for piano, composed in 1940, preceded the orchestrated version of 1941.  The version for band was arranged by David John in 1965. 

Overture to Candide - Leonard Bernstein / arranged by Walter Beeler

Candide opened on Broadway on December 1, 1956. It was perhaps a bit too intellectual for its first audiences, and it closed after just seventy-three performances, seemingly successful for “classical music” performances, yet not quite sufficient for the financial success of a Broadway show. Leonard Bernstein was less concerned over the loss of money than the failure of a work he cared about deeply. He is quoted to have said, “there’s more of me in that piece than anything else I’ve done.” Indeed, with each revival, Candide has won bigger audiences. Bernstein himself recorded the work in 1989, spending some of his last vital energy before his death the following year. 

The overture was well received from the start, and it promptly became a very popular curtain-raiser. Brilliantly scored, it has a certain type of vitality that is further exclaimed by the scoring of percussion instruments with nuance and subtlety. The xylophone, triangle, and glockenspiel are used to highlight certain notes and to accent several tutti passages. The timpani, bass drum, and snare drum are combined in a clever way that creates rhythmical structures intertwined with melodic and harmony passages.  After the extremely vivid opening, which seems a bit like a horse carriage moving at a fast speed, a middle section, lyrical and tender in nature, arrives. The excitement created in the beginning then returns to conclude the piece with an enhanced version of the opening material and an acceleration of the tempo.

The King of Love My Shepherd Is - Old Irish Hymn / transcribed for band by Jess Turner

Jess Turner was born in 1983 into a musical family.  Earning a bachelor’s and master’s degree in trumpet performance from Bob Jones University, he also studied composition and earned several honors for his early works including 1st place in the MTNA Young Artist Composition Contest.  He has since become a prominent young composer with over 40 works for wind ensemble, orchestra, choir, solo and chamber ensembles to his credit.

The King of Love . . . is an old Irish hymn tune with a lovely text written in 1868 by Henry W. Baker, that paraphrases Psalm 23.  This melody has been sung at the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales in 1997, but this particular arrangement was originally conceived for choir by Dan Forrest, a prominent choral composer and composition teacher at Bob Jones University.  Jess Turner writes of his transcription; “I was struck by its beauty and simple profundity.  It is my hope that this piece . . . will continue to impact audiences in its wind ensemble incarnation.”

Concerto for Brass Quintet and Wind Ensemble - Don Owens
           
            Movement I - Rejoice!

Rejoice is the first movement of a Concerto for Brass Quintet and Wind Ensemble, commissioned by Craig Roselieb, Director of Bands at Downers Grove (Illinois) High School, specifically for the Gaudete Brass and Mr. Roselieb’s wonderful Wind Ensemble. When I first heard some of the recordings by the Gaudete Brass I was intrigued by their name, so I went to Google, as we all seem to do these days and learned that Gaudete is a sacred Christmas carol, thought to have been composed in the 16th century, but also might have been created earlier in the late medieval period. More important to me, Gaudete means rejoice in Latin. The movement is designed to feature the virtuosity of the Gaudete Brass with give and take with the wind ensemble. Occasionally, I’ve quoted the melody of the carol, but only in fragments. The piece is through composed with a mixture of atonal sounds and gestures and modal-like lines and episodes. While writing this piece, I was constantly thinking of my late departed wife and wanted to rejoice in my memory of our more than half a century together. Rejoice!  Don Owens - October 31, 2014

joyRiDE - Michael Markowski

Nearly ten years ago, in the summer of 2005, I was on stage at Carnegie Hall in New York City playing alto saxophone as a senior in his high school band. The concert lineup: Grainger, de Meij, Mackey, and just under three minutes of me. When his band director, Jon Gomez, first received word that the high school music department was selected to perform in New York, he asked me if he’d like to write something to open the concert and commemorate the trip—something that was bursting with joy. "Maybe," Gomez suggested, "it would be cool to take something more traditional, like Beethoven's Ode To Joy, and blend it with something more modern, like John Adams." The idea was so simple and so astounding that the assignment excited me immediately—it excited me so much that within ten days, he had completed the first complete draft of joyRiDE, a two-and-a-half-minute concert opener that borrows Beethoven's infamous melody and dresses it in a tie-dye blazer of rhythm and texture that nod humbly to John Adams's Short Ride In A Fast Machine.

joyRiDE was the second piece of music that I'd written for concert band, and as a 12th grader at the time, it included some beautiful mistakes. For instance, 12th Grade Me really wanted to hold true to the spirit of Beethoven's "Symphony No. 9" by keeping my mash-up in Beethoven's original key of D Major. However, looking back, I realize that while D Major is a string player's best friend, it is not so copacetic with band players, who often prefer their tonal centers to be flat (pun intended). Luckily, Eb Major is just up the block so for this 2014 revision, I decided it best to raise a portion of the piece by a half-step. Other edits included re-spelling accidentals, re-notating rhythms, filtering out an impractical 2nd Tenor Saxophone part, re-managing the percussion forces, and polishing the overall orchestration in a few key sections that seemed a bit sloppy.  For the longest time, though, I wrestled with whether or not I should even revise the piece—thinking that it should be kept exactly as-is, that I should honor the original as a sort of time capsule of myself and where I was—but I think this version finds a healthy balance between preserving what my 18-year-old self musically intended while maximizing the piece's playability.

-       Michael Markowski - July 24, 2014

Riff Raff - Ryan George

Riff Raff was born out of a recently renewed interest in post-war jazz and big-band. The works of composers and arrangers like Kenton, Riddle, Graettinger, Ellington, and even the jazz-inspired sounds in some of Bernstein's symphonic music conjure up images (in  my mind anyway) of the "urban rebel" found within mid-century American pop culture. This idea of the brooding lone figure who forges through life on their own terms can be found in some of the fictional film characters played by James Dean and Marlon Brando or in the hard-boiled detectives and heroes within pulp novels and film noir. What I find interesting about these character's is the double-persona that they usually possess. On one hand they exude an über-cool toughness and an "I don't care what the world thinks" bravado. Yet internally there is often a conflicted and troubled soul in need of redemption . . . Ryan George - April 25, 2012

Ryan George, Michael Markowski and Jess Turner have recently been commissioned by the Consortium for the Advancement of Wind Band Literature.  District 99 North and South High Schools are founding members of this consortium and are pleased to continue this work on an ongoing basis.

The Aviation Cadet March - Otto H. Jacobs / arranged by Craig Roselieb

Robert Jacobs was a member of the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II.  In 1944, his grandfather, Otto Jacobs composed a short march for piano entitled “The Aviation Cadet March” to commemorate his grandson’s first year of service. In 2007, this march was arranged for band to commemorate another of Bob’s enduring legacies; a youth exchange program between Germany and the United States.  A longtime member of the Downers Grove Kiwanis club, Bob was instrumental in connecting the Musikschule from Bietigheim-Bissingen, Germany to the Community High School District 99 Music Department through a visit in 1985 from the Musikschule Accordion Band.  Since that time, hundreds of students from both communities have shared tours and homestay experiences with each other that have grown to include bands, string orchestras, jazz bands, and guitar and recorder ensembles on an annual basis.  The 2007 premiere performance of this arrangement featured a combination of the Wind Ensembles from both North and South High School together with the visiting Jugenblasorchester (youth wind band) from the Musikschule.     

Rhapsody in Blue - George Gershwin

Paul Whiteman encouraged George Gershwin to compose a serious “jazz concerto” for a concert in New York City in 1924. Gershwin reportedly told Whiteman that he did not know how to write parts for orchestra instruments. Whiteman assured him that Ferde Grofe would take care of the orchestration. Gershwin took up the challenge and composed the Rhapsody in Blue in about a month’s time while also working on a musical comedy, Sweet Little Devil. Gershwin was the piano soloist at the first performance of his Rhapsody in Blue in Aeolian Hall. Whiteman led the orchestra, Ross Gorman played the “outrageous” clarinet part and the hall was filled with luminaries such as Mischa Elman, Fritz Kreisler, Jascha Heifetz, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Walter Damrosch, Leopold Stokowski, John Philip Sousa and Igor Stravinsky.

The performance of this work tonight represents one of the most important educational values of Community High School District 99, that of collaboration between faculty members, students, families and the community at large.  The members of this performance ensemble represent both current and alumni students and the entire instrumental music faculty of both North and South High Schools.  We are also pleased to have each of our guest soloists join us, and well as our special guest conductor, Don Owens, who has been a mentor to many of us through his years as a Professor at Northwestern University, and his work as a guest composer, clinician and conductor in District 99 over the years.