Sheldon McLean, guest conductor

Andrew Keiser and David Ramos, graduate conducting assistants

“Changing Winds” traces transformation—of sound, ensemble, and musical identity. The Frost Symphonic Winds splinters into smaller forces and then reconvenes, inviting you to hear the wind band anew.

The evening opens with a British-style brass band drawn from the ensemble, reveling in the burnished weight and ceremonial bite of that tradition. Next, the woodwinds step forward in their own chamber setting, illuminating the palette, agility, and intimacy of reeds and flutes. Finally, the full Frost Symphonic Winds returns, its coloristic range expanded by the journey through these focused constellations of players.

A celebration of variety within unity, “Changing Winds” asks listeners to experience familiar forces in unfamiliar ways and to feel how this medium—like the wind itself—is always in motion.

SUN / MAR 29, 2026 / 4:00 P.M.

UM Gusman Concert Hall

FREE

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David Ramos, graduate conductor

PROGRAM

LÓPEZ-GAVILÁN: Obertura Bandida

CUONG: Deciduous

HOLST: Second Suite in F

GINASTERA: “Danza Final” from Estancia

“Grow” closes the season with music rooted in tradition, shaped by struggle, and energized by change. The program celebrates resilience, cultural expression, and the ever-evolving human spirit.

Guido López-Gavilán’s Obertura Bandida bursts with Cuban rhythmic vitality and bold textures, capturing the joyous defiance of music forged in revolution. Viet Cuong’s Deciduous mirrors nature’s cycles, showing how shedding the old allows new growth to emerge. The haunting Dancer in the Dark, inspired by Björk’s avant-garde film score, offers a solitary moment of vulnerability and imagination. Gustav Holst’s Second Suite in F grounds the evening in English folk tunes—timeless melodies that connect listeners to shared histories—before Alberto Ginastera’s “Danza Final” from Estancia ignites the finale with explosive South American rhythms and motion.

More than a concert of development, this concert explores identity, endurance, and the wild energy that propels us forward.

SUN / APR 26, 2026 / 4:00 P.M.

UM Gusman Concert Hall

FREE

Set a reminder here.

Read program here.

Read program notes here.

View on site | Email this event