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Issue date: 3/7/08 Section: Trinity Life

Media Credit: Megan Gaugham CATCH WIND OF THIS: The Trinity wind ensemble performs the works of acclaimed songwriter Samuel Adler and his former student Dan Welcher, both of whom were present in the audience, in the "American Music through the Wind Band Prism" concert last Thursday.

World-renowned composer Samuel Adler and his former student Dan Welcher came to Trinity this past Thursday to hear their pieces played by the Trinity wind ensemble in the "American Music through the Wind Band Prism" concert. The concert, held in the Ruth Taylor Recital Hall, was part of a national conference for the Society for American Music, whose mission is "to stimulate the appreciation, performance, creation and study of American music in all its diversity, and the full range of activities and institutions associated with that music."

Trinity Conductor and Assistant Professor of Music James Worman relayed his excitement, because, until now, Trinity had never been part of a national conference during his 11 years at the University.

"Two things that made [this concert] special are: the fact that we're part of this national conference, and then we have two internationally-acclaimed composers on campus," Worman said. "And they're close friends, and one was the student of the other."

Getting Adler onto campus was difficult as a result of his popularity and busy schedule, but Worman planned far in advance in order to ensure that Trinity would have the honor of hosting the composers.

"[Adler has] published about 400 pieces, written for every medium out there," Worman said. "He's a name everyone in the music business is aware of."

Worman chose two pieces composed by Adler entitled, "Force of Credulity" and "Southwestern Sketches," for the Trinity band to perform.

"The reason I picked 'Force of Credulity,' written in 1976 originally but based on the very first American opera that was written in 1767, [was because] Sam Adler was commissioned to recreate the music that was part of that production," Worman said. "The Society for American Music has a lot of different scholarly interest groups [and] the 'Force of Credulity' fits the interests of the Society for American Music."

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