Dr. James Smart conducts the UM Symphonic Wind Ensemble during its practice on Thursday, March 4. The ensemble will perform in concert on Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m. in the University Theatre. (Ben Coulter/Montana Kaimin)

Ensemble to premiere piece by celebrated composer

by Jayme Fraser | March 9, 2010 | Montana Kaimin

Though most University of Montana students might call their roommates fun or messy, few would consider them inspiration for works of art.

The troubled roommate of modern composer James Mobberley inspired him to write “Ascension,” which UM’s Symphonic Wind Ensemble will perform Tuesday night as the piece’s world premiere.

The highly technical and non-traditional piece weaves recorded electronic musings and precise live musicianship into an aural phantom of the roommate’s dark journey through his college years and the military service that ended with his unanticipated and unexplained disappearance.

“It’s completely different from what you normally hear,” Wind Ensemble president Lauren Gibson said. “There’s a lot of electronic sounds that you would expect to hear in E.T.”

“Ascension” is one of nine pieces the wind ensemble and the University Concert Band will play during their program “Awakenings” at the University Theatre tonight at 7:30 p.m.

Sophomore oboe player Rebecca Pershouse said the performance is a unique crossover of modern and classical music written by living — not centuries-dead — composers.

“Most of them have a really good groove. They’re all about rhythm and pulse,” Pershouse said. “It’s a really good gateway concert for people looking to attend more music events.”

Pieces range from Mobberley’s dark “Ascension” to John Mackey’s uplifting “Aurora Awakes,” which incorporates guitar licks from U2’s rock hit “Where the Streets Have No Names.”

“It pulls together different emotions, each piece does, which is exactly what you want for a performance,” Gibson said.

Pershouse expects that the audience will be able to recognize the passion of Mobberley’s piece because the ensemble has been working with him to strengthen its performance.

Since January, Mobberley has helped guide the ensemble’s performance via telephone conversations with the band’s director, James Smart, and e-mails with attached recordings of the practices.

Pershouse said the composer’s involvement was an exciting opportunity that helped the ensemble prepare the best piece possible.

“You can play a piece, play the notes, or you can PLAY, with capital letters,” Pershouse said.

Performers heard the story of Mobberley’s roommate during one of those conversations.

“After that we played the piece through and it sounded the best we had ever played it,” Pershouse said.

The ensemble will meet Mobberley in person Thursday to prepare with him one final time before the group plays the piece Friday at a conference of the College Band Directors National Association in Reno, Nev.

The UM ensemble was chosen as one of the West’s top five college bands and was asked to perform at the convention after a panel reviewed a recording of the group from last year.

“We are taking off on a bus pretty much right after Tuesday’s concert,” Smart said.

The ensemble will also listen to other performances and attend workshops to improve its skills during the four-day conference.

And though the ensemble’s Friday performance in Reno is an exciting opportunity, Pershouse said she also looks forward to sharing the music with the campus community Tuesday.

“We really appreciate it when our friends and peers come to see us perform because we put our hearts and souls into it,” Pershouse said. “And that’s who we really want to play for: our friends and peers.”

Tickets for Tuesday’s performance can be purchased at the door of the University Theater and will cost $7 for adults and $4 for students and seniors.

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