Wind Band Recordings
Music Composed by Lucas Blevins
To Those We Hold Dear
Performed by the Century High School Wind Ensemble on December 18th, 2018 conducted by Lucas Blevins.
Description
To Those We Hold Dear was composed and performed in memoriam of Greg Poulin.
In December of 2018, the band community at Lucas’ high school lost a dear friend. Greg Poulin was a father and a volunteer, a face they all knew. He would give his time and skills to serve the band and he took every opportunity to build the students up for our musical accomplishments. That winter, Blevins felt a calling to honor Greg and express the wealth of emotions felt by his community through music. Prior to the performance, Director of Bands Jim Dunlop had this to say on the subject, “I think one of the best ways to often express ourselves, to often relieve our emotions, to often deal with things especially when you’re young…is music. Music touches the soul, music touches our heart. Music affects our body and emotions.” The Tenor Saxophone solo that beautifully closes the composition was performed by Greg Poulin’s son, Spencer.
The work itself is a simple ballad inspired by Frank Ticheli’s An American Elegy. Opening the piece unaccompanied, a French Horn soloist sings an abbreviated version of the main theme followed by a brief choral introduction played by the ensemble. The full main theme is then played and developed by the entire French Horn section and the piece goes into a series of contrapuntal conversations among the ensemble. The composition as a whole is like the ocean tide, stylized with a constant push and pull while always, slowly but surely, rising or falling in overall intensity. There are moments of great emotion followed by quiet solitude. Moments of grief and despair followed by great hope. In a resounding climax, the main theme is played in a high octave by the Trumpets and French Horns together while the ensemble, contextualized in a new, brighter key, provides a grand support. After this brightness however, the ensemble deceptively cadences to the minor iv. Growing quiet ever so slowly, the piece finishes with a Saxophone section soli and then a Tenor Saxophone solo diminuendoing to silence.
Performers
Denaiah Viduya, Paige Langley, Lauryn Richardson, Vivian Pham, Nichole Johnson, Sunny Cai, flutes; Mark Watson, Erin Thraves, oboes; Kate Truong, Phillip Tran, bassoons; Sylvia Kunz, Marcus Gaoiran, Abby Bradley, Kellie Meeuwsen, Annika Kelson, Theresa Duenas, clarinets; Evan Perez, Megan Maynor, bass clarinets; Sophia Salter, Aaron XXX, alto saxophones; Spencer Poulin, Esau Piñeda Flores, Jacob Gunsch, Rachel Burns, tenor saxophones; Michael Koach, baritone saxophone; Dylan Rainey, Alex Brewer, Sam Henderson, Cameron Whitney, Alyssa Laabs, Marina Purcell, trumpets; Lindsay Lailic, Mia Tognoli, Aniya Heuss, Brianna Alvarez, Kathleen Taylor, french horns; Amber Conrad, Tyler Thraves, Andy Truong, Kevin Monterroso, Spencer Standen, trombones; Ryan Stuve, Jonas Dobbs, euphoniums; Brinley Dezember, Jason Mulvaney, tubas; John Stuve, double bass; Matteus Wilson, piano; Chase Dostert, Jacob Galbraith, Dustin Ban, Madison Going, Marvin Madarang, percussion; Lucas Blevins, conductor
Video Credit: David Galbraith