Concert viewing options
- Ball State students can receive one free student ticket at the Emens Box Office with their student ID
- General admission tickets cost $5
- A live webcast will also be broadcasted during the concert
Students in the Wind Ensemble and Symphony Band have been working since the beginning of the year toward the 2017 President's Concert, which will take place at 7:30 p.m. Friday in Sursa Hall.
With musicians playing instruments from the flute to the tuba, the Wind Ensemble and Symphony Band each meet three times a week. Students also practice both individually and with their sections.
As the principal oboe player for the band, Rachel Gripp, a freshman oboe performance major, is the leader of the ensemble's oboe section and guides her group during weekly sectionals.
Gripp earned this position after her audition in August. All School of Music students are required to have an audition to be placed into specific ensembles at the beginning of each semester.
"We have a lot of graduate students in [Wind Ensemble] and a lot of really great players, so it’s a bit intimidating, but I’m excited because I think it’s good for me too because I’ve always believed you play to the level of the ensemble you’re in,” she said. “With this ensemble in particular, everyone cares so much and it’s really fun. It’s part of the reason why I really like being in Wind Ensemble because everyone is really into their music, and so, because of that, we can make some great sounds together.”
When Gripp does feel anxious before a concert, however, she takes time to clean her reeds and instrument as a way to calm down.
“That kind of helps to calm me down because it’s a repetitive action — you’re just cleaning the instrument,” she said. “You can still get nervous, obviously, so what I do is I’ll just take some deep breaths to try to slow it down and put myself in the position of a calm place where I can just play and do what I did in practices."
Gripp has goals for her future and is working with her professors to become an oboe professor or professional oboe player.
“I have to push myself from thinking, ‘You’re just a scared little freshman’ to ‘You’re a musician, you can do this,’” Gripp said. “It’s going to be interesting, and I have no false ideas that it’s going to be an easy road by any means, but my professor is amazing.”
Among the professors that push Gripp are Thomas Caneva, head director of bands and director of the Wind Ensemble and Caroline Hand, associate director of bands and director of the Symphony Band.
Hand said many people have been involved in concert preparation.
“This concert features a lot of Ball State connections, so I’ve been contacting alumni composers and faculty composers about attending rehearsals,” Hand said. “Dr. Van Hof, our new trombone professor, and I have gotten together a couple of times to go over how he’d like his concerto to be performed.”
A range of music compositions will be performed, including a world premiere of a piece by Jody Nagel, professor of music theory and composition, but Hand is unable to choose a favorite.
“It’s so great for our students to work with living composers, as with Ryan Fraley for the ‘Genome Symphony’ and Jody Nagel for his ‘Fanfare,’ as well as world class performers like Chris Van Hof,” Hand said. “I also love the Bennette [piece] and am really looking forward to a collaboration we have on that piece with Sawyer Harvey from the dance department.”
Hand encourages the Ball State community to come welcome Mearns at the 2017 President’s Concert and enjoy all of the works they have been preparing, including one with a “surprise dedication.”
Contact Nicole Thomas with any comments at nrthomas@bsu.edu.
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