CU Symphonic Band Celebrates Folk Music

 The Clemson University Symphonic Band will bring folk music to the concert hall at 8 p.m. Nov. 19 at the Brooks Center for the Performing Arts.

Conducted by Mark Spede, the program features a selection of tunes and suites that celebrate folk music and bring it into a more formal setting.

Among the pieces to be performed are "Carnival" by Paul Basier; the four movements of American Hymn Song Suite composed by Dwayne Milburn; Donald Grantham’s “Don’t You See?,” based on African-American spirituals; Gustav Holst’s 2^nd Suite in F, which has four movements, all based on specific English folk songs; and “Cloudburst” by Eric Whitacre, inspired by an astonishing thunderstorm witnessed by the composer while on tour in Northern California.

Guest conductor Tim Hurlburt will lead Danzón No. 2 by Arturo Marquez, a contemporary piece of Mexican music literature that reflects on a dance style called Danzón, which has its origins in Cuba but is an important part of the folklore of the Mexican state of Veracruz.

The evening concludes with “Motion” by Brian Balmages. The piece has a local flair as it was commissioned for Elden and Wanda Moates of the Fannin County High School Band in Blue Ridge, Ga. The three sections deal with different aspects of motion, with the center section modeled after the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway’s train route following the Toccoa River.

Tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for students and are available for purchase online at www.clemson.edu/Brooks and through the box office at 864-656-7787 from 1 to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday.