UC Davis Concert Band: “Luminance”

At the center of this concert is a new composition for wind ensemble by Sacramento-based composer Shuying Li titled “Luminance,” which the UC Davis Concert Band helped commission thanks to the Rucker Family Trust’s Endowed Fund for Concert Band Support. The composer writes of her piece, “At its core, the work addresses issues relevant to contemporary society. By exploring themes of hope and despair, inclusion and exclusion, and power and powerlessness, the piece seeks to provide a platform for reflection and conversation. Through its use of evocative tonalities and dynamic contrasts, “Luminance” aims to inspire audiences to find strength in moments of darkness and embrace the light within themselves. “Luminance” will have been premiered by “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band in October, 2023.

Program

Yolo Community Band • Michael Loya, conductor

Malcolm Arnold: Prelude, Siciliano, and Rondo

Marcus Loya: Indomitable Blaze (Premiere)

Martin Ellerby: Silent Movie Suite

— Intermission —

UC Davis Concert Band • Pete Nowlen, director

Leonard Bernstein (arr. Polster): Four Dances from West Side Story

Shuying Li: Luminance

Joe Hisaishi and Yumi Kimura (arr. Kazuhiro Morita): Spirited Away

Combined Bands

Alfred Reed: Russian Christmas Music