The Cornell University Wind Symphony (CU Winds) will pay tribute to the late Steven Stucky and Karel Husa in a series of concerts featuring memorial commissions honoring the former Cornell professors.
鈥淧rofessors Husa and Stucky were not only distinguished composers, but also dedicated teachers,鈥 said , director of CU Winds. 鈥淭heir legacy will live on in their music and in the many students and colleagues they influenced in their combined 72 years on the Cornell faculty. It seemed most appropriate to honor them by commissioning new music from those with whom they worked.鈥
The memorial series begins with a town-gown concert on Sun., March 19, at 3 pm in Bailey Hall with CU Winds, conducted by Spinazzola, and the Ithaca High School Wind Ensemble, conducted by Nicki Zawel. The concert will feature a memorial piece entitled 鈥淗usa,鈥 written by guest composer David Maslanka for chamber winds. The concert is funded in part by a grant from the Cornell Council for the Arts.
Spinazzola said Stucky was planning to compose a new work for wind ensemble, which was tentatively scheduled to be premiered at Cornell in 2018. 鈥淚n recognition of this intention and of Professor Stucky鈥檚 importance, I commissioned his friend and colleague Chris Rouse [MFA 鈥77, DMA 鈥77]; to enrich the repertoire with a substantial piece in Steve鈥檚 honor.鈥
The concert on Sun., May 7, at 3 pm in Bailey Hall will feature this new work dedicated to Stucky, titled 鈥淏erceuse Infinie.鈥 The concert will also include the second piece of the Husa memorial project, 鈥淔anfare for Karel鈥 by Dana Wilson, retired Dana Professor at the Ithaca College School of Music.
Spinazzola commissioned 10 of Husa鈥檚 former students and colleagues to compose brief pieces in Husa鈥檚 honor. 鈥淢ost of the compositions will range from two to five minutes, but, taken together, they will form a significant and lasting tribute, and an important contribution to the wind ensemble repertoire,鈥 he said.
The commissioned works will be premiered in the final series of concerts. The concert on Oct. 2 will feature compositions by David Conte, MFA 鈥82, DMA 鈥83, Byron Adams, DMA 鈥84, and Janice Macaulay, Ph.D. 鈥86. The Nov. 18 concert will feature works by Brian Robison, MFA 鈥92, DMA 鈥99, and Thomas Duffy, DMA 鈥86. Concerts in spring 2018 will include new memorial works by former students Rouse, Greg Woodward, DMA 鈥86, Fred Cohen, MFA 鈥86, DMA 鈥87, as well as by , Old Dominion Foundation Professor in the Humanities in the Department of Music.
Stucky, the Given Foundation Professor of Music Emeritus, died Feb. 14, 2016. The Pulitzer Prize-winning composer was an important mentor to emerging composers and a prominent advocate for new music, including serving as artistic director of Cornell鈥檚 Ensemble X. He taught at Cornell for 34 years.
Husa, the Kappa Alpha Professor of Music Emeritus, died Dec. 14, 2016. The Pulitzer Prize winner taught generations of composers, including Stucky, as well as conducting major orchestras throughout Europe, Asia and the U.S. He taught at Cornell for 38 years.
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