‘Prelude, Fugue, and Riffs’ symphony concert Sunday

Erin Jones

The Troy University Symphony Band will host its “Prelude, Fugue, and Riffs” concert on Oct. 7 at 3 p.m. in the Claudia Crosby Theater.

The concert will feature the members of the symphony band as well as Adam Blackstock, an associate professor of music, on drums; Timothy Phillips, an associate professor of music, on the clarinet; and Hui Ting Yang, an associate professor of music, playing the piano.

The Troy Symphony Band will begin the concert alone with a piece called “Fanfare for the Common Man” by Aaron Copland, followed by “Fascinating Ribbons” by Joan Tower.

Blackstock, Phillips and Ting Yang will then join the symphony and continue the performance with “Prelude, Fugue, and Riffs” by Leonard Bernstein.

“I’m excited about the Symphony Band’s performance because composers such as Bernstein have been very influential in legitimizing jazz music’s influence on classical music,” said Steven Miller, a freshman criminal justice major from Geneva.

Mark Walker, a professor of music and the director of bands, encourages students to attend this event because it is an opportunity for students both unfamiliar and familiar with symphonic band to enjoy a concert of great music.

“This is music that is not often heard, and the pieces are culturally significant to the larger American musical landscape,” Walker said.

Austin Shufflebarger, a sophomore economics major from Tuscaloosa, said he is excited to play onstage with his friends and fellow bandmates.

“It’s just an awesome feeling to look up at the stage and see my neighbors and classmates really getting the chance to live out their dreams,” Shufflebarger said. “They’re some of the best musicians in the country, and it’s such an honor to call such talented people my friends.”

Like most students who were asked, Sarah Kleinschmidt, a freshman clinical psychology major from Elberta, said she is “extremely excited” and “can’t wait to hear the performers and their pieces.”

The concert will end with a series of pieces titled “A Grainger Set” by Percy Grainger and “Music for Prague, 1968” by Karel Husa.

The concert will be free and open to the public.