Trombones replacing cellos, contrabassoons and everything in between — the University of Connecticut’s Symphonic Wind Ensemble transformed a series of songs initially written for different instruments at their concert “Transcriptions of the Classics” on Thursday, Nov. 13.
Janet Song Kim, the conductor of the show and the director of UConn Wind Bands, explained that the students involved worked incredibly hard, and this show allowed everyone to get creative.
The performance showcased the versatility of the ensemble, performing pieces that contrasted in tempo, dynamic and mood. “Transcriptions of the Classics” consisted of five pieces, opening with the complex and lengthy “Serenade for Wind Instruments in D minor, Op. 44” by Antonín Dvořák. Although this piece was composed for wind instruments, the cello and contrabassoon parts were replaced by trombones and bass trombones. Later songs presented more drastic shifts in transcription, however.
The piece was performed by a smaller group of students, with the full ensemble joining the following pieces after intermission.
“[The concert] was extremely well put together,” Ethan DeBaise, a fifth-semester music education major, said. “A lot of the pieces were very complex, and they did a fantastic job of making it cohesive and not showing the difficulty.”
“Marsch,” by Paul Hindemith was performed next, which was reimagined by Keith Wilson in the early 1960s. Wilson brought “Marsch” from a full orchestra piece to one suited for an American wind ensemble, “preserving Hindemith’s intensity while giving it a distinctly band-room voice,” Kim wrote in the concert program.
Michael Ando, who is currently studying a master’s degree of music in instrumental conducting at UConn under Kim, stepped in to conduct “Marsch.”
“Adoration” by Florence Beatrice Price was initially composed for the organ in 1951 and was recently transcribed in 2022 by Cheldon Williams. Price is considered the first black woman to be recognized as a symphonic composer and to have her music performed by a major American orchestra. Williams’ goal for transcribing the beautiful piece was to bring exposure to Price’s story and to allow her work to be played through more mediums. Kelly Watkins conducted “Adoration” and is pursuing a Doctoral of Musical Arts in conducting under Kim.
“My favorite song was ‘Adoration’,” Laila Hollis, a fifth-semester chemistry major, said. “There was just something about the song that made me think of home. It was such a beautiful song to me.”
“Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor” was composed by Bach and has since been transcribed for various instruments, with this version providing “a wealth of solo colors in both the woodwind and brass selections” as excerpted from Donald Hunsberger in the program.
Closing the show was “Profanation from Symphony No. 1, Jeremiah,” conducted by guest conductor, Malcom Jones. Jones became a visiting assistant professor of music at UConn in the summer of 2025, as well as the director of athletic bands and the assistant director of wind bands.
“Profanation” was composed by Leonard Bernstein in 1942 for a large-scale orchestra and is inspired by the biblical story of Jermiah and the fall of Jerusalem.
“[‘Profanation’] had a very strong driving pulse, even throughout the mixed meter that just really catapulted it forward,” DeBaise said. “Profanation” was his favorite piece of the evening.
“Transcriptions of the Classics” was the last Symphonic Wind Ensemble concert of the season, and was the last for several seniors who plan to graduate in the spring and will be student teaching next semester.
“I thought it was great,” Colleen Kinneavy, a seventh-semester psychology major, said. “I go to a lot of these [concerts] because I know a lot of people in the ensembles. They’ve grown so much since the last one. They were really good.”