Klezmorim

for wind ensemble

Klezmorim for wind ensemble has officially been premiered by the Northern Arizona University Wind Symphony as of April 26th, 2024! Klezmorim was such a crazy passion project that I pitched in April that I thought from the beginning would never go through. But… I think it was just crazy enough...

I have been extremely fortunate to have contributed many hours during the latter part of my undergraduate career to listening to, studying, and writing Klezmer music. Klezmer is a mischievous, thrilling, and flexible musical genre that aims to provide a soundscape of entertainment, resistance, and commemoration. Klezmorim is a wind ensemble piece like my affinity for klezmer in that it is malleable, accessible, and exciting. This piece was written to feature four soloists, Violin, Clarinet, French Horn, and Accordion, often the main components of a klezmer: a melodic, countermelodic, bass, and accompanying instrument.

Klezmorim is composed for a large wind ensemble, with a large percussion section, soloists, and the integration of bass saxophone to pay homage to the “John Philip Sousa” era of klezmer when klezmer consumers were learning more about the vaudeville and brass band sounds of the 1970s. This piece depicts my forever-continuing story with klezmer, reflecting my exposure, studying, and experimenting with this beautiful genre of music. The graphic score intro depicts the beginning stages of learning about klezmer and its eclectic history. Klezmer took over my musical interests, and I began to learn more about this complex yet pure musical genre. Presentation, exploration, and manipulation are the core themes of this piece. Like the history and common practice of klezmer, this piece quickly shifts styles and genera, giving the audience a taste of several settings where klezmer can exist.

I did some presenting on Klezmorim and talked about where I started, how I got there, and what the final result was. For this, I shared my abstract which I would like to share: "Concert band music is often limited in terms of its exposure, its use of improvisation, and its diversity in terms of the type of music performed. To address this, I composed a klezmer-style concert band piece to expose the musicians and audience to as many different musical concepts not often found in concert band music. The composition was written with the intent for every musician to not just be a player of an instrument, but to connect their knowledge, skill, and artistic sensitivity in performing music..."

Soloists on Klezmorim

Desmond Siu (Violin)

Hong Kong-American conductor and violinist Kin (Desmond) Siu holds the position of Artistic Director and Principal Conductor with the organization Orchestra Northern Arizona and serves as Part-Time Faculty at Northern Arizona University (NAU). As a violinist, Desmond currently plays with the Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra, Arizona Philharmonic, and San Juan Symphony. He attended festivals and summer programs such as, the Pierre Monteux School and Festival, Kinhaven Music School, InterHarmony Festival, and the Decoda Skidmore Chamber Music Institute. Through these festivals, Desmond performed in various halls around the world including Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse of Lincoln Center and Smetana Hall in Prague. Desmond’s past solo engagements include Sedona Symphony, Orchestra Northern Arizona, and Desert Mountain High School.

Kaia Guscott (Clarinet)

Performer and educator Kaia Guscott is from Albuquerque, New Mexico, and graduated from NAU with a Music Education Degree in December of 2023. During her time at NAU, she has earned the Michael Sullivan Young Artist Award and the NAU Gold Axe Award for being a valuable contributor to NAU and Kitt School of Music. As a performer, Kaia has performed with local ensembles like Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra and Prescott Symphony Orchestra. She also curated the NAU Clarinet Choir and co-founded the Flagstaff Klezmer Orkestra, a student group revitalizing klezmer and similar music. Kaia has been studying klezmer music since she was 16 years old. Kaia has also held a principal clarinet position with the NAU Wind Symphony and the NAU Symphony Orchestra. She has worked with several schools within the Flagstaff Unified school district and now is the music educator at Killip Elementary where she aims to gain more experience in music education and move on to her master's degree.

Abby Webster (French Horn)

Abby Webster was born in Grand Junction, Colorado and was raised in Anchorage, Alaska. Like many horn players, she knew she wanted to play horn after she heard several of John Williams’ soundtracks; she first began playing horn at age 11 and began taking private lessons shortly after that. Throughout high school Abby routinely played with the Anchorage Symphony Orchestra, the Alaska Youth Orchestra, and other professional groups in Alaska. After moving to Flagstaff to pursue her degree in horn performance at the Kitt School of Music, she began freelancing around town and playing with groups such as the Master Chorale of Flagstaff, the Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra, and the Flagstaff Klezmer Orkestra. Due to her numerous contributions to the Kitt School of Music, Abby has been named the Outstanding Graduating Senior for Spring 2024 and will represent the College of Arts and Letters during commencement as the CAL Standard Bearer. After graduating in May, Abby intends on attending Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music to pursue her master’s degree in music theory while continuing to play horn.

With that being said, I would like to thank some individuals who, without their mentorship, truly would have not have made this project possible:

Dr. Rob Wallace – taking the time to mentor me for the 2023/24 academic year as my independent study professor and someone I aspire to become one day.

Dr. Julie Zhu - for guiding me through my composition process and supporting me throughout the composition, as well as taking the time to fly out to Flagstaff to listen to the premier of the Klezmorim.

Dr. Stephen Meyer - for allowing a young composer to compose for the NAU Wind Symphony and program it for public performance and for your continuous support in all my endeavors.

- Will Whitten

PDF of the score is located below YouTube video

Klezmorim - Score.pdf