KNOXVILLE–The University of Tennessee Wind Ensemble, under the direction of Dr. Gary Sousa, will perform at 8 p.m., April 3 at New York-s Carnegie Hall.
The university-s ensemble is a featured attraction at the New York Wind Band Festival, an international music festival dedicated to the performance of outstanding music written for the concert band and wind ensemble.
Sousa said the festival presents programs from universities across the world and from high school bands across the United States.
“This is the first time a University of Tennessee music group has appeared at Carnegie Hall,” Sousa said. “We are very proud of our musicians, who are the most outstanding woodwind, brass and percussion students in our band program and School of Music. They are recognized as one of the top wind ensembles in the United States.”
Sousa said the performance would showcase music inspired both by the state of Tennessee and the city of New York. The centerpiece of the program will be a new work, “Hemispheres,” commissioned by the New York Philharmonic Orchestra for the final concert of their conductor Kurt Masur.
“This is one of the most significant new pieces written for the wind band medium in the last 30 years,” Sousa said. “We are very fortunate to have the students talented enough to perform a work written for the top professionals in the country.”
The concert is open to the public. Tickets may be reserved by calling the UT Band Office at 865-974-5031 or the School of Music at 865-974-3241.