Elements 02•28•2026
Elements Program
Elements are the forces that shape our world: sun, wind, rain, and the ground beneath our feet. This concert features four living composers, each drawing inspiration from the natural world in a different way.
Every piece on today’s program was commissioned by a consortium, a school, or an ensemble. For wind bands, these partnerships are essential. They support composers financially and help bring forward voices that have historically been underrepresented, including composers like Kevin Day and Julie Giroux. Commissions like these are among the most effective ways wind bands can expand their repertoire and ensure continued growth through new ideas, perspectives, and sounds.
Shimmering Sunshine, by Kevin Day (b. 1996)
Imagine standing outside at the brightest moment of a cloudless summer day. The sun is high and light is dancing around you. That vivid sense of light in motion is what Kevin Day captures in Shimmering Sunshine, a piece that lets the light of the sun shimmer between instruments as if light itself were bouncing through the band.
Kevin Day has quickly become one of the most talked-about young composers working today. He began composing in high school, driven by curiosity and a love for the music he grew up with. Raised in Texas in a musical family, he was surrounded by gospel, jazz, classical, and hip-hop music, influences that continue to shape how he approaches composition. His music has been described as featuring “propulsive, syncopated rhythms, colorful orchestration, and instrumental virtuosity.” With more than 150 compositions written for ensembles ranging from college wind bands to major orchestras, Day has developed a voice that naturally bridges different musical worlds.
Shimmering Sunshine was written as part of a consortium of new works by young American composers and was first recorded by the San José State University Wind Ensemble. As you listen, notice how the music moves with a sense of purpose and clarity, like sunlight finding its way through an open window.
October, by Eric Whitacre (b. 1970)
What does the month of October feel like? For many, it’s a time of golden light, crisp air, falling leaves, and quiet reflection. In October, Eric Whitacre draws directly on that feeling. “October is my favorite month. Something about the crisp autumn air and the subtle change in light always make me a little sentimental, and as I started to sketch I felt that same quiet beauty in the writing.”
Whitacre didn’t set out to be a composer. In college, he joined the choir with no formal musical training and little experience reading music. He quickly became fascinated by harmony and the expressive power of choral singing. That experience led him to study composition, first at UNLV and later at the Juilliard School. His earliest and most influential works were written for choir, and his musical voice was shaped by the breadth and blend of the human voice. When writing for wind band, Whitacre carries that choral approach with him, favoring long, vocal-style lines and richly layered harmonies that reflect his roots in choral music.
October was written in 2000 for a consortium of 30 Nebraska high school bands and is dedicated to Brian Anderson, the band director who brought the project together. Whitacre later said that writing music that sounded “simple” but still felt deep and beautiful was one of his biggest creative challenges. The result is music that unfolds slowly, painting a sound picture of autumn’s calm beauty and inviting us to slow down and really listen.
In This Broad Earth, by Steven Bryant (b. 1972)
Close your eyes and picture standing on a mountain trail with a vast sky overhead. The land stretches in every direction, creating a sense of mystery and wonder. That feeling of being part of something wide and alive is what Steven Bryant set out to capture with In This Broad Earth, a short, radiant fanfare that celebrates the natural world and the sense of wonder it inspires.
Steven Bryant is best known for his imaginative writing for wind band, though his music spans a wide range of genres and ensembles. Growing up in Arkansas, he was surrounded by band music and eventually studied with some of the most influential American composers of the last few decades. His works are performed by ensembles of every level, from professional groups to high school bands, Bryant is known for writing music that is both challenging and deeply rewarding to play, often writing with a specific place or moment in mind.
In This Broad Earth was commissioned in 2015 by the Michigan State University Wind Symphony and conductor Kevin Sedatole. Bryant drew inspiration from time spent hiking in the Austrian Alps with his wife, and the piece grew out of that lived experience of space, light, and movement.
– Intermission –
Symphony No. 5 “Elements,” by Julie Giroux (b. 1961)
Imagine feeling the warmth of the sun on your face, hearing the rhythm of falling rain, or being caught off guard by a sudden burst of wind. These are the sensations at the heart of Symphony No. 5 “Elements,” Julie Giroux’s musical response to three of nature’s most powerful forces. The connected movements—“Sun,” “Rain,” and “Wind”—bring them to life in sound.
Julie Giroux has built a remarkable career across many corners of the music world. She began composing as a child in Louisiana, later studying with notable figures like John Williams. She went on to work in film and television, where she became one of the first women to orchestrate for major Hollywood productions. Her work on television earned her an Emmy Award in 1992, but her voice as a composer has found its strongest expression in wind music. Giroux writes with a clear sense of drama and momentum, blending musical craft with a personal, often cinematic touch. Her work is now performed widely by school, university, and professional ensembles.
Elements was commissioned for wind ensemble and premiered in 2018 by the Eastern Wind Symphony. Each movement of Elements is written in a different musical key. A key is like a home base for a piece of music—a group of notes that sound especially “right” together. Just as each element has its own energy, each key gives the music its own mood and color. The three movements form a single arc that invites listeners to experience these natural forces as present and alive.
I. SUN in C
“Sun” begins in the key of C with a bare, open harmony, intentionally avoiding a clear major or minor sound. She describes this musical openness as a representation of existence itself. As the movement unfolds into full C major, the music grows in warmth and intensity, symbolizing the emergence of life and light.
II. RAIN in D-flat
“Rain” shifts to the key of D-flat, a key Giroux connects with calm, stillness, and warmth. She draws on memories of Southern rainstorms—never in a hurry, steady and full of presence. The music doesn’t just describe rain; it settles into it. Giroux creates a musical space that feels gentle and immersive, like watching rainfall from a quiet place indoors.
III. WIND in E-flat
“Wind” takes on a different energy in E-flat, a key Giroux calls “the great communicator.” This final movement moves quickly and unpredictably, full of motion and exchange. Giroux weaves in musical references to the previous movements, like gusts carrying familiar scents or sounds. E-flat becomes a fitting home for the element that rushes in, clears the air, and ties everything together.
Program notes by Sue Hinton
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