Program Notes

October_

Eric Whitacre, composer

An award-winning composer, conductor and clinician, Eric Whitacre is one of the bright stars in contemporary concert music. He composed October in 2000, commissioned by the Nebraska Wind Consortium. About this piece, Whitacre writes, "October is my favorite month. Something about the crisp autumn air and the subtle change in light always makes me a little sentimental, and as I started to sketch I felt the same quiet beauty in the writing. The simple, pastoral melodies and subsequent harmonies are inspired by the great English Romantics (Vaughan Williams, Elgar) as I felt that this style was also perfectly suited to capture the natural and pastoral soul of the season."

—published score

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