Multiple soloists representing the Arkansas Tech University Department of Music faculty and the ATU student body will be featured during a performance by the Arkansas Tech University Symphonic Wind Ensemble entitled “Elements” on Sunday, Oct. 5.
The first ATU Symphonic Wind Ensemble concert of the 2025-26 academic year will begin at 2:30 p.m. in Witherspoon Auditorium, 407 West Q Street on the ATU campus in Russellville. Admission will be free and open to the public.
“Hopefully, it will have a little bit of something for everybody,” said Dr. Daniel A. Belongia, ATU professor of music and director of bands as well as conductor for the ATU Symphonic Wind Ensemble. “We named the concert ‘Elements’ for two reasons. One is that the music is very elemental in its title and what it’s referencing. We have a lot of water. We also called it ‘Elements’ because we’re doing portions of pieces of music, so it has a bit of a double reference point.”
The show will open with a percussion quarter concerto entitled “Re(new)al” by Viet Cuong. It will feature Dr. Cory Fica, ATU instructor of music, and ATU students Kraigen Partee of Mountain Home, Miguel Diaz-Moreno of Dardanelle and Emanuel Chambers of Hector.
Dr. Amy Porter, ATU assistant professor of music, will appear as a soprano soloist when the band performs three movements of “Winter Morning Walks,” which was composed by Maria Schneider based upon poems written by Ted Kooser.
Next will be one movement from “River of Time,” a concerto for trumpet that will feature Dr. TJ Perry, ATU associate professor of music. The piece was written by David Biedenbender.
Dr. Phoebe Robertson, ATU assistant professor of music, will be the final soloist of the afternoon. She will play flute as part of a performance of three movements from “Mnicakmun (Sounds of Water)” by William Linthicum-Blackhorse.
Sunday’s concert will conclude with a performance of “The Frozen Cathedral” by John Mackey. The ATU Symphonic Band previously played the piece at Witherspoon Auditorium in spring 2016, but this time around the music will be accompanied by an interactive film produced by ION Concert Media.
Those unable to attend the concert in person may watch it live or on-demand at www.youtube.com/@atumusic3637.
Visit www.atu.edu/humanities/music to learn more about the ATU Department of Music.
