Vicki Deken

Come join the Arizona Wind Symphony (AWS) as it opens the 2014-2015 season with “Battles of Time” at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, November 5. This concert will showcase the band and its principal clarinetist Arlie DuPlessis.

What: Battles of Time

When: 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, November 5

Where: Tempe Center for the Arts, 700 West Rio Salado Parkway

Tickets: $10; K-12 students $6; children under six years free (ticket fees may apply). Tickets are available at the TCA Box Office or through http://tca.ticketforce.com.

The AWS kicks off its 14th season, eighth at the Tempe Center for the Arts, with a musical remembrance of the struggles and triumphs across time and continents. One of AWS’ own musicians will take the spotlight as principal clarinetist Arlie DuPlessis performs Concert Fantasia by Luigi Bassi.

DuPlessis received her education at the University of Arizona and teaches middle school in Phoenix. She has been a vital part of the annual student ensemble contest held by the AWS.

Featured music includes A Hymn for the Lost and Living, a moving portrayal of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States. It was composed by Eric Ewazen, who teaches composition at the Juilliard School.

The Chief of Staff March was written by US Air Force Band staff arranger Robert Thurston for the Air Force Chief of Staff Norton Schwartz. The work premiered in 2010.

Jericho Rhapsody was one of the first major works written for concert band. It was composed in the late 1930’s by legendary composer Morton Gould in a fast turnaround for performance by the Pennsylvania educators. Both Jericho and American Salute (also on the program) have certainly withstood the tests of time.

Young Belgian composer Bert Appermont received his musical degree in composition and film scoring. His setting of Ivanhoe is based on the book of the same name penned by Sir Walter Scott.

Throw in a John Philip Sousa march and a little jazz tribute to Dave Brubeck and that is a great way to kickoff the new concert season.

Now in its 14th season, the Arizona Wind Symphony is under the musical direction of William J. Richardson. It has grown to be a 90-piece concert band comprised of adults whose careers cover a broad range including teaching, health care, music professionals, computer science and many more. The common thread among the band members is to present music of the highest caliber. The group is a Tempe-based non-profit organization, funded in part by the Arizona Commission on the Arts and the City of Tempe. You can find more information at arizonawindsymphony.com. Follow the Arizona Wind Symphony on Facebook by searching for “Arizona Wind Symphony.”