BGSU Bands Alumni Take the Stage

For months there has been confusion and consternation surrounding the inclusion of BGSU Bands alumni on the April 7th concert in Kobacker Hall. Facebook comments demonstrating a range of thoughts and emotions have been the catalyst for intense private discussions. "How did this happen?" "How did I not know?" There's been weeping and gnashing of teeth! (Not really, but it sets up the article nicely.)

Here, we'll try to set the record as straight as it can be set. And maybe soothe a few psychological bruises.

The Story Revolves Around the Premiere

[Please refer to the previous article "New Composition Dedicated to Bruce Moss" for the full story on the commission. The article's a dandy.]

Bruce Moss was presented with the dedication copy of All the Earth and Air by Tyler Grant, on November 4th, 2023 following a public announcement revealing the existence of the piece at the BGSU Falcon Marching Bands’ Sounds of the Stadium Concert. At that point, Moss was faced with two problems aside from the small issue of being sick with COVID. The first – Who was going to play the piece? The second – When would it be programmed?
 
(Now comes the part about integrating BGSU Bands alumni into the premiere.)
 
All the Earth and Air (dedicated to Moss) was, after all, commissioned by the BGSU Band Alumni Society. It seemed fitting to have band alumni premiere the piece. There had been discussion about putting together an alumni concert band to perform on the weekend of April 6 and 7 for what was being called a “gala” weekend. But the BGSU Band Alumni Society Board of Directors had some reservations (one in particular) about calling together a mass group of band alums to perform at that time. It’s a complicated process with many organizational and logistical details. Band alumni were essentially being asked to make a commitment, in the fall, to a weekend many months later. Not easy for some.
 
By September, following BGSU’s homecoming festivities, some interest had been expressed from alumni, but no plans had been made. By November, things had not developed a great deal further. For some reason, the matter of whether or not alumni would play during the “gala” weekend needed to be settled by December 8th. So, Dr. Moss decided he would take the approach of selecting a group of BGSU Band alums to come together for the premiere, and program it on the April 7th concert. The BGSU Wind Symphony was the only student ensemble performing on April 7th. And Moss was the only conductor. Conditions Moss and the BGSU Band Alumni Society Board of Directors found suitable to proceed with plans to include alumni players.

My Image
Then came another issue. Since All the Earth and Air is a dedication to Moss, should it not be Moss-era band alumni who play the premiere? And what, then, of band alumni from earlier eras? To add another layer of consideration, the alumni portion of the concert could not be a massive group. Kobacker Hall’s stage is only so large. And what about rehearsals? Distribution of music? Changing the stage set-up in the middle of the concert? This could become quite a project.
 
So, to ensure that BGSU Bands alumni were present on the concert, in number and proportions that would be manageable, rehearsable (We may have just invented a word.) and able to generate a performance of high quality, Moss took the approach of hand-selecting representative alumni players from the Moss-era and from the Mark Kelly era, and asking those people if they would perform on April 7th.
 
Moss said of the approach to putting these alumni together, “It’s not an ideal way to do it, but any other way and you run the risk of getting a huge, unbalanced, mass band. And I definitely didn't want to ask people not to play when numbers grew too large. That kind and size of band, really needs to be the only performing group if it comes together at all. In this case, the BGSU Wind Symphony takes the first half of the concert.”
 
Regarding the selection of players, he said, “I had to choose players I felt were in shape to play, and who could put a concert together in just a few hours of rehearsal in the days before the concert. In many cases, though, selection was just the luck of the draw. Several players may have been able to fill a particular spot. I had far more potential alumni players than seats to fill.”
In many cases, though, selection was just the luck of the draw. Several players may have been able to fill a particular spot. I had far more potential alumni players than seats to fill.
Bruce Moss
Moss said, “I regret we weren’t able to accommodate the large, comprehensive, alumni concert band on this concert, but I hope the Band Alumni Society Board sees the expression of interest as a reason to call the group together for concerts in the future. Perhaps even with some regularity. April 7, 2024, is not the one and only opportunity for that."
The Record. A Little More Straight than Before.
So, there you have it. On April 7th, the BGSU Wind Symphony will perform the first half of a concert. Then, a group of Moss-era band alumni will take the stage to perform the premiere of All the Earth and Air by Tyler S. Grant and a couple additional pieces. There may be some current BGSU Wind Symphony students mixed in there depending on how many alumni players get sucked into outer space by the unusual alignment of the moon and the sun, and the overall needs of the group. And why not? Current students are Moss-era students as well. And, they’ll be joining the ranks of the alumni very soon!
 
Last, but not least, all those players who performed the premiere of All the Earth and Air, will be joined by BGSU Bands alumni from the Mark Kelly era to perform together. And we just might get a surprise visit from members of the BGSU Falcon Marching Band to close the show. (That's a bunch of performers. Hopefully there will be no surprise visit from a Fire Marshal.)

The path of totality for this amazing concert? In the audience in Kobacker Hall. See you there.