The University of Oklahoma Wind Symphony has been selected to perform in concert for the 2008 Southwestern Division Conference of the College Band Directors National Association. "What is CBDNA," you ask?

CBDNA is comprised of college band conductors who focus on the advancement of bands through performance, teaching, and scholarly activity. National and regional conferences present the latest ideas and literature for the medium and are held in alternating years at selected sites. The University of Oklahoma hosted the regional conference in 1990 and 2000.

One week ahead of time, the Wind Symphony, under the direction of Dr. William K. Wakefield (with guest conductors and fellow OU band alumni Brian A. Britt and Jeff E. Jahnke), previews its CBDNA program in a Sutton Series concert: Thursday, February 21, at 8:00 PM in Sharp Concert Hall, located in the Catlett Music Center on the OU campus.

You can see the program here (PDF format). It includes symphonic wind classics like the Hunsberger transcription of Shostakovich's Festive Overture, Op. 96, the Leist and Goldman transcription of Johann Sebastian Bach's Fantasia in G Major, BWV 572, and a newer Mark Rogers version of Percy Grainger's Colonial Song.

But there's also plenty of new music, as well: Jonathan Newman's As the scent of spring rain… (2003), and the CBDNA premiere of Carter Pann's Four Factories (2006), which saw its Oklahoma debut under the Wind Symphony three months ago.

The Wind Symphony is also performing John Mackey's 2007 work Clocking, whose scheduled premiere in January 2007 by the Central Olkahoma Honor Band (CODA) was cancelled due to the ice storm, finally taking place just last month. The program closes with the latest work by honored wind composer Frank Ticheli, Wild Nights! (2007).

We hope everyone can turn out for this great concert on Thursday night. Tickets are $8 for adults, and $5 for students, faculty, staff, or senior citizens. Call the Fine Arts Campus Ticket Service (FACTS) at (405) 325-4101 for more information. We hope to see you there!

(For those of you in the Kansas City area, the concert for CBDNA is at 7:30 PM on Thursday, February 28, in the Conservatory of Music at the University of Missouri–Kansas City. We've placed both events on our Events calendar. Click on the poster above to get your own tabloid-sized copy of the poster to print out and hang around your office!