Pitt State Wind Ensemble concert to feature “Rhapsody in Blue” 

The Pittsburg State University Wind Ensemble is planning a free concert on Thursday, Feb. 16, that explores to what extent new music is inspired by existing music. It will feature a performance of Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” by Pitt State graduate student Isaac Hernández.

“This concert explores some of the important influences in wind band history,” said Assistant Professor Andrew Chybowski, who directs the ensemble.

The concert will begin at 7 p.m. in the Bicknell Family Center for the Arts.

“For most concerts, we try to program a variety of standard repertoire, new music, and hidden gems — but almost always music written for wind instruments, as you would expect,” he said. “In this program, I really wanted the ensemble to experience styles and musical traditions outside the wind band tradition, which means playing music that was originally written for orchestra or other genres. Hence the program title, “Unoriginals.”

Playing music intended for strings in a band setting is not easy, he noted.

“In addition to the normal challenges of preparing a performance, we have had to overcome a lot of technical obstacles involved in translating violin parts to clarinet, for example,” he said. “The benefit is that we get to play beloved classics like ‘Rhapsody in Blue’.”