Visiting campus to meet with Gustavus students is American composer and 10-time Emmy winner, Bruce Broughton. After returning from its first tour since 2019, the Gustavus Wind Orchestra will perform its Home Tour Concert on Saturday, February 12 at 7:30 p.m. in Christ Chapel. Prior to the performance, Broughton will discuss his piece, “Flourishes,” which the Gustavus Wind Orchestra is premiering.
Broughton is best known for his work on movie scores like Tombstone, Miracle on 34th Street, and Silverado, for which he was nominated for an Academy Award. Through an anonymous donation, Gustavus was able to commission the piece, “Flourishes.”
A short and lively piece, “Flourishes” will open the concert. “We hope that it will be an interesting opener so that people will feel excited and look forward to what else they are going to hear for the rest of the concert,” Broughton said. Inspired by the ruffles and flourishes played by the military in honor of a high-ranking official, the piece serves as a fanfare.
Broughton will work with composition students on campus, as well as attend rehearsals with the Gustavus Wind Orchestra and work with them on his piece.
“I think that the thing I like about composing is that it’s just something that has no ceiling. You can always get better. You always find audiences that you haven’t been able to reach out to yet, he said. “I wish I had another 70 or 80 years to be able to get really good.”
The concert revolves around the theme, Drawing Inspiration. “This theme evolved organically out of a collection of music that was circling in my mind and heart related to film, animation, imagery, and visual art,” said conductor James Patrick Miller. Aiming to lift up underrepresented voices, the program features the music of two Black composers, Omar Thomas and Sydney Guillaume, an Indigenous/First Nation composer Brent Michael Davids, and Spanish composer Joaquín Rodrigo.
The Wind Orchestra was chosen to be one of the featured ensembles at the Minnesota Music Educators Association Midwinter Clinic, performing in the Friday evening slot. “The students are extremely excited to go to MMEA and continue to share this amazing tour program,” said Miller.
The Gustavus Wind Orchestra met with Broughton on Zoom last January Term for a workshop and Q & A, as they played the Silverado score in last year’s repertoire. The performance was recorded for their recent album, Heroes: Facing Adversity and Destiny, available on all streaming platforms.
To hear more from Broughton, check out the inaugural episode of the Gustavus Fine Arts Podcast, coming soon. Keep an eye on the Gustavus Fine Arts social media pages for updates.
Performance Details
Saturday, February 12 | 7:30 p.m.
Gustavus Wind Orchestra Home Tour Concert
James Patrick Miller, conductor
With guest composer Bruce Broughton
Christ Chapel
Friday, February 18 | 6:45 p.m.
Minnesota Music Educators Association Midwinter Clinic Performance
Minneapolis Convention Center, Main Ballroom