Lone Star Wind Orchestra - 2026 CBDNA SW - "Concerto for Piano and Wind Ensemble" by Nancy Galbraith

"Concerto for Piano and Wind Ensemble" by Nancy Galbraith - Performed by pianist Aaron Kurz and the Lone Star Wind Orchestra at the 2026 CBDNA Southwestern Conference on February 25, 2026 at the Murchison Performing Arts Center in Denton, Texas, under the direction of Music Director Eugene Migliaro Corporon (www.lswo.com).Videography provided by UNT Recording Services. Shared by permission of composer. The composer details each movement of her "Concerto for Piano and Wind Ensemble: “Movement I begins softly with a rhythmic ostinato line in the bass clarinet, bassoon, and contrabass. As this ostinato repeats, rhythmic ideas are gradually layered to create a ground over which the main melodic idea of the movement appears in the piano. This melody is repeated and transformed many times as the music slowly builds to a grand climax. A return to another ostinato, this time in quarter notes, follows and moves into a quiet, slower, and more lyrical section in the woodwinds. This section leads to a piano solo followed by a return to the quarter note ostinato, which closes the movement. After a calm pastoral atmosphere is established in the opening of Movement II, a sweet but somewhat mournful melody arises in the piano. Webs of impressionistic texture follow in both the piano and woodwinds, which eventually lead to a resounding climax in the winds. The piano then presents the main theme again, this time building to its own climactic statement. The movement ends quietly as it began. Movement III is fast and energetic. The opening woodwind texture introduces a triplet note figure. The soft piano figure that follows employs this triplet figure, and serves as accompaniment for thematic statements in the woodwinds. The movement concludes with a return to the opening forte piano theme, and a cadenza for piano, accompanied by percussion.” Nancy Galbraith resides in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, where she is Chair of Composition at the Carnegie Mellon University School of Music, and holds the Vira I Heinz Professorship of Music endowed chair at the College of Fine Arts. Her compositions are featured on numerous recordings, including eleven anthologies. In a career that spans four decades, her music has earned praise for its rich harmonic texture, rhythmic vitality, emotional and spiritual depth, and wide range of expression.