UMaine Symphonic Band Concert Includes Novel Electric Guitar Solo

A University of Maine Symphonic Band concert at 7:30 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 6 at the Collins Center for the Arts will feature an electric guitar solo, an atypical mix of instrumentation.

The addition of electric guitar to a wind and percussion ensemble is a result of collaboration by UMaine senior music education major and electric guitar player Blake Ford and Symphonic Band Director Chris White. After Ford expressed interest in performing music written for an electric guitar solo in a wind band, he and White found a piece, “Chaos Theory 3.0 Concerto for Electric Guitar and Wind Orchestra,” by composer, sound designer and guitarist Jim Bonney.

“In this piece, I wanted to fuse progressive hard rock intensity with classical sophistication,” Bonney says about Chaos. “Because of its variety of tonal color and wide dynamic range, I believe the electric guitar has a role in contemporary concert music.”

White says including the piece in the Dec. 6 concert exposes a large number of guitar players in the School of Performing Arts to the wind band medium and wind band players to guitarists.

The Symphonic Band is an auditioned group of 45 of the best wind and percussion musicians at UMaine. Along with Chaos Theory 3.0, the concert will include works by Clifton Williams, R. Vaughan Williams, Dana Wilson, Johan Halvorsen, Frank Ticheli and R. B. Hall.

Tickets are $12 or free with a student MaineCard, they can be purchased at the Collins Center for the Arts box office.

Contact: George Manlove, 207.581.3756