Eltham High School Symphonic Band, Conducted by Rick Keenan. Recorded at Celebration Concert on Thursday September 14 2023.
Carter Pann (b. 1972) is a celebrated composer and accomplished pianist who has written music for solo instruments, film scores, large orchestra and wind ensemble. He is on the faculty of the University of Colorado at Boulder, where he continues to write distinctly original music.
Hold This Boy and Listen was written for a commission from a consortium of Colorado ensembles headed by the Colorado Wind Ensemble and its director, Matt Roeder. It is dedicated to the composer’s nephew, David Paulus Jr.
In Pann’s words:
Hold this Boy and Listen is an unusually soft and subdued song for band, written for my third nephew, David Paulus Jr. I sat down at the piano and wrote a lyrical work where the melodies and harmonies return, creating a structure not unlike a standard song structure. The sentiment is at times innocent or wistful and at other times haunted and serene. The players should really be allowed to sing through their instruments in this piece.
As in his other scores, Pann is often very specific in the instructions for this piece. For instance, he asks for “quiet pillars of sound” at one point, and specifies “other-worldly, alien” at another spot. This makes the score a colorful read beyond the notes. These instructions and others like them are absolutely essential to fully realizing his music, which is in this case gestural, graceful, and filled with contrast and nuance.
Eltham High School Symphonic Band
Eltham High School is a large high school on the urban rural fringe of north eastern Melbourne. The school’s primary focus has always been to enhance student outcomes through the provision of high quality teaching and learning strategies.
The Music Program at Eltham High School is internationally renowned for its excellence and is recognised as one of the finest school Instrumental Music Programs in Australia. The Symphonic Band is the most senior of four wind ensembles at the School.
Over many years the band has built a prestigious reputation both locally and internationally. Highlights include performing at the Midwest Clinic in 1997 and 2014.
In 2014 they toured the USA. As part of this tour they had the opportunity to work with some of the world’s greatest composers and educators, as well as performing in concerts with the United States Air Force Band and the Brooklyn Wind Symphony. The Band also presented at the Midwest Clinic assisting Dr. Ingrid Martin & Jodie Blackshaw with their repertoire and education clinics.
In December 2017 they toured Japan. As part of this tour they had the opportunity to work with some great ensembles, composers and educators; including members of the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, The Osaka University of Music, Shinonoi High School, Hirokazu Fukushima and Mr Manabu Inoue.
The Symphonic Band have been fortunate to work with many great Conductors and Composers over the years, including Frank Ticheli, Prof. Mark Camphouse, Dr. John Lynch, Dr. Steven Davis and Dr. Stephen Peterson, just to name a few.
Through their repertoire, the Symphonic Band reflects on life and sources of inspiration. For many their inspiration is family, friends, life experiences and each other. Each year Eltham High School commissions various composers to write for the ensemble, to add to the depth of Australian repertoire. The thought provoking themes of the repertoire that these gifted composers have provided the ensemble ensure that their musical journey is rich and connected to the young musician’s lives.
In the last 80 Years Eltham High School has established a tradition through its strong commitment to the areas of:
• Inspiring through excellence
• Creativity
• Individuality
• Social Justice.
Eltham High School is a school with high expectations where you feel safe to be yourself and challenged to think critically, to work independently and in teams, to show leadership and to achieve success along many pathways.
We believe that the “Deeds that Count” are:
• Respect
• Integrity
• Respect for diversity
• Environmental and social responsibility.