Music in the Wings —2005

Music in the Wings was commissioned by the Reading Musical Foundation for The Ringgold Band to honor James S. Seidel’s twenty-fifth anniversary with the band. Kenneth Laudermilch played the solo trumpet part, and James Seidel conducted the premiere.

Program Note

The music incorporates elements that refer specifically to Seidel’s musical training, including a trumpet soloist (Seidel is a trumpeter) and quotations from Monroe Althouse’s Berkshire (one of Seidel’s favorites) and the Exeter Township High School alma mater (Seidel’s alma mater), which happens to be the same as Yale University’s (my alma mater). Seidel has taught at Exeter since 1973, and has thus played the alma mater with his high school band at every graduation for over 30 years. Special thanks go to C. Thomas Work, chair of the Reading Musical Foundation, for making this commission happen.