Austin Symphonic Band Performing Fanfare Aureus
Austin Symphonic Band. November 5, 2023 concert at the Connally HS Performing Arts Center in Austin, TX. ASB performing Fanfare Aureus by Kimberly Archer. Music Director Dr. Kyle R. Glaser conducting. "Grand Structures" Concert.
Video and Sound Production: Eddie Jennings
From the program notes written by David Cross:
Fanfare Aureus (2015)
Kimberly K. Archer (b. 1973)
Program note by the composer:
One of my favorite expressions is “The sun rises and sets on Florida State.” However, I first set foot on the campus of my beloved alma mater not as a music major, but as a music camper—three summers now, a quarter century ago.
My most vivid memory is from 1990. The Senior High Band conductor at the time, Dr. Jim Croft, invited me to his office, thrust his own French horn into my hands, and declared an unspoken truth: “Kimmer, you’re a good trumpet player but you’re never going to be great. You need to play the horn, so let’s have a lesson.” He added a sales pitch I’ll never forget: “The horn is God’s own instrument, you know. In fact, it’s the world’s very first instrument. The trumpet used to be a horn. I bet you didn’t even know the snare drum used to be a horn.”
Needless to say, although I have since realized the euphonium is actually God’s own instrument, a young composer’s love of the horn was born in that moment! Thus, when asked to compose a work in honor of the 70th anniversary of the FSU Music Camps, my first thought was of that impromptu lesson, of how deeply I still trust and love my FSU mentors, and how shining and warm my memories of FSU remain. My time in Tallahassee, as both a camper and a student, is the foundation of virtually all the good experiences, opportunities, and friendships in my life.
The Latin word aureus means “gold.” I could not resist overlapping allusions to “Garnet and Gold,” the golden sun that shines brightest on Tallahassee, and the flashing gold of a glorious FSU horn section.
Dr. Kimberly K. Archer attended Florida State University, Syracuse University, and the University of Texas at Austin. Her composition teachers include Charles Carter, Andrew Waggoner, Donald Grantham, David Gillingham, and David Maslanka. She has held positions at Bowling Green State University and Western Carolina University before her current position as assistant professor of composition at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville. She teaches composition, music theory, analysis, counterpoint, and twentieth-century music.
Listen for:
• Dream parts for horn and timpani.
• An energizing and brassy introduction.
• An introspective first theme featuring the woodwinds.
• Odd time signatures such as 5/8 and 7/8 interspersed to break up the groove.
• A bold ending in 6/8 with occasional 3/4 eighth-note groupings.
