The SIU Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Orchestra present a joint concert at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 6, in SIU Carbondale’s Shryock Auditorium. (SIU Carbondale photo)
September 29, 2026
SIU Wind Ensemble, Symphony Orchestra to perform Oct. 6 in Shryock Auditorium
CARBONDALE, Ill. — The SIU Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Orchestra present a joint concert on Tuesday, Oct. 6, in Shryock Auditorium. The free concert begins at 7 p.m.
“The joint concert provides an opportunity to experience the contrasting sounds and traditions of the SIU Wind Ensemble and Symphony Orchestra in a single evening, while highlighting the musical accomplishments of students in the SIU School of Music,” said Rossana Cauti, assistant professor of practice and conductor of SIU’s Symphony Orchestra.
The first half of the concert features the wind ensemble under the direction of Elias Gillespie-Smith, assistant lecturer and director of bands, and showcases music inspired by dance, folk traditions and diverse cultural influences.
The program opens with selections from “The Danserye” by Flemish composer Tielman Susato and arranged by Patrick Dunnigan. Written in the Renaissance tradition, Susato’s collection brings together lively dances that reflect the social and musical life of 16th-century Europe.
The ensemble continues with Australian composer Percy Aldridge Grainger’s “Irish Tune from County Derry,” edited by Mark Rogers — a beloved orchestral setting of the traditional Irish melody. The program moves on to American composer Valerie Coleman’s “Roma,” a work that draws upon the composer’s interest in the musical traditions and cultural life of Rome. The first half concludes with Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s “Dance of the Jesters,” arranged by Ray Cramer, a brilliant and energetic excerpt from the opera “The Snow Maiden.”
The second half of the concert features the SIU Symphony Orchestra under Cauti’s direction, with a program spanning the late 18th century Romantic era to the 20th and 21st centuries.
The orchestra will perform Austrian composer Franz Schubert’s Symphony No. 8 in B minor, D. 759, (Unfinished),” one of Schubert’s most celebrated symphonic works. Next on the program is Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg’s Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, Op. 46, featuring four contrasting movements — “Morning Mood,” “The Death of Åse,” “Anitra’s Dance,” and “In the Hall of the Mountain King.”
The concert concludes with Arturo Márquez’s “Danzón No. 2,” one of the Mexican composer’s best-known orchestral works. Drawing on the Cuban-derived danzón tradition as it developed in Mexico, the piece combines rhythmic vitality, lyrical melodies, and colorful orchestration.
For additional information about this and other performances, contact the SIU School of Music at 618-536-8742 or music@siu.edu.