MACON, Ga. — The Mercer University Wind Ensemble will close its fall semester with Voices, a powerful and emotionally resonant program led by conductor Dr. Brittan Braddock, assistant professor of music. The concert will take place at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 24 at The Piedmont Grand Opera House. Tickets are $10 general admission and free with student ID. Tickets are available now.
The evening’s program includes “Flying Jewels” by James David, “Adoration” by Florence Price, “Deciduous” by Viet Cuong, and the highlight will be Symphony No. 2 “Voices” by James Stephenson.
Stephenson’s piece is set for wind ensemble and mezzo-soprano and was originally written for the United States Marine Band. Mercer’s performance will feature Samantha Mishima Friedman, visiting assistant professor of voice, who will perform from within the woodwind section as an integral musical human “voice” woven into the ensemble.
“Each piece in this concert is simply incredible music,” said Dr. Braddock. “Stephenson is a composer doing some of his best work right now, and ‘Voices’ is a tremendously challenging piece. It’s a journey through grief, written in memory of his mother. You’ll hear how hard the ensemble is working because of how it sounds. It’s going to be a tour de force.”
Dr. Braddock noted that “Voices” reflects on the loss of a parent, inspired by Stephenson’s experience of grief over his mother. Another piece in the program, “Deciduous,” similarly was written about the loss of the composer’s father, through a distinctly different musical language.
“The topics of these pieces are emotionally charged,” she said. “Both composers approach universal experiences like grief, healing, reflection in their own voice.”
The concert, which also includes the upbeat “Flying Jewels” and expressive “Adoration,” reflects Braddock’s broader artistic mission.
“I’m trying to bring very divided people together through music and programming,” she said. “Voices is about all humans uniting into one, with every independent voice respected.”
Tickets can be purchased through the box office online or by calling (478) 301-5470. To get involved with the Wind Ensemble, which will also present the Bands at The Grand Honor Band Festival in February and close the season with Myths and Mysteries in April, contact Dr. Braddock at braddock_ba@mercer.edu.
