Doebler Conducts Windiana, Professional Concert Band, Nov. 21

Windiana Concert Band

Windiana Concert featuring Jared Coller, snare drum, and the premiere of “Uncharted” by Tyler Taylor

Thursday, November 21, 2024, 7:30p

Windiana Concert Band

• Tyler Taylor, guest composer

• Jared Coller, snare drum soloist

• Jeffrey Scott Doebler, conductor 

University Theatre

Center for the Arts

Valparaiso University

1709 Chapel Drive

Valparaiso, Indiana 46383

Admission is free for everyone, no tickets, all seats general admission

Windiana’s November 21 concert will present the premiere performance of a work by award-winning composer Tyler Taylor, a tour-de-force snare drum solo by Jared Coller, and a variety of other selections selected to appeal to all audiences.

Tyler Taylor is a composer-performer and teaching artist from Louisville. In addition to composing, Dr. Taylor is a professional horn player. He earned degrees from Indiana University (D.M.), the Eastman School of Music (M.M.), and the University of Louisville (B.M.). Among his recent awards are the 2024 San Francisco Emerging Black Composer Project Commission Award and the Howard Hanson Ensemble Prize. He served a composition residency with the Louisville Orchestra, and been commissioned by ensembles from Virginia to Illinois to Kentucky to California.

Windiana will present the world premiere of Tyler Taylor’s composition, Uncharted. Dr. Taylor describes the work as a depiction of “the exploration of an unknown and mysterious place.” Uncharted was commissioned by the Indiana Bandmasters Association (IBA). Windiana holds the distinction of being the only band to have played all 37 commissions of the IBA.

During the afternoon before the concert, Dr. Taylor will also discuss his music and career in a 2:00 public forum in room 1518 of the Valparaiso University Center for the Arts. The public is invited to attend, and there is no charge.

Guest snare drum soloist, Jared Coller, is a professional percussionist who serves as Education Manager for the LaPorte County Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Coller is former director of bands at Rensselaer High School and Middle School. He is a graduate of Valparaiso University, and an endorsing artist for Artifact Percussion and Soultone Cymbals. Mr. Coller will perform the Prometheus Rapture by Sean Beeson. The audience will be amazed by Mr. Coller’s dazzling technique, impeccable rhythm, and artistic sensitivity. 

Also on the program are…

• Timothy Mahr’s Fantasia in G, which quotes Beethoven’s melody known to many as “Joyful joyful we adore thee”;

• A lovely and lyrical composition, Ancient Flower, by Japanese-American composer Yukiko Nishimura;

• A stunning march that honors Vietnam veterans, entitled Black Granite;

• A song about Flanders Fields, originally for voice, by John Philip Sousa;

• A fiery Spanish march by Florida composer Michele Fernandez;

• And a musical reflection on China’s Terra Cotta Warriors by the late Michael Boo of Chesterton, Indiana.

The concert, without intermission, will last about one hour.

Windiana is a professional-level concert band, based in Valparaiso. Concert tours have included Italy, Hawaii, China, New Zealand, and Australia. Windiana performed at Carnegie Hall on December 29, 2022. Conductor Jeffrey Scott Doebler serves as director of music education and bands at Valparaiso University, and is the founder of Windiana.