Documents with this tag are season summaries such as program listings for a particular concert season.
The Austin Civic Wind Ensemble is ringing in the holiday season! Rehearsals begin Tuesday, November 4, as we prepare a festive program full of holiday cheer and musical surprises.
Join us for our first appearance of the season at the Austin Zilker Holiday Tree Lighting on Sunday, November 30, followed by our full Holiday Concert on Saturday, December 13.
Our 2025 Holiday Concert program features a sparkling mix of classics, carols, and a few unexpected twists:
We can’t wait to share this joyful music with you — from familiar favorites to fresh new takes on holiday classics. Come celebrate the season with us!
Here are some programs from past concerts.
FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
Bates Recital Hall
The University of Texas at Austin
Covenant United Methodist Church
Rick Glascock
ACWE’s first concert was performed by a small but plucky group with uneven instrumentation.
Flourish for Wind Band - R. Vaughn Williams
Flourish for Wind Band is a short overture composed by Ralph Vaughan Williams for a 1939 pageant at the Royal Albert Hall. Originally scored for military band, the piece was lost for decades before being rediscovered in 1971. Notable for its accessibility, Flourish for Wind Band followed Vaughan Williams’ great masterworks for band, English Folk Song Suite and Toccata Marziale. The piece holds significance in early 20th-century concert band literature.
Muskrat Ramble - E.Ory, arr. Walter Beeler
Muskrat Ramble is a seminal jazz composition by trombonist Edward “Kid” Ory, first recorded by Louis Armstrong and His Hot Five in Chicago in 1926. It quickly became a staple of the New Orleans jazz repertoire, and later became a jazz standard.
Despite its popularity, Ory initially received no royalties for Muskrat Ramble. In 1965, Country Joe McDonald adapted the tune for his anti-Vietnam War protest song I-Feel-Like-I’m-Fixin’-to-Die Rag, which gained significant attention after being featured at Woodstock. Ory’s daughter, Babette Ory, filed a copyright infringement lawsuit in 2001, alleging that McDonald had used portions of Muskrat Ramble without permission. The case was dismissed due to the statute of limitations, but it highlighted the ongoing relevance of Ory’s composition.
Walter Beeler (1908-1973) was one of the leading brass band educators, arrangers, and conductors in the United States.
The Kadiddlehopper March - Red Skelton, arr. Ron Roullier
The Kadiddlehopper March is a distinctive short selection composed by Red Skelton. Skelton performed for eight U.S. presidents and three Roman Catholic Popes, composed more than 8,000 songs, 64 symphonies, wrote books, and his paintings and drawings remain art collectors' treasures.
In 1969, The Kadiddlehopper March was performed by the Boston Pops Orchestra under the direction of Arthur Fiedler. The march is inspired by Skelton's iconic character, Clem Kadiddlehopper, a bumbling yet endearing country bumpkin.
March Lamar - Clifton Williams
James Clifton Williams (1923-1976) was a composer who began his academic career as Professor of Composition at the University of Texas. Williams also served as a hornist and guest conductor with the symphonies in San Antonio, New Orleans, and Austin.
March Lamar was written in 1964 for the band at Lamar Middle School in Austin, where Williams’ children were students.
Liturgical Music for Band, Op. 33 - Martin Mailman
Composed in 1963 and commissioned by the Greenville County High School Band in Virginia, Liturgical Music for Band is a work in four movements inspired by sections of the Catholic Mass. It has become a landmark in the band repertoire, widely performed and appreciated by generations of students. Each movement reflects a different part of the Mass:
Mailman's work seeks to musically capture the emotional and spiritual experience of a worship service.
1776, “The Lees of Old Virginia” - Sherman Edwards
1776 is a musical based on the events surrounding the signing of the Declaration of Independence. It premiered on Broadway in 1969, and won three Tony Awards, including Best Musical. Austin Parks and Recreation performed the musical at the Zilker Hillside Theater in the summer of 1975, with ACWE founder Bill Whitworth in the orchestra.
ACWE performed this piece in 1975, leading up to the Bicentennial celebrations of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence.
Instant Concert - Harold L. Walters
Instant Concert by Harold L. Walters has become a staple in band literature. Composed in 1965, this novelty medley features 30 well-known melodies from various genres, including classical themes, folk songs, and popular tunes. Walters cleverly and seamlessly weaves these diverse melodies into a continuous performance lasting just over three minutes.
Instant Concert was ACWE's most-performed non-Christmas piece in the early decades. Over the years ACWE even performed Instant Concert as an encore.
The Grand Marshal - Red Skelton
The Grand Marshal march, composed by Red Skelton, is a ceremonial piece dedicated to the Honorable Everett McKinley Dirksen, the U.S. Senator from Illinois. Senator Dirksen played a pivotal role in the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Skelton, a longtime admirer of Dirksen's eloquence and leadership, composed this march as a tribute to honor his contributions to American politics.
The march was introduced on “The Red Skelton Hour” on January 16, 1968.
When Do You Say Budweiser? - Steve Karmen
When You Say Budweiser, You’ve Said It All is a memorable advertising jingle composed by Steve Karmen in 1970 for Anheuser-Busch’s Budweiser beer. The phrase "When You Say Budweiser, You’ve Said It All" became synonymous with the brand, reinforcing its position as "The King of Beers."
The Budweiser song played at ACWE's first concert was arranged by UT graduate and Texas band director Steve Curl. It is the only piece that was never played by ACWE again, until now.
The Klaxon - Henry Fillmore
Composed in 1929 for the Cincinnati Automobile Show, The Klaxon by Henry Fillmore is a lively concert march celebrating the iconic Klaxon automobile horns of the early 20th century. At its 1930 premiere, Fillmore debuted the "Klaxophone", a novelty instrument made from twelve car horns powered by a car battery, to replicate the distinctive Klaxon sound.
Castle Gap - Clifton Williams
Castle Gap by Clifton Williams is a concert march composed in 1964, commissioned by the Rankin High School Band in Rankin, Texas. The piece is named after Castle Gap, a historic pass through the Castle Mountains in western Upton County, Texas. This gap has a rich history, having been used by nomadic tribes, Spanish explorers, and pioneers as a crucial crossroad.
Castle Gap Concert March captures the rugged and adventurous spirit of the West Texas landscape.
Tara’s Theme - Max Steiner, arr. Ross Hastings
"Tara's Theme" from Gone with the Wind is a poignant and iconic melody composed by Max Steiner, serving as a musical leitmotif for the O'Hara family's plantation, Tara. This theme is characterized by its sweeping, romantic lines and has become emblematic of the film's grandeur and emotional depth. Arranged for concert band by Ross Hastings, this version of "Tara's Theme" captures the essence of the original composition while adapting it for wind ensemble performance.
Elsa’s Procession to the Cathedral - Richard Wagner
Rick Glascock, guest conductor; Scout Goldsmith, harp
"Elsa's Procession to the Cathedral" is one of the most revered excerpts from Richard Wagner’s 1850 opera Lohengrin, showcasing his mastery of orchestration and emotional drama. In the opera, this music accompanies the solemn and regal moment as Elsa is led to the cathedral for her wedding—a scene filled with both triumph and underlying foreboding.
Lucien Cailliet’s transcription of "Elsa’s Procession to the Cathedral" for concert band is one of the most celebrated symphonic transcriptions in the wind band repertoire. Cailliet, a French-American composer and arranger known for his skill in adapting orchestral music for winds, treated Wagner’s work with great respect and artistic sensitivity.
Disco Inferno - Leroy Green and Ron Kersey, arr. John Higgins
This arrangement of The Trammps' 1976 disco classic, Disco Inferno, originally featured in the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, captures the song's infectious energy and rhythmic drive.
The Austin Civic Wind Ensemble is a gathering of adult musicians enjoying the challenge of a high-quality repertoire. The wide range of age and skill level supports our value of inclusion and fosters our mission of using music for lifelong learning, while promoting joy in our community through live performances.
Created in 1975, the Austin Civic Wind Ensemble (ACWE) is a community ensemble formed of both amateur and professional musicians. It is the oldest civic band in Austin. We are a group of volunteer musicians committed to providing musical experiences for our community. You can join at any time. No auditions are required.
Robert Laguna is an accomplished performer, arranger, conductor, and practitioner weaving elements of the body-mind-spirit connection into his music and life. Laguna was born in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico and completed his bachelor's at Southwest Texas State University where he studied music education and went on to teach band in the Texas public school systems for 8 years. He then completed his master's at the Academy of Oriental Medicine at Austin where he studied Asian medicine thereafter going into private practice as an acupuncturist. In 1999, he became the dean of students at his alma mater, AOMA.
Laguna joined the Austin Civic Wind Ensemble in 1998. Later that year, he became the semi-conductor for the group, assisting Rick Glascock from 1997-2003 and Paul Crockett from 2003-2005. In 2005, he was selected as Conductor of the Austin Civic Wind Ensemble. While a member of ACWE, he joined other civic music groups including the Austin Philharmonic Orchestra and Cori Spezzatti. He also joined and formed performing ensembles like the Frontier Brass, Austin Brass Band, and the Brandished Brass.
Originally from San Francisco, Rick Glascock received his Masters in Music in percussion performance from SUNY Stony Brook. After five years as Principal Percussionist with the Filarmónica de Jalisco in Guadalajara, Mexico, he and his family moved to Austin where he worked as a band director in Pflugerville and Austin as well as being an active jazz vibraphonist. From 1997 to 2003 he proudly directed the Austin Civic Wind Ensemble with the assistance of Robert Laguna.
In 2008 Rick and his family moved to Asia with the opportunity to run the middle school band and jazz program at the Shanghai American School. In 2015 he conducted the Association for Music in International School’s Middle School Honor Band in Chennai, India. Now back in Austin, he enjoys playing drums and singing with several groups around town.
ACWE is an 501(c)3 non‑profit corporation. Our corporate underwriters and individual sponsors play an important role in our ability to bring free public performances of great concert band literature to the Austin area. Visit acwe.org/sponsor to learn more.
We are proud to recognize Central Market and Westbank String Shop for their support during our 50th anniversary season.
ACWE would like to thank Clif Maloney for his generous donation to the Austin Civic Wind Ensemble in memory of his beloved wife, Karen Maloney.
“The band rehearsed on the second floor of the old, unairconditioned building that housed the Blanco Street Firehouse. Members usually left the large windows open, which annoyed some neighbors.
Join us for our holiday season, starting December 1st at the Zilker Tree Lighting, followed by concerts on December 7th and December 15th.
This season's program
Pascual Marquina Narro (1873-1948)
España Cañí is a famous Spanish paso doble by Pascual Marquina Narro (1873-1948). The song, also known as the Spanish Gypsy Dance, was composed on a train ride to Madrid around 1921. Inspired by the rattle of the train, it originally bore name of The Cañí Patternmaker.
Malcolm Arnold (1921-2006)
Tam O'Shanter is the title hero of a 1790 poem by Scottish poet Robert Burns (1759-1796). Tam, a drunken farmer, is riding home late one stormy night, when he disturbs a witch's party in a haunted church. The witches pursue him to a bridge over the River Doon, but have to stop there as they cannot cross running water. One witch, however, plucks the tail from his mare, Maggie.
Randall Standridge (b. 1976)
What do you get when you mix symphonic motivic development, a touch of country hoedown, and a hint of jazz, all tied together with clapping from the ensemble? This unique offering is as much fun to play as it is hard to describe.
Chen Qian (b. 1962)
A remarkable selection by one of China's best-known wind ensemble composers, Come, Drink One More Cup is inspired by a classical poem about the pain of parting. Blending the traditional sounds of Chinese music — including a number of Chinese percussion instruments — with modern styles, the piece transports us to a different land.
John Philip Sousa (1854-1932)
This suite, subtitled A Bacchanal Suite in Four Movements, was written in 1909, just before the Sousa Band's world tour. The suite consists of four movements:
Each movement reflects the country or region from which the title drinks are derived. The suite was revised for orchestra in 1923 but was not published for band until 2004.
Kathleen Brotherton (b. 1978)
El Poncho Empapado, originally titled The Ballad of Soggy Poncho, is ACWE flautist Kat Brotherton's debut composition. Soggy Poncho commemorates a dangerous Texas thunderstorm that raged through a music festival campground, and celebrates those partygoers' victory over bad weather once the music — and the drinking and dancing — commenced. During the pandemic, its melody became an earworm demanding accompaniment by a trumpet. And then a tuba! And then Latin percussion! And then a wind ensemble!
Dedicated to the Terraperrin Band, and with special thanks to Michael Bell.
Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971)
The ballet The Firebird helped cement Igor Stravinsky's career as one of the greatest contemporary composers. The ballet is based on a Russian folk tune. Ivan, a young prince, hunts for the Firebird, a beautiful ballerina with orange wings, and finally captures her. She gives him a golden feather as ransom and disappears. When the ogre Kastchei captures Ivan, he waves the golden feather, and the Firebird comes to his rescue. She performs a lullaby, the Berceuse, to put Kastchei to sleep. Ivan is taken to a metal box containing Kastchei’s soul, which he destroys. All of the ogre’s captives are forever freed, and they celebrate in the joyous Finale.
This season's program includes:
and the world premiere of Empapado (El Poncho), by our own Kathleen Brotherton.
Halloween at the George Washington Carver Museum
Program includes
Join us for the fall 2023 season. All wind and percussion players beyond high school age are welcome.
This season's program includes:
For more information, see join the band.
