2015 Tour Blog
From Adam Hopper, percussion
For several years now, I have been fortunate enough to be asked to perform in the “Sacred Winds” ensemble for their summer residency. Under the direction of Dr. Scott Bersaglia, the Sacred Winds have been performing in central and eastern Kentucky since 1997. Their mission is to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ through the performance of wind ensemble and concert band literature. Right away a lot of words in that sentence should jump out at you. Wind Ensemble? Spread the Gospel? Eastern Kentucky? Why yes my friend, it’s all true and amazingly enough, it works. And even more amazing, the group is good. Really good. People that perform in SW are professional musicians from all over the country who volunteer their talents and services to come in and perform each summer. What is typically a weekend gig, was a much larger undertaking in 2015. Where Sacred Winds would normally just be doing a day or two of rehearsal, followed by a short series of concerts, this year there were four performances across central and eastern Kentucky, followed by two days of recording. I, as always, was very excited to be a part of the group, and was happy when Dr. Bersaglia contacted me again to perform with this talented ensemble.
To my surprise, Dr. Bersaglia asked if I would be willing to serve as the principal percussionist and section leader for the group. This duty came with the responsibility of picking the percussionists, organizing the music and assigning parts, and making sure that all necessary equipment had been acquired. And…it was during summer break! Like most teachers, I enjoy my summers. I would rather play bloody knuckles with Rhonda Rousey than give up any of my precious time off. God intended for summers to be spent on laying in the sun near a lake or other large body of water, not pouring over percussion scores and obsessing over the acquisition of the perfect amount of sound options for such a large percussion section. But, this is an ensemble who’s mission I am adamantly behind, who’s conductor I tremendously respect, and that is without a doubt, the one of the finest groups of musicians I have ever played with. For all of those reasons, I was honored to be given such a task.
First things first: acquiring the motley crew of hoodlums that would serve as the percussion section. Percussionists, as a rule, are a different breed. They are sort of like pirates, or a Mongol horde, or the ladies of “The View.” You know, the kind of people that are best associated with in short doses. Deciding which of these particular ne’er-do-wells to use for a gig requires some thought. Picking the percussion section reminded me of the scene in Ocean’s Eleven where George Clooney and Brad Pitt are sitting around throwing out names of potential criminals to help them in their quest to rob a casino. You have to have the Right guy for every position, or you’re sunk.
I am a big fan of the author and chef, Anthony Bourdain. If you are not familiar with Bourdain, he is a chef and author who has had several T.V. shows in which he travels the globe, waxing poetic about food and culture. In college we would frequently gather as a percussion studio to watch Bourdain’s shows. We loved it. We didn’t know why we loved it, but we didn’t miss an episode. It’s not like we had an interest in cooking either, we would have burnt the dorm down trying to make cereal and Eggo waffles, but if Tony was going to talk about foie gras, or eat the still beating heart of a cobra then we were there and ready to learn. Upon reading several of his books, I realized why we loved his shows so much. Percussionists are just like the chefs and cooks that Bourdain featured. It’s not that far of a stretch, and if you have ever read any of his books you can certainly agree, cooking in professional kitchens and performing in percussion sections are not all that different from one another. You have small crews of people moving seamlessly around a cramped crowded space, wielding a variety of objects that are specifically chosen for their needed task. Timing is of the highest priority and the attention to every smallest detail will spell the difference between mediocre and outstanding. Everyone has a job, everyone is highly trained and focused, and if one person isn’t on their “A” game, then the entire group will suffer. Picking the crew took some thought and planning, but once that hurdle was cleared, we were on to the next adventure: assigning the parts.
Assigning the parts was a little trickier than one may initially think. I was, after all, working with an all new crew of percussionists, and the required percussion set up for this particular concert was HUGE. This required me to think about not only who would be the best player for each percussion part, but also how to best allow that person to cover several instruments that would surely be spread out over the entire back row. Also, since so much of percussion performing is based on kinesthetic motion and muscle memory, developing a set up of instruments that was fluid enough to adapt to different staging situations, yet still was familiar enough to allow everyone to perform essentially the same way every night, was very important and very challenging. Percussionists are creatures of habit after all.
In addition to all these challenges, the concert we were performing was music commissioned and composed for our group. Therefore, we would be performing pieces that were previously un-recorded. That may not sound like a big deal. Many other musicians may say “you should just play the notes on the page.” Well, it’s not that simple. Recordings are a great resource percussionists use for studying. Hearing what a prior performer did regarding cymbal or tambourine choices, interpretation on a part as it pertains to the other parts in the winds, or dynamic balance is incredibly important. For this particular gig, we didn’t have the luxury of hearing what we were going to be playing prior to our first rehearsal. This made the part assignments all the more important, trying to put people in the position to listen on the fly, and make adjustments to make our parts fit into the overall musical product.
Finally, I had to acquire the equipment. As I said earlier, the concert called for a huge amount of percussion equipment, and thus called for a lot of phone calls to a lot of people. For Maslanka’s “An Un-ending Stream of Life,” the piece calls for a five octave marimba solo. Since none of the section percussionists owned their own five octave marimba, and neither does the school I work for, this put us in an interesting and fairly difficult position. Quickly, to the phone I flew, like a flash, calling up anyone I knew with a five octave they would be willing to loan us for a week in the middle of the summer. I would say, “Excuse me, would you be willing to let me and a bunch of dudes you’ve never laid eyes upon before take your incredibly expensive, fragile, huge piece of personal musical equipment on a u-haul ride through the hollers and hills of Eastern Kentucky?” Believe it or not, very few people were jumping at the chance. Finally, at long last we were able to track down a Musser 5.0 marimba from Campbellsville University and we had crossed that one hurdle. That still left us with the need of multiple snare drums, multiple bass drums, vibraphone, xylophone, chimes, glockenspiel, a multitude of cymbals, triangles, tambourines, etc. etc. etc. Not to mention the arsenal of implements from every make and manufacturer for us to hit these instruments with. One of the section percussionists, and a composer of a piece we were playing, spent about a half hour one day going through a a variety of bass drum beater selections before arriving at the option that provided the perfect sound. Ultimately, the selecting process of the proper instrument and the proper implement are as important to the success of the percussion performance as anything. Thanks to the generosity of a few different schools, and a mountain of personal gear scraped together by the performers in the section, we were able to put it all together, and our little percussion crew was ready to do big things.
As with a lot of things, the prep work is most of the battle. By the time everyone showed up for the first rehearsal, and every thing was taken care of, it was evident that we were about to perform what would be a wonderful series of concerts, and make a tremendous recording. The amount of preparation on not only my part as section leader, but also the part of the other musicians in the percussion section, the rest of the group, and certainly Dr. Bersaglia, was daunting and required a lot of time and effort.
What makes the Sacred Winds gig different from most other gigs is the unexplained calm surrounding the group. There is never a sense of worried concern over parts or passages like there may be in other performances. There are not anxious rehearsals where frustration grows. There is never the mocking glare of the clock, letting the musicians know that they have yet to expediently achieve the perfection they so desperately strive for. The difference is the trust of so many of the musicians in Sacred Winds in that what they are doing is being done for the Lord. And, since it’s being done for the Lord, the Lord will be glorified in it. That is not to say that the musicians of S.W. don’t adequately prepare for their performances. On the contrary. There is much care and preparation taken in the days and weeks leading up to the residency. The difference can be found in Proverbs 21:31, “ The house is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the LORD.”
From Ann Harkins, flute
As musicians and teachers, performances are always driving our lives forward. By now, most members of the ensemble have participated in hundreds, and at times, concerts can start to feel routine…just part of the gig.
But Sacred Winds is different.
My name is Ann Harkins, and my husband, Bruce, and I were asked to share a tour reflection. We are writing to you on our way home from the second concert of the summer at the First Federal Center in Hazard, Ky. Though this is only our second year with the group, I’m noticing a pattern in our conversations. We are always struck first by the level of musicianship in the ensemble. The talent that gathers here is astounding, and we feel very fortunate to get to be a part of it. The music is challenging, and it is a thrill to take the ride with such distinguished players.
Surprisingly, though, it is not the proficiency level that makes Sacred Winds special; it’s the emotional journey you take when in concert with them. In every performance, we share not only in the joy of music making but in the truth of the gospel. The works we perform with good friends and colleagues are not only exciting but are also meaningful…so meaningful in fact, that Bruce and each found ourselves tonight on the verge of tears. There is more at work here than any of us can take credit for.
Playing in Sacred Winds is a deeply moving experience, and if our audiences can experience the Word of God in this special way with us, then our mission is surely fulfilled.
Wednesday, June 10
It’s that time of year when members from Sacred Winds will gather to prepare for the ensemble’s annual summer concert series. What started as a one-time gathering in 1997 has blossomed into a ministry that has experience gradual and steady outreach over the past 18 years. God has been incredibly gracious to this ministry through the opportunities He has provided us over our short history.
As Music Director, there are the obvious parts of my job: making sure the notes and rhythms correct; doing all I can to ensure the members are comfortable in the rehearsal process; and making the audiences feel welcomed and encouraged as they listen to the concert, among others. But with this ensemble serving as a ministry, the primary part of my job, by God’s grace, is to show the Gospel in my approach to the musicians, the audience, and the music preparation.
Showing the Gospel is no small task for a fallen human such as myself. Thus, my prayer is that God would grant me the ability to fuse wisdom and passion for His Truth into my actions, words, and deeds. My prayer for this ministry is to reflect the good, the true, and the beautiful so that God and His glorious Gospel would be evident to all involved. May He renew our minds and warm our hearts to His affections so that we may be changed more and more into His likeness.
-Scott Bersaglia
