Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Band: Mystic Threads

Composer Simon Alami is special guest of the Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Band (Erin Bodnar, director) for Mystic Threads, a program of music by Victoriano Valencia, Jodie Blackshaw, Reena Esmail, Minoo Dixon, Florent Schmitt, and Luigi Zaninelli, as well as Alami's new work, Symphonic Dances (2026).

Program

The UW Wind Ensemble and UW Symphonic Band present: 
“Mystic Threads” 
Thursday March 12, 2026 7:30 pm  Meany Hall 

Dr. Erin Bodnar, conductor 
Yuman Wu, graduate conductor 
Solomon Encina, graduate conductor 
Simon Alami, guest composer 

UW Symphonic Band 

Three Dances of Enchantment (2007) ……………….....………..……Luigi Zaninelli (b. 1932) 
The Via Veneto (Fox Trot) 
Vichet Ros, undergraduate conductor 
She Walks Through the Fair (Waltz) 
The Feast of Saint Rocco (Tarantella) 
Noah Scanlan, graduate conductor 

Night Market (2020) ……….....…………...........................….… ……….Minoo Dixon (b. 1999) 
Yuman Wu, graduate conductor 

Chamak (2022)…………..................….……….....………..……………. Reena Esmail (b. 1983) 
Avinash Bose, tabla 
Ember (Bhajani)  
Luster (Vilambit Teentaal)  
Spark (Rupak and Dadra)  

INTERMISSION 

UW Wind Ensemble 

Dionysiaques (1913)……………………..…………………………Florent Schmitt (1870-1953) 

Peace Dancer (2017)……………………..………….....……......…….Jodie Blackshaw (b. 1971) 
Solomon Encina, graduate conductor 

Symphonic Dances (2026)………………………………………………Simon Alami (b. 1966) 
Call of the Reeds 
Snowprints of a New Beginning 
Steps on the Wind 
Whispering Steps 
Dawn of the Dance 
world premiere 

Arullo (2003)……….…………………………..….........……Victoriano Valencia (b. 1970) 
Mocarí 
Goyo 
Mayo 

Program Notes 

Three Dances of Enchantment is a suite of three dances inspired by personal experiences in my life that, through the years, continue to resonate in my memory.

I. The Via Veneto is a musical reminiscence of those “dolce vita” days I spent on one of Rome’s most fashionable streets. Here, as a young film composer, I watched and learned, with great fascination, about the world of Italian film-making.

II. She Walks Through the Fair is a haunting, bittersweet melody that I discovered on my visit to Ireland. Dedicated to Kylie Charra Keene.

III. The Feast of Saint Rocco is a joyous Italian-American celebration dedicated to Saint Rocco held every summer in my hometown of Raritan, New Jersey. It was here, in my father’s arms at the age of five, that I first experienced the vibrant, bold tartness of an Italian band. It was loud and so wonderful!
- Program note by composer

The grinning moon has taken control of the sky. A young grey Wolf looks over the "Seaport," drowning in mist as he has lost his way home. A smell … no, not just that, a commotion too? The young grey Wolf follows his senses as it races towards a large wooden gate – and as if the moon is whispering to him, he reads "The Market.: Suddenly an Antelope asks him if he needs help, and the Wolf hesitantly answers him as the Antelope uncovers his hands with inly seven fingers left. Fear … Shock … Hunger … surge through the Wolf's body as the Antelope begins naming prices of his fingers for the Wolf to consume. The Wolf is lost in a daze; he's never consumed another animal, yet here's his opportunity. "The Finger Seller" pushes him again and again, his pinky worth less than his index finger, the Wolf starts to salivate. His body brimming with hunger and his mind flooding with hatred for himself, it becomes overwhelming. Teeth are show, his mouth gaging open, saliva dripping down his chin. He chomps his mouth down, the Antelope looks up, he still has all his seven fingers and then sees the young grey Wolf sprinting into "The Market."

The young grey Wolf has found himself in the center of The Market. Everything is bustling. There's every single type of carnivorous present under the glow of the moon. Almost as if moving like moths attracted to light, merchants' stand with stronger scents draw in more people. To his right he sees a stand being flooded as new rabbit hide is being put up. To his left, he begins to hear a voice call out to him – a merchant. He begins a rapid-fire sales pitch, words come tumbling out, enticing and enchanting market-goers as they pass by. Louder and louder, the voices of the merchants grow into a singular chorus … until he turns around to the Merchant.

Much grander than these past merchants, it becomes overwhelming, he can feel his heart, solid thuds resounding in his chest. The Wolf is swept away by the crowd of carnivores flooding the stand. Stranded in the middle of the market, he notices four tiger merchants switch their attention the young, stumbling Wolf. They're a rambunctious bunch, but they move in chaotic symbiosis, calculatingly off-beat as they sway toward the wide-eyed Wolf. From behind one tiger's back, a loosely wrapped cloth appears in his paw.

The Wolf inhales.

The stench of a lamb. The Merchants push it onto him once, then again, and on the third beat, the young grey Wolf falls into his temptations.

As the Wolf leaves The Market, he hears the tigers fade into the distance as they sell to another customer. He finds himself back where he started, the "Seaport," with the moon grinning above him like a devilish cat. In his left hand, he grips a bloodied muslin cloth. As the mist parts in the horizon, he makes out the faint glow of dawn. Somewhere in his mind, he remembers yearning for home. Yet he stands rooted, as the silence and the hollowness of the disappearing Night Market consume him.
- Program note by Minoo Dixon and Nguyen Pham

The word "chamak" means ‘spark’ in Hindi -- and the title of this work was inspired by a beautiful couplet from the Indian saint-poet Kabir:

जैसे तिल में तेल है 
ज्यों चमक में आग 
तेरा साईँ तुझ में है 
तू जाग सके तो जाग 
 

which translates to:

Just as a seed holds oil 
And a spark holds fire 
Your own spirit is inside of you 
If you can awaken it, you must. 

Each of the three movements of this piece explores a different translation of the word "chamak:" the first is Ember, which is a dark, smoky, lilting melody in Raag Bhimpalas. The second, Luster, is a warm, intimate journey in Raag Hamsadhwani. And the last movement, Spark, is a fiery, vibrant jaunt in Raag Jog.*

I hope this piece ignites a spark in two ways. As young creative people, just beginning to find their way in the world, I hope this piece is a reminder to follow that spark that lies within each of them. And more broadly, I hope that this piece sparks an interest in Indian classical music in the band world — these musical cultures have been separate for so many years, and I hope this piece sparks further connection between these two worlds.

*If you know these raags well, you’ll hear that both the Hamsadhwani and Jog are a little bit ‘mishra’ — meaning that there are a few turns of phrase that move slightly outside the parameters of the ‘pure’ version of the raag.
- Program note by composer

Dionysiaques was composed for the 100-member Garde Républicaine Band in Paris in 1913, mere months after Schmitt attended the premiere performance of Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring. Its own premiere had to wait until 1925 because of World War I but it has been performed frequently since the mid-20th century and it now stands as one of the cornerstone pieces of the early wind band repertoire.

The title comes from the “Dyonisia” – ancient Greek celebrations honoring Dionysus, the god of wine. He was thought to have provided man with the vineyard, and subsequently the harvest, winemaking, drunkenness and the means for mystical trances.

The piece itself begins ominously as the low brass and woodwinds set the stage for an exotic and almost hypnotic journey. Schmitt’s impressionistic tendencies are immediately evident: wandering melodies emerge in the woodwinds and gradually gain momentum. Their fluidity is slowly abandoned in favor of festivity, perhaps encouraged by the ‘fluid’ of Dionysus, be it red or white. The bacchanal eventually bursts forth, brimming with rhythmic vitality and a relentless insistence on partying all the way to the verge of control, and perhaps a bit beyond.
- Program Note by Cynthia Johnston Turner

Peace Dancer is inspired by the First Nations text of the same name by Roy Henry Vickers (Squamish Nation). In the words of the author:
The story Peace Dancer is about a song and dance that is thousands of years old         originating from the time of the flood. Songs have been composed for different Chiefs up and down the Pacific Northwest coast. The Chief who is chosen to do this sacred dance is recognized as a healer in each community, and the songs and dances are a reminder of the great flood and how the people lost their way and their love for all things in creation. During the dance there is a time when the dancer shakes the eagle down from their headdress to remind the people of the flood. 
While this text affords many music-making opportunities, the composer chose to focus on one moment.

We have really lost our way, we have not taught our children love and respect. 
This is achieved by dividing this short piece into "moments" of meditation, awakening, realization, and humility. It takes you, the audience, on an emotional journey, similar to realizing you have been in the wrong; maybe you have been unkind or acted in a way that does not become you. Once you realize the consequences of your actions, remorse and the understanding that there is a need to move forward with grace and humility follows. Thus is the lesson of Peace Dancer.
- Program note by composer  

Symphonic Dances is a continuous cycle of five interconnected dances for wind symphony — a musical journey between two worlds: Morocco, where the composer was born and raised, and Québec, Canada, where he has lived for over forty years. Rather than treating these cultures as static portraits, the music lets them breathe, evolve, and ultimately transform each other. The result is not a postcard from two places, but a living conversation between them.

The five dances trace a deliberate arc. The cycle opens rooted in Morocco, travels toward Québec, revisits each world in altered form, and finally arrives somewhere that belongs to both — and to neither alone.

Dance of the Reeds opens with earthy, grounded energy. Rhythmic ideas inspired by the Indigenous music of Morocco's Atlas Mountains shape the pulse — physical, breath-driven, communal.

Snowprints of a New Beginning pivots toward Québec, drawing on two traditional reels — one by Hermas Réhel, another by Yvon Mimeault — recast through the composer's own musical voice. The music moves with collective forward momentum before gradually dissolving into silence.

Steps on the Wind returns to Morocco. Agile outer sections frame a central passage rooted in Chaâbi, a groove-based rhythm from Moroccan popular music, before the Atlas-mountain character reasserts itself with renewed energy.

Whispering Steps turns once more toward Québec, revisiting reel material in a more reflective, restrained light. A transformed traditional song surfaces, the dance impulse kept alive beneath a quieter surface.

Dawn of the Dance draws the full journey into focus. Trumpets and trombones trade fragments associated with each tradition, pulling against each other before the music loses its footing entirely. Out of that uncertainty, a broad melody emerges — one that resists easy attribution. It does not sound Moroccan. It does not sound Québécois. It sounds like something new. The work builds from there to an expansive climax and closes with a bright, energetic final dance in a language that is wholly its own.

Symphonic Dances came to life through an invitation from conductor Dr. Erin Bodnar, following her conducting of the premiere of the composer's chamber work Moroccan Dances at the Mostly Modern Festival in 2024. That invitation opened an entirely new world — the rich and expansive world of wind symphony writing — one the composer had not previously explored, and one he now intends to pursue with deep curiosity and commitment. Dr. Bodnar's trust did more than spark a single piece; it opened a door the composer looks forward to walking through many times to come. For that friendship, and for that gift, he is profoundly grateful.

The composer also gratefully acknowledges ethnomusicologist Khalil Moqadem for his guidance on Moroccan musical traditions, and Québec traditional music expert Alexis Chartrand for his insights into Québec dance practices.
Program note by the composer 

Arrullo is a suite in three movements that form part of the Five Pieces of Columbian Music Youth Band project, which earned the 2003 National Composition Scholarship from the Colombian Ministry of Culture. The three movements: Mocarí (pre-Colombian indigenous settlement in the present-day Córdoba region of Columbia), Goyo (father) and Mayo (mother), are based on modal melodic materials used by the traditional groups of Gaitas (flutes) and Baile Cantao (Song & Dance). The orchestral treatment is grounded as much in the tones of the rural bands of the region (known as pelayeras) as the global urban sounds that evoke the North American soundtrack.  

The arrullo (lullaby) appears in Goyo as an oboe solo, taken from the traditional song of the Colombian north coast: 
Duérmete niño 
Duémete ya 
Duerme que viene 
La zorra pelá 

Which translates to:  
Go to sleep 
Go to sleep now 
Sleep 
The possum is coming  
This movement offers a strong contrast with the first one, which presents the Walt Disney sound, the collective children’s memory of our time, as the idea of a lullaby. The third movement expresses the notion of the lullaby from the perspective of festivals and dance, in exploring the superimposing of binary and ternary pulses over the same metric time signature. With harmonies that are static at times, consistency is obtained through the recurrent use of a chord formed by a perfect fourth and major second.  
- Program note by composer

UW Symphonic Band   

Flute   
Naomi Cho, Fr., Flute Performance, Auburn 
Ananya Sai Parlapalli, Fr., Biochemistry & Flute Performance, Spokane, WA  
Rob Rosenthal, Fr., Flute Performance, Evanston, IL  
Gabriel Rui, Fr., Engineering Undeclared, San Francisco, CA  
Emily Wen, Fr., Flute Performance, Sherwood, OR  
Xiage Zhang, Gr., Flute Performance, Shanxi Province, China  
 
Oboe  
David Kelly, Fr., Pre-Sciences, Chelan 
Meagan Paxman, So., Pre-Sciences, Vancouver  
Brandon Tsai, So., ECE, Shoreline 
 
Bassoon   
Arina Pushkina, So., Materials Science Engineering, Woodinville  
 
Clarinet   
Ezra Agpaoa, So. Music Education, Everett 
Willow Chartrand, So., Biology (MCD), Los Alamos, NM  
Matilda Gauss, Sr., Material Science and Engineering, Bellevue 
Nick Hildebrand, Fr., Microbiology, San Pedro, CA  
Audrey Jamrowski, Fr., English, Port Orchard  
Andrew Kester, Fr., Pre-Science, Aurora, CO  
Arman Vega, Fr., Geoscience, Pasco 
 
Bass Clarinet   
Conrad Gauss, So., Electrical & Computer Engineering, Bellevue  
 
Saxophone   
Polina Dorogova, Jr., Psychology & Music, Gig Harbor  
Kaua Roberton, So., Music Education, Spokane  
Vichet Ros, Sr., Music Education, Burien  
Daniel Song, So., Chemical Engineering, Bothell  
Yu Wang, Fine Art, Taipei, Taiwan 
Josh Williams, Fr., Music Education, Zillah 

Trumpet    
Deneil Betfarhad, So., Pre-Sciences, Westport, CT  
Nico Masputra, Jr., Neuroscience 
Vaughn B. Schnelle, Sr., Music History, West Seattle  
Arjun Sur, Fr., Pre-Sciences, San Diego, CA  
Reimer Wolf, Fr., Mechanical Engineering, Oahu, HI  
 
Horn   
Andrew Chen, Community Member, Othello  
Cole Dickson, Fr., Engineering, Snohomish 
Yihan Li, Jr., Horn Performance 

Trombone   
Daniel Abraham, So., Math, Tacoma  
Steve Teng, So., Pre-Science, Taipei, Taiwan 
Robin Yi, Fr., Pre-Humanities, Santa Cruz, CA  
 
Bass Trombone  
Isaiah Ikeda, Fr., Medical Laboratory Science, Spokane  
Jason Lai, So., Mechanical Engineering, Camas  
  
Euphonium    
John Yi, Community Member 
Tom Lewis, Sr., Mechanical Engineering: Mechatronics, Snoqualmie  
  
Tuba    
Sam Charney, Gr., Astronomy, Swarthmore, PA  
Robin Ding, Fr., ECE, ZhuHai, China 
 
Percussion   
Avi Bose, Community Member 
Patrick Henry, So., Business & Psychology, Vancouver 
Kendall Johnson, Gr., Mechanical Engineering, La Conner  
Alexander McLean, So., Environmental Science, Snoqualmie  
Jaden Zika, Jr., Psychology, Livermore, CA  
Ava Ruth Paulson, Jr.,Psychology & Sociology, Omaha, NE 

Piano  
Oliver Schoonover, Gr., Music Composition, Tallahassee, FL  

String Bass 
Lexi Vance, Gr, Environmental Health Science, Tucson, AZ 

Graduate Conductor 
Noah Scanlan, Gr., Architecture, Ridgecrest, CA 

UW Wind Ensemble   

Flute/Piccolo  
Brooke Bart, Jr., Scandinavian Studies & Music, Endwell, NY  
Xinyi Ma, Gr., Flute Performance, Henan, China  
Grace Playstead, Gr., Flute Performance, Olympia  
Peyton Ray, Sr., Flute Performance, Denver, CO  
Claire Wei, Jr., Flute Performance, Bellevue*  
 
Oboe  
MinhThi Butler, Sr., Oboe Performance 
Max Bolen, So., Marine Biology & Music Education, Ballard  
Will Cummings, Fr., Linguistics & French, Chehalis  
Aika Ishizuki, Fr., Pre Sciences, Seattle  
 
Bassoon  
Levi Beck, Fr., Music Performance, Snohomish 
Annika Fisher, Ju., Anthropology, Lake Forest Park 
Alex Fraley, So., Music Education, Kenmore*  
Ryan Kapsandy, Sr., Bassoon Performance 
Rian Morgan, Sr., Nutrition (FSNH), Des Moines  
 
Clarinet  
Caitlin Dong, So., Biology (MCD) & Music Performance, Englewood, CO  
Alex Gee, Sr., Mechanical Engineering, Camas  
Arthur Gim, Jr., Mechanical Engineering, Bothell  
Alessandro Martinez, Jr., Environmental Engineering, Olympia  
Luqi Wang, Gr., Music Performance, Dalian, China*  
Eric Zhu, Fr., Engineering Undeclared, Guangdong, China  
Jason Liu, Community Member, Mathematics, Camas 
 
Bass Clarinet  
Akshat Ghuge, So., Informatics, Dallas, TX  
Michael Stella, Jr., Political Science, Puyallup  
 
Saxophone   
Kairui Cheng, Fr., Computer Science, Bothell  
Curtis Chung, Sr., Mechanical Engineering, Sunnyvale, CA   
Graeme Gentle, Fr., Applied Music, Spokane 
Kyle Grant, Jr., Music Education & Saxophone Performance, Sumner*  
Vichet Ros, Sr., Music Education, Burien  
Katherine Zundel, Sr., Saxophone Performance & Mathematics, Clinton  

Trumpet   
Meier Eagan, Music Education, Seattle    
Hans Faul, Sr., Trumpet Performance, Seattle*  
Erika Berreth, Ju., Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering, Redmond 
Antti Mannisto, Sr., Physics, Bellevue  
Kevin Nguyen Thomas, So., Trumpet Performance, Spokane  
 
Horn  
Ethan Hicks, Fr., Music Performance, Anacortes 
Cassidy Rea, Fr., Music Performance, Vancouver*  
Olivia Stall, Fr., Pre-Social Sciences, Bothell  
Ben von Jess, Jr., Music Education, Renton  
 
Trombone  
Owen Fang, Fr., Trombone Performance, Redmond  
Richie Torres-Antúnez, Jr., Music Performance & Applied Math, Mattawa*  
Neal Muppidi, Sr., Music Performance 

Bass Trombone  
Evan Mao, Jr., Computer Science, Redmond  
 
Euphonium   
Aidan Borlet, Fr., Pre-Science, Austin, TX  
Simona Yaroslavsky, Jr., Psychology/Law, Societies and Justice, Mercer Island*  
 
Tuba   
Dylan Aagaard, Fr., Tuba Performance, Debary, FL 
Foster Patterson, Sr., Music Education, Aberdeen*  
 
String Bass  
Jason Lai, So., Mechanical Engineering, Camas  
 
Percussion  
Cyan Duong, Jr., Music Education, Monroe 
Monaka Kakuta, Fr., Music Performance, Shoreline  
Ryan Kinder, Fr., Computer Science, Mercer Island  
Colin Lehman, So., Music Education, Moses Lake  
Ivy Moore, Jr., Music Performance & Bioresource Science & Engineering, Norfolk, VA 
Hazel Salvaggio, Jr., Music Performance, Manhattan Beach, CA*  
Xander Swanson, Fr., Music Performance, Marysville 
 
Piano 
Kaisho Barnhill, Sr., Music Education, Music Theory, Psychology, Vancouver 

*principal  

Biographies

Simon Alami

Simon Alami composes music for orchestra, wind ensemble, and chamber performance. His works have been performed by the Brazilian National Symphony Orchestra, Marco Polo Orchestra, American Modern Ensemble, and PANdemonium4 Flute Quartet at festivals including the Mostly Modern Festival, Veneto Arts and Music Summit, and Brasília Orchestral Summit. 
In 2024, he was awarded First Prize at the 6th Swiss International Music Competition and First Runner-Up at the Arts & Letters Club of Toronto Emerging Composer Competition. His work has received support from the Canada Council for the Arts and the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec. 
Born in Fez, Morocco, Alami grew up surrounded by music. His father was a singer at Radio Télévision Marocaine. After immigrating to Canada and a career in business administration, Alami began composing during the pandemic. His first work, Piano Quintet No. 1, premiered in 2023 and led to mentorship with composers Robert Paterson, Saad Haddad, and Antonio Gervasoni. He took early retirement in January 2025 to compose full-time. 
Alami's music explores what he calls "a conversation between traditions"—treating cultural materials as living elements that transform through contact. His most personal work, Symphonic Dances for wind symphony (commissioned by the University of Washington, premiere March 2026), traces a journey between Morocco and Québec through five interconnected dances. Other significant works include Moroccan Dances Suite, Obsidian Reflections, and Evanescent Frequency. 
Alami is an Associate Composer of the Canadian Music Centre and a member of the Canadian League of Composers. He resides in Montreal.