Laurier Brass Ensemble: Program Notes

March 5, 2026

Through The Flames

Through the Flames is a fast-paced piece that is an exciting concert opener! This piece was composed for Prof. Nicholas Childs and the Black Dyke Band, a brass band located in Britain that was founded in 1816. The band has won many European brass band championships since 1978.

Guatemalan Benediction

Guatemalan traditional clothing is made of brightly woven cloth. Guatemalan Benediction was inspired by several strands of stories coming together. On January 10, 1994 in Guatemala City, Guatemala, Yolanda was born. She is Caucasian, mostly Swiss, German, and French descent, and Guatemala was colonized by the Spanish. How did she get there? Her Canadian parents were serving in the country with a Christian mission organization. Her mother, a nurse, saw her share of machete wounds and burns, as she did what she could to help a people ravaged by authoritarian rule and civil war. While Yolanda has only faint memories of Guatemala, she believes Spanish is the most beautiful language in the world.

La Paz de la Tierra, the beautiful melody that provides the main theme for this piece (first heard in the trombone and passed to the horns), is a traditional Guatemalan folk song. The piece was brought to Scotland by John Bell Lambert (b. 1949) who sought to bring the plight of the poor into hymn singing. A co-teacher of Yolanda’s taught it to her in 2017, and she was delighted to learn a song from the country of her birth.

In December of 1996, her sister was born, but Guatemala had other things to celebrate. The peace negotiations that started in 1994 finally came to a peace agreement between guerilla groups and the authoritarian government after thirty-six years of civil war. Even now the peace is uneasy, as indigenous peoples find their place alongside the Spanish who have come to stay.

As Yolanda composed this arrangement, she remembered a fable she read years ago. A powerful king, in a faraway land, after looking at many beautiful paintings of peace, chose a seemingly unlikely painting. Torrents of water rush over a rocky waterfall, while lightning flashes. In the midst of the waterfall, an outcropping of rock holds a nest and, in the nest, rests a bird on her eggs. Yolanda pictures a dove, the Christian symbol of peace. Like the dove in the waterfall, this beautiful blessing of peace comes unexpectedly from a war-torn country. She believes that God’s peace is like that, a restfulness inside us that allows us to sing even when the world is thundering. Listen for that little bird. (Program notes from composer)

Brave

Brave is a medley arranged by Philip Sparke, a prominent brass band arranged. Brave is a movie about a headstrong princess names Merida who defies her countries customs to create her own destiny. After a magical, impulsive wish turns her mother into a bear, Merida must undo the curse, mend their relationship, and define true bravery. This piece uses Celtic melodies and rhythms to evoke the Scottish setting.

Serenity

Serenity is a piece composed by Christopher Phillis, a Laurier Brass Ensemble member, for the Laurier Brass Project — a group of upper-year players within the university's brass ensemble club (LBE), which plays many '10-piece'-esc compositions by a variety of composers. Serenity is a short, upbeat piece for brass 10-piece and drum kit! Chris had a lot of fun sitting at the piano, working out a groovy chord progression one day, which became the basis for this piece! It starts with a slow intro before a fast and exciting groove takes over the band! A half-time middle section features a beautiful horn solo before ramping back up into the groove once more. You may be wondering: "Why 'Serenity'?" Serenity is the name that Chris gave to his euphonium in his 2nd year of undergrad at WLU. When writing this piece, Chris was inspired by Robert Redhead's "Euphony" and came up with this beautiful opening line very reminiscent of the opening of his piece. The rest of the piece ended up as a euphonium feature (with some other featured moments around the ensemble), and Chris composed each line with his euphonium's sound in mind. In essence, this piece is a sort of 'love letter' from Chris to his euphonium (if you must call it that). Enjoy! (Program notes from composer)

A Peaceful Moment

A Peaceful Moment is a slow, winding piece that highlights the melodic brass band. The horn line is especially prominent, an echo of the composer’s own instrument. There are many beautiful moments of harmony with an overall theme of living in the present and being at peace with where you are, as the listener or as the instrumentalist.

Windows of the World

Windows of the World provides solo opportunities for several principal players. Graham takes us first to Latin America, then to Japan, and onwards to sub-Saharan Africa. We get a gentle reprieve via a nostalgic hint of the British Isles before we land in the melting pot of all styles, the USA. In this final movement the driving swing section is abruptly stopped and a drum cadenza leads us back into the opening Latin music, with hints of the other styles as well. Described by Professor Ron Holz as "a global musical village", stylistic diversity is celebrated, and young
musicians have fun while learning to master and embrace the performance practice requirements of each. (Program notes from publisher)