The successes of Stravinsky’s L’Histoire du Soldat and Octet are attributed in part to his unique instrumentation. A group assembled to perform either may wish to pair a companion at the same concert. Jim Stephenson has made that possible creating: The Devil’s Tale and Octet, employing the exact instrumentation and strategic compositional “nods” to Stravinsky’s originals. Jim explains his pieces and the WIU Faculty Chamber Players will present excerpts of the newer companion pieces.
Mike Fansler
- Biographical Information
Mike Fansler is Director of Bands at Western Illinois
University in Macomb, Illinois, where he leads its comprehensive band program.
He is the conductor of the university wind ensemble/chamber players and teaches
graduate conducting. Dr. Fansler has accepted professional invitations on five
continents and regularly conducts honor bands throughout the United States. He
has lectured on the music of Percy Grainger at the Midwest Clinic and, through
a grant, visited the Grainger Museum in Melbourne, Australia, to further
research his music and life. Under his leadership the Western Illinois Wind
Ensemble maintains a demanding performance schedule presenting a range of
repertoire from historically significant masterworks to exciting world
premieres. Dr. Fansler’s interpretations can be heard on Navona Records
"The River of Time," Klavier Records "as the fireflies
watched" and Ravelo Records "The Devil's Tale." Critics have
written: “An extremely timeless listen; this is a highly meticulous outing
that’s executed sublimely and will have the listener hanging on every
thoughtful note”– Take Effect; “As a conductor, Mike Fansler seems to have a
knack for shaping lines and creating shimmering, transparent textures “– James
V. Maiello, Fanfare Magazine. His education is from the University of Illinois,
Syracuse University, James Madison University, and Schenectady County Community
College. Dr. Fansler lives in Avon, Illinois with his wife Abby, and they
remain busy chasing the countless activities of three talented kids - Jordan,
Jessica, and Juliet.
Composer James Stephenson was never going to be a composer. In fact, he started his
professional musical career playing trumpet for 17 seasons with the Naples Philharmonic. It was
during a class called “Adventures in Bad Music,” where his final assignment was to compose a
“bad” piece of music, that his directions started to change. His “bad” piece was actually well received,
and he’s been writing “bad” music ever since. As a composer, he has received
commissions from the Chicago Symphony, the Minnesota Orchestra, St. Louis Symphony,
Montreal Symphony and Houston Symphony. Recently, 51 orchestras (one from each state +
D.C.) co-commissioned his orchestral version of “Fanfare for Democracy,” which was originally
premiered at Joe Biden’s Presidential Inauguration. The San Francisco Ballet premiered his
score, “Wooden Dimes,” and his 2nd Symphony “Voices,” recorded by the “President’s Own”
US Marine Band, won two prestigious awards. Stephenson has written sonatas and concertos
for nearly every instrument, with collaborations from principal players in many symphony
orchestras and his catalog numbers near 250 works. Rounding out his diverse musical output
he’s a well-known arranger, having collaborated on over 100 works with the Cincinnati Pops,
the Boston Pops and orchestras world-wide. Internationally renowned violinist Joshua Bell
recently engaged him to arrange several works for upcoming performances and recording
projects. Jim lives near Chicago with his wife, Sally, in a nearly empty house that once had four
lively and beautiful children in it.