Gods of the North, a piece composed by Elmhurst College alumnus John Robert Matz ’09, will premiere on Monday, May 12, during a spring concert by the College’s Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Band.
Commissioned by the Elmhurst College Concert Bands, Gods of the North is based on ancient Norse myth and legend. The piece is dedicated to the Elmhurst College Wind Ensemble, which will perform it with Matz conducting.
The spring concert by the Elmhurst College Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Band will be held on Monday, May 12, at 7:30 p.m. in Hammerschmidt Memorial Chapel. The concert is free, and the public is invited.
Matz premiered his first significant work for band, Shiloh, in 2009 at Elmhurst College, where it was performed by the Wind Ensemble. A music education major at Elmhurst, he graduated with honors that same year. Since then, Matz has written music for a variety of projects, including radio dramas, films and video games. His soundtrack for the game Gunpoint was nominated for a British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Game Award earlier this year. More about Matz is available on his website.
During the May 12 concert, the Wind Ensemble, under the direction of Elmhurst College music professor Judith Grimes, also will perform Colossus of Columbia, by Russell Alexander; Incantation and Dance, by John Barnes Chance; and A Symphonic Prelude Based on ‘Black Is the Color,’ by Alfred Reed. The Symphonic Band, under the direction of visiting professor William Jastrow, will perform Alcazar Overture, by Llano; Redemption, by Rossano Galante; and March from the Suite for Variety Orchestra, by Dimitri Shostakovich.