Abigail Hebert

With the crack of the drum, the Bowdoin College Concert Band erupted in music, filling Studzinski Hall with lyrical woodwinds, accompanied by the vibrant timbre of the brass family and the sparkling sounds of percussion cascading over the ensemble.

Amidst the crowd sat some of the composers featured in the program, reflective of conductor and director John Morneau’s vision for the program.

Sunday’s concert, entitled “Made in Maine,” was a collaboration between the concert band and local composers and musicians. The performance consisted of eight pieces celebrating Maine’s musical talent.

“I felt very strongly about [this program] because of the excitement of having friends and people in our own backyard that can do this.… These guys are doing wonderful, and I just felt very strongly that we had to share that,” Morneau said.

Mauricio Cuba Almeida ’27, a member of the Bowdoin Concert Band, shared enthusiasm for his fellow musicians.

“The experience working with the band has been amazing. [It’s] just really great people in there, and it’s special that the band is a community band, too,” Almeida said. “In my trumpet section alone, everyone had at least eight years of experience, and I barely knew how to sight-read. And so it was a very inviting space that I really appreciated early on.”

Almeida also appreciated the unique opportunity of performing music by local composers.

“The most special thing about this concert was having these composers come in. I actually [got] to talk to the person behind the score, and that was such a fascinating experience,” Almeida said.

Heather Hastings, composer of the multi-movement piece, “Wild Maine,” epitomized the concert’s theme with a composition inspired by the state’s natural beauty. Hastings said her writing process is deeply informed by her experiences in nature and attention to the life that surrounds her.

“I have a trail behind my house through the woods, and I was walking through what felt like [the bird’s] conversation, and that experience inspired me to write for the antiphonal woodpeckers and have this soundscape of the birdies popping in and out,” Hastings said. “Writing for Maine is something I really enjoy doing.… It’s just that connectedness with nature and the environment—it’s always interwoven in everything that I write.”

Hastings said she was surprised and pleased by the experience of hearing her piece performed live for the first time.

“I make art for myself, and to have other people enjoy it and wanna perform it.… It’s an unexpected thing,” Hastings said. “I feel really honored.”

For Terry White and Brad Ciechomski, the composers behind the first and last pieces of the concert, the local network of musicians was an integral part of their creative process.

“I can’t tell you the number of times [I’ve picked] up the phone and [called] Terry [to] ask him for a little advice. We work together,” Ciechomski said. “I feel we are so very fortunate, within such a short distance of mileage, to have such talented musicians and writers so close.… You don’t feel like you’re on a boat alone. It’s priceless.”

White also appreciated the concert band’s performance of the composers’ pieces.

“I’m kicking myself. This is the first time I’ve heard the band,” White said.

“Made in Maine” held special meaning for Morneau. After recovering from surgery during the fall semester, he was excited to return to conducting this spring.

“I feel grateful every time I walk in the room and see [the musicians] sitting there,” Morneau said. “Because they don’t have to do it. They do it because what you hear, the piece [in your heart].… It makes us whole. ”