Soloist

Tracy Furr is a versatile classical, improvisatory, and commercial percussionist hailing from Orem, Utah. He graduates in May 2021 with an Associate of Science in Music degree. Tracy is a student of Dr. Shane Jones at Utah Valley University. Furr has won several competitions in the Utah Percussive Arts Society Days of Percussion and was also selected to perform as a member of the College Band Directors National Association Intercollegiate Band in 2019 (Kansas City, MO). Furr previously performed George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue as a marimba concerto with Wind Symphony. In addition to his university performing, Tracy teaches percussion at Orem High School and performs with numerous local semi-professional ensembles, including Timpanogos Symphony, Wasatch Winds, and American Fork Symphony.

Furr continues his family’s passion for building, by starting his own LLC, RePercussion. This company manufactures marimbas, restores all percussion instruments, and builds custom instruments as needed. Already, Re-Percussion has a national market presence, and Furr recently upgraded some instruments for organizations in France and Italy. Tracy Furr’s craftsmanship can be seen on many of the instruments being utilized tonight, not just in the percussion section.

Program Notes

A Mother of a Revolution! (2019)

This piece is a celebration of the bravery of trans women, and in particular, Marsha “Pay It No Mind” Johnson. Marsha is credited with being one of the instigators of the famous Stonewall uprising of June 28,1969 – one of the pivotal events of the LGBTQ liberation movement of the 20th century – which is commemorated annually during the worldwide Gay Pride celebrations. Existing as a trans woman, especially a trans woman of color, and daring to live authentically, creating space for oneself in a transphobic world is one of the bravest acts I can imagine. Over 20 trans women were murdered in the United States in 2018 alone. There is no demographic more deserving, and frankly, long overdue for highlighted heroism and bravery. The disco vibe in the latter half of the piece is meant to honor club culture, a sacred space held amongst LGBTQ persons in which to love, live, mourn, heal, strategize, connect, disconnect, and dance in defiance of those outside forces who would seek to do LGBTQ persons harm simply for daring to exist and take up space.

Variations on a Korean Folk Song (1967)

Variations on a Korean Folk Song is based upon a folk tune that the composer learned while serving the U.S. Army in Seoul, Korea. The tune, Arrirang, is known as a song of love and heartbreak that can be found in many variations, with an origin that dates back 1000 years. In autumn 1966, for the Journal of Band Research, Chance said: “I became acquainted with the folk song while serving in Seoul, Korea, as a member of the Eighth U.S. Army Band in 1958-59. The tune is not as simple as it sounds, and my fascination with it during the intervening years led to its eventual use as the theme for this set of variations.”

Kingfishers Catch Fire (2007)

A kingfisher is a bird with beautiful, brilliantly colored feathers that look in sunlight as if they are on fire. Kingfishers are extremely shy birds and are rarely seen, but when they are seen, they are undeniably beautiful.

The first movement, Following Falls and Falls of Rain, is suspended in tone, but with hope, depicting the kingfisher slowly emerging from its nest in the early morning stillness, just after a heavy rain storm. The second movement, Kingfishers Catch Fire,” imagines the bird flying out into the sunlight. You may catch the reference to Stravinsky’s Firebird at the end of the piece.

Mjölnir (2015)

Mjölnir is a concerto for timpani accompanied by either piano or wind ensemble. The music of the concerto follows loosely the Norse mythology surrounding Thor, the God of Thunder, and his hammer, Mjölnir. Each movement represents part of the general atmosphere of the stories, including the two battling worlds engulfed in fire and ice, as well as the war between the two worlds.