Happiness. Fear. Alarm. Love. Ohio University's very own Wind Symphony and Symphonic Band set out to spark many emotions in the audience. And they were, of course, successful. No one would expect any less from a band who has recorded music in Carnegie Hall. The use of sound texture in all six of the inspired pieces of music that both OU bands performed assisted in telling unique stories and conveying meaning to us, the audience. With any great story, emotions are bound to grab hold of whoever is listening. I caught myself laughing out loud during one song and on the verge of tears the very next. Before September 27th this year, I had no idea that classical music could affect me in such a way.

Part of what makes us human is our emotions, and music is one way we are able to convey them. It doesn't even matter what language you speak for you to feel the music's tone as long as the composer did their job correctly. I beautiful example of human emotions communicated through music would be Symphony No. 2 "VOICES" by James Stephenson. He specifically composed this song with the language barrier in mind. Stephenson explains his inspiration, stating, "I was awaiting an international flight when I heard the distinct sound of laughter coming from behind me. Because I could not see the people laughing, it occurred to me that it was a universal language of happiness; one which cannot evoke any judgment based on racial, religious, gender, social, or any other type of prejudice." It definitely was a happy sounding song, for the most part, and even included a voice within the composition. Sometimes, however, the instruments sounded like screams. It was sweet and sickly at the same time, much like humanity in general. Stephenson seemed to capture human emotion in this song, and the Ohio University Wind Symphony did a wonderful job in conveying these emotions to the audience.