I am so excited to share my new grade 3/3.5 concert band arrangement, "Freilach No. 1" which was just recorded in Ardrey Auditorium by the NAU Wind Symphony.

Freilach No. 1 is a traditional klezmer song that every klezmer around the world knows. “Freilach No. 1” is a traditional Klezmer dance song. Over time, it became commonly referred to as "Sher" (share) or "Sherele," (share-a-lay) which roughly translates to "shears” because the dance performed by couples imitates the motion of shears.

This arrangement was commissioned by Dr. Steve Meyer, the current director of bands and assistant professor of music at Northern Arizona University, the director of the NAU Wind Symphony, as well as the Director of the Sitka Fine Arts Camp Symphonic Band in Sitka, Alaska.

I just want to give a massive thank you to the NAU Wind Symphony whose effort and time they contributed to recording this piece means the world to me. It was such a crazy moment to be sitting in the house, listening to this music that the Wind Symphony produced, which happened to be the notes they were interpreting!

Kaia Guscott for being the most supportive and humble person I know as well as introducing Klezmer to me about a year and a half ago. She is such a fantastic clarinetist and her excitement for klezmer has been the sole reason why I began arranging music. Her love and support mean the world to me and I do not know where I would be today without her.

If you or you know a director who is looking for music to program that is exciting, fun, and educational, head over to my website (www.william-whitten.com) to rent this piece.

If you have a moment, please share this with your band director friends!

Thanks!

Freilach No. 1

Freilach No. 1 - Arr. Will Whitten - NAU Wind Symphony

Will Whitten was born in Oceanside, California, and grew up in Kingman, Arizona. He is currently pursuing two bachelor’s degrees with honors in Music Education and Music Performance at Northern Arizona University (NAU), where he studies under the esteemed trombonist David Allen Vining.

As principal bass trombonist in the NAU Wind Symphony and NAU Symphony Orchestra, Whitten has further enriched his musical journey by performing with diverse ensembles, including The Academy Drum and Bugle Corps, Santa Clara Vanguard, Salt River Brass, Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra, and Flagstaff Master Chorale.

A pivotal moment in Whitten’s career came when he was introduced to klezmer, the rich musical tradition of the Ashkenazi Jews of Eastern Europe, thanks to the guidance of music educator and clarinetist Kaia Guscott. This ignited a passion for composition and led to the formation of the Flagstaff Klezmer Orkestra (FKO) following Guscott. Whitten sees there should be no barriers between formal concert music and "popular" music. So, when venturing into composing for chamber groups and concert bands, he draws inspiration from various musical cultures, such as truba and klezmer as well as skillfully fuses elements from admired artists like Björk, Louis Cole, Tyler, the Creator, Masayoshi Takanaka, Little Simz, and Vulfpeck, adding a contemporary dimension to his compositions.