UMD Wind Orchestra Season Premiere

The UMD Wind Orchestra opens its 2026–2027 season with music drawn from the wind-band repertoire and centered on the work of American composers Robert Kurka and Michael Daugherty. Michael Votta, Jr. conducts the performance.

Kurka’s *Suite from The Good Soldier Schweik*, written for 16 instruments and inspired by Jaroslav Hašek’s anti-war satire, follows the comic yet poignant journey of a soldier confronting war, authority, and his place in a conflict he cannot benefit from. The suite combines Czech folk and dance influences with American folk music, jazz, and marches.

Daugherty’s *Fifteen: Symphonic Fantasy on the Art of Andy Warhol* transforms Warhol’s pop-art imagery into a series of musical portraits. Its movements reflect works including Warhol’s “Portrait of Ludwig Van Beethoven” and “The Last Supper,” using bright colors, repetition, and the tension between realism and abstraction as musical ideas.

When: Friday, October 2, 2026

Showtime: 8:00 p.m.

Venue: Dekelboum Concert Hall, The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center

Seating: Reserved seating

Tickets: Regular admission is $30 plus a $5 booking fee; student and youth admission is $10.

Music Director: Michael Votta, Jr.

Program: Robert Kurka, *Suite from The Good Soldier Schweik*; Michael Daugherty, *Fifteen: Symphonic Fantasy on the Art of Andy Warhol*

Performers: UMD Wind Orchestra

Run time: Not listed.

Ages: No age restriction is specified.

Accessibility: The Clarice offers wheelchair-accessible and size-inclusive seating, large-print programs, assisted-listening devices, adult and child-friendly sensory packs, and quiet spaces upon request. ASL interpretation, audio description, and captioning may be available for select events or by patron request at least six weeks in advance.