Fairfield: The Legacy of Clifton Williams Presented by Solano Winds

March 2023 marks what would have been the 100th birthday of American composer Clifton
Williams. A music professor with notable students and trend-setting compositions, Williams
especially left his mark on the wind band repertoire. His compositions can be full of beauty, fun
and excitement, for musicians and audiences alike.

Solano Winds continues its 28th season with this tribute performance featuring the works of
Clifton Williams, plus one of his teachers (Howard Hanson) and one of his students (W. Francis
McBeth). The concert will take place at 8:00 PM on Friday, March 3, at the Downtown Theatre in
Fairfield.

The program gets underway with a concert march from Williams’ “Symphonic Suite” – a
delightfully spry version of this classic band musical form. Solano Winds then turns to a beautiful
composition from Williams’ teacher, Howard Hanson of the Eastman School of Music, for “Dies
Natalis,” based on a timeless Lutheran chorale. The first half of the tribute concludes with the
three-movement work by Williams, “Trilogy for Band.”

Clifton Williams was a member of the Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia music fraternity that is found on
many college campuses. He composed a staple of the wind band literature, “The Sinfonians,”
based on the fraternity’s official hymn. Solano Winds saxophonist Robert Honeychurch, himself
a Sinfonian, will conduct the ensemble in this special performance.

More information here.