'Western Swing at Sundown' to open Wichita Falls Symphony season

The Wichita Falls Symphony Orchestra opens its 76^th season with its full orchestra performing a special concert with two highly regarded Western Swing touring acts.

Western Swing is a sort of melting pot of many musical genres including country, jazz, blues, swing and classical music. It’s a musicians’ music with a great deal of improvisation and is popular with many different listeners.

Dave Alexander and His Texas Swing Band is a veteran of The Legends of Lone Star Swing weekend in Wichita Falls as well as cities across the country. Alexander’s swing band will perform with the WFSO at their season opener “Western Swing at Sundown” starting at 7:30 p.m. Saturday Nov. 4 at the Memorial Auditorium. Also performing alongside the band will be the North Texas-based Quebe Sisters.

“I wrote the arrangements to fully involve the symphony on every song from harp to piccolo. I want the full spectrum,” Alexander said. “I did the arrangements by myself and with a friend I went to University of North Texas.”

Alexander grew up in Tulsa and first “heard” Western Swing at the age of 3 or so. His father played horns with Johnnie Lee Wills, brother of Bob Wills, and his father was also Bob’s conductor for a while. “My dad also played with Bob Wills whenever they were in Tulsa and needed horns,” he said.

Alexander’s grandfather was best friends with Bob Wills’ steel player, Leon McAuliffe. “My dad would go out with Leon and play horns starting at age 12. He subbed on Bob’s band but he was with mainly with Johnny Lee Wills.”

While studying jazz and classical music at UNT, Alexander played a sort of country gig in the downtown Dallas Neiman Marcus. “Everyone once in a while we would play songs and some of the people would get on the tables. There was heat in the songs, you could improvise and my father later told me that’s western swing.

“He reminded me that that’s the music I was listening to him play when I was 3 or so. He sent me music and I transcribed it and got a band and together and recorded an album. My first hire was the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo before 65,000 people for some 20 shows."

Original members of the Texas Playboys like Johnny Gimble, Pee Wee Lynn, and Leon Rausch helped Alexander record his first album. The record was finished in 1989, and he called the band The Legends of Western Swing,

Alexander’s touring act typically includes a full horn section: 2 trumpets, 2 trombones and a sax; and a fiddle, piano, bass, drums, steel guitar, guitar and Alexander singing. Alexander said the Wichita Falls Symphony Orchestra will handle the horns Saturday.

Alexander said people should expect some surprises when his band plays.

“We always try to do a little bit of the old. And, then I will take people like George Strait, who I worked with, and put it into Western Swing style."

In addition to surprises, they will also play some of the original “oldie goldies." “I always play ‘Deep in the Heart of Texas’ every year, and we will also do an Armed Forces tribute to our veterans.”

“Because of the improvisatory nature of western swing,” he said they never play the same songs the same way twice.

Alexander hopes to have his newest album available for sale in Wichita Falls, and it will feature music with symphonic arrangements. The album is titled “Dave Alexander: From the Saddle to Symphony Hall.”

Alexander is very happy to have the Quebe Sisters perform with the WFSO. The three sisters are fiddle champions and sing amazing three-part harmonies. They also play with an acoustic guitarist and a standup bass. Alexander said their arrangement of Willie Nelson’s “Summer of Roses” is one of Nelson’s favorites.

Grace, Sophia, and Hulda Quebe have been playing progressive Texas swing since 2000 and have released four albums. They are currently performing in a “Bye, for now tour” before an undetermined band hiatus. It may be the last time for people to see them for a good while.

Dec. 1-2

The 76^th WFSO season continues with Tchaikovsky’s “Nutcracker” performed with the Wichita Falls Ballet Theatre at 7 p.m. Dec. 1 and Dec. 2 at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. It’s a Christmas classic!

Jan. 20

For “Bohemian Dreams,” trumpet virtuoso Mary Elizabeth Bowden will perform a specially commissioned jazz piece by Brazilian composer Clarice Assad at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 20, 2024. The evening will also include Rossini’s “Overture to William Tell,” Arutiunian’s “Trumpet Concerto” and Shostakovich’s “Symphony No. 9.”

Feb. 24

The 2022 Van Cliburn Silver Medalist Anna Geniushene will perform Rachmaninoff’s “Piano Concerto No. 3” at the Feb. 24, 2024 beginning at 7:30 p.m. The evening will also include a performance of Schumann’s “Symphony No. 4” and Florence Price’s “Colonial Dance.” Nationally acclaimed area artist Jesse Baggett will paint an interpretive painting on stage during one of the pieces.

April 20

The 2023-24 WFSO season concludes with British clarinetist Julian Bliss performing Mozart’s “Clarinet Concerto in A Major” at 7:30 p.m. April 20, 2024 at the First Baptist Church. Other pieces will include Beethoven’s “Egmont Overture” and Brahm’s “Symphony No. 4.”

“The WFSO is in the process of planning what the next two seasons will look like for them, so they will be unable to perform their April 20, 2024 show at Memorial Auditorium, due to auditorium renovations,” said Alicia Degas, WFSO ED. “The WFSO plans to bring Texoma the same world-class performances as always, in some new and different spaces.”

Please contact the WFSO for season tickets and individual tickets.

The Wichita Falls Symphony Orchestra with Dave Alexander and His Texas Swing Band

• What: “Western Swing at Sundown,” the opening of the WFSO 76th season

• Where: Memorial Auditorium, 7^th and Broad Street

• When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday Nov. 4

• Information: wfso.org and (940) 723-6202

This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: 'Western Swing at Sundown' to open Wichita Falls Symphony season