Fresh Winds: Concert Band Conductor Score & Parts

$80.00 USD

Fresh Winds: Concert Band Conductor Score & Parts

Name: Fresh Winds: Concert Band Conductor Score & Parts
Brand: Alfred Music
SKU: 00-48151
Price: 80.00 USD
Availability: InStock

By Jukka Viitasaari

Grade: 3 (Medium)

Item: 00-48151

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A fun and festive concert opener, Fresh Winds by Jukka Viitasaari craftily showcases the entire band. Fanfares, flowing melodies, and tastefully orchestrated choirs of woodwinds and brass instruments are featured. Low voices and percussion flex their muscles in "heavy metal" moments inspired by the composer's rock-and-roll background. (3:25)

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Series: Alfred Concert Band

Publisher: Alfred Music

Page Count: 180

UPC: 038081554556

SKU: 00-48151

More about this title

About the Composer: Jukka Viitasaari

Jukka Viitasaari grew up in Kuortane, a small Ostrobothnian village in Finland known for producing musicians and cultural leaders. Raised in a musical family, he absorbed influences across multiple traditions: brass bands, wind ensembles, big bands, and rock groups all shaped his compositional voice. His formal training as a school teacher deepened his understanding of how young musicians learn and what engages them.

With over sixty published works, Viitasaari has become one of Finland's most awarded band composers, earning seven national and fourteen international composition prizes. His gift lies in blending rock, jazz, and traditional folk idioms into contemporary wind band forms, creating music that feels both accessible and artistically substantial. He serves on the WASBE board and has worked with leading publishers including Alfred Music, Grand Mesa Music, and Potenza Music.

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Why we love this

Fresh Winds proves that a concert opener doesn't have to choose between pizzazz and musicality. Viitasaari builds the entire ensemble into the narrative, brass fanfares announce the event, woodwinds weave sophisticated textures, and when the low brass and percussion take their "heavy metal" moment, the band feels genuinely energized. At Grade 3, the writing strikes the rare balance of being straightforward enough for developing musicians while sounding polished and contemporary in performance.

What to expect

Fresh Winds opens like a celebration already in progress. Bright fanfares puncture the air, then smooth, flowing melodic writing invites the listener in. There's a swagger to the rhythm-driven sections inspired by Viitasaari's rock background, yet the orchestration never feels gimmicky, it all feels earned and genuinely musical.

Who it's for

Medium-level concert bands ready to sound professional and contemporary without overextending technically. Conductors seeking a festival-appropriate opener that showcases the entire ensemble's capabilities and personality.

How to get the most out of it

Exaggerate the contrast between the fanfare sections and the flowing melodic passages; let the ensemble hear how the composer uses dynamics and orchestration to create structural clarity.
The rock-influenced moments need rhythmic precision from the low brass and percussion. Lock the groove early in rehearsal, then let the woodwinds and upper voices float over a solid foundation.
Work the articulation and phrasing in the flowing melodic sections deliberately; students often rush when melodies feel simple, but clarity of line here is what makes the fanfares land harder by comparison.
Balance is everything in the woodwind choirs. Feature each color distinctly, then gradually blend them as the piece reaches its climactic statements.

How to use it

Save this for your festival or concert season opener. It reads as confident and energetic without demanding the full interpretive depth of a substantial second work, making it ideal for positioning before a deeper major selection. Audiences and judges alike respond to music that sounds this polished and assembled at Grade 3.