Concert Band closes school year with David Maslanka’s ‘Piano Concerto No. 2’

The Casper College Band will close out the school year with David Maslanka’s “Piano Concerto No. 2” Wednesday, May 7, at 7 p.m. in the Wheeler Concert Hall.

The concert’s featured pianist will be Paula Flynn, an adjunct faculty member of Casper College. She has performed at Carnegie Hall, throughout Europe, and received international acclaim for her collaborations with Joshua R. Mietz, DMA, at the International Clarinet Association’s ClarinetFest in 2019 and 2023. In addition to Flynn’s performance, the concert will feature the Casper College Flute Choir, a recently revitalized addition to the ensembles at Casper College.

“This work is seldom performed and has never been performed in Wyoming,” said Mietz, conductor and music instructor. “’Piano Concerto No. 2’ is a masterpiece of the Maslanka oeuvre. In addition to incredibly virtuosic solo piano writing, it includes Maslanka’s hallmark heroic themes, allusions to the chorales of J.S. Bach and tender moments,” noted Mietz.

Maslanka’s Piano Concerto No. 2 was written for pianist Steven Hesla in 2002. Maslanka and Hesla lived and worked in Missoula, Montana. Hesla, an instructor at the University of Montana, commissioned Maslanka to write a piece he could perform with bands across the United States, according to Mietz.

Flynn has worked at Casper College for over two decades. She collaborates actively with students and instructors and maintains a private studio in Glenrock. She holds an M.M. from the University of Denver, a B.S. from Valley City State University, and an AFA from Casper College. Flynn is the immediate past president of the Wyoming branch of the Music Teachers National Association and their Distinguished Music Teacher of the Year for 2024.

“David Maslanka’s ‘Piano Concerto No. 2” is free to the public. For those unable to attend in person, the concert will be livestreamed. Wheeler Concert Hall is located in the Music Building on the Casper College campus.

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