UT Tyler and ETSO to give musical composition world premiere performance March 23

By SYDNEY WILLIAMSON/Contributor 

Associate Professor of Music Kyle Gullings is the first UT Tyler faculty member to work in collaboration with East Texas Symphony Orchestra (ETSO).

On March 23, ETSO will give the world premiere performance of an original composition by Gullings titled “Gridiron Symphony: A Tribute to High School Football in East Texas.”

The composition will celebrate football traditions and East Texans’ passion for the game.

Gullings said working on the music with ETSO is one the biggest highlights of his career, and that he is looking forward to sharing his symphony.

“I’ve been hard at work on this project for over a year,” he said. “The idea came from Richard Lee, the conductor and music director of the East Texas Symphony Orchestra, who described the piece as a celebration of East Texas high school football culture.”

Gullings said that during the performance, Bill Coates, the sports director at KTBB radio in Tyler, will serve as a narrator. To give the audience the feeling of being at football game halftime show, the orchestra will be joined by Tyler High School and Legacy High School’s band, cheer and dance teams.

Gullings is excited that students from Tyler ISD will participate in the show.

“I am familiar with our two local public high schools, their cross-town sports rivalry, and of course the fine marching bands at both schools that I’ve had the opportunity to hear perform several times,” he said. “I couldn’t imagine telling the story of our region’s high school football culture without involving these two schools!”

The concert is set for 7:30 p.m. on March 23 at the UT Tyler Cowan Center.

For UT Tyler students, the cost of tickets ranges from $17-$40, and for those who are not students, the tickets are priced $27-$74.