When Anthony LaBounty, assistant director of bands, was in grade school, he already was writing arrangements of popular radio songs. Over the years he kept arranging -- and eventually composing, his skills growing steadily, until last year he hit what has been the pinnacle of his career thus far. His composition Psalm 92, made its world premiere at Carnegie Hall.
"It was pretty surreal: A concert hall graced by many of the greatest musicians of all time -- Anton Dvorak, Louis Armstrong, Tchaikovsky, Ella Fitzgerald," LaBounty said of the Nov. 25 premiere. The original work for wind symphony had been commissioned by Travis Pardee, director of Foothill High School Wind Symphony in Henderson. The group debuted the piece at Carnegie Hall and then performed LaBounty's arrangement of Pie Jesu accompanied by Las Vegas headliner Marie Osmond. LaBounty had written the arrangement specifically for her.
His inspiration for Psalm 92 came when he attended a summer workshop that challenged participants to sing through the psalms as was done thousands of years ago. The namesake passage is about exhorting praises to God. "After the text to Psalm 92 caught my eye, I literally started 'hearing' the melody using this form of 'free singing.'"
Asked whether he had long dreamed of having one of his compositions performed at Carnegie Hall, LaBounty said simply, "No. As a band director and conductor, I didn't view myself that seriously as a composer."
Looking Back
Music has been a part of LaBounty's life as long as he can remember. His mother, a trained classical pianist, started his piano lessons when he was 6. At age 8 he began learning classical guitar from his grandfather. His mother would have him perform at church events and nursing homes. He joined his school band in sixth grade.
Today he considers the trumpet to be his principal instrument, although he often uses the piano for composing.
He didn't begin composing original works until 2005. Inspired by a telecast he saw during a trip to Hong Kong, he composed Le Sentier, French for "The Path" or "The Way." It was published in 2007. His latest composition, Sharakan, was written for a symphony orchestra. Sharakan means hymn in Armenian, and he wrote it with the 100-year anniversary of the Armenian genocide in mind.
His Day Job
LaBounty is known around campus as the guy who directs UNLV's Star of Nevada Marching Band, the Runnin' Rebels pep band, and the UNLV Community Concert Band.
While composing orchestral works and directing bands are two very different things, he finds them "equally challenging and satisfying. I am always impressed at how unique the students can be, and how, regardless of the win-loss record of the athletic teams we support, UNLV students in the marching band and basketball pep band continue to be a positive public face of the university."
LaBounty, who arrived at the university 27 years ago, said, "I thought then, and still do now: UNLV is a goldmine of potential."
