When 25-year-old Brian Gindy died of leukemia in 1997, his music professor, Dr. David Waybright, wanted to honor the young trumpeter with a wind symphony – something that reflected the full and talented life that was lost when Gindy, a member of the Pride of the Sunshine Marching Band at the University of Florida, died.

For the composition of the symphony, Waybright thought of the most spiritual composer he knew: McNeese State University professor Keith Gates, a graduate of the New York Juilliard School and a renowned composer who received commissions and grants to write the operas “Tom Sawyer,” “The Hollow” and “Evangeline.” Gates responded to Waybright’s commission with “The Last Voluntary,” a solemn, quiet composition that features a trumpet call and solo in Gindy’s memory.

At 2:30 p.m. Saturday, April 26, Waybright, director of bands at UF, will have the unique opportunity to conduct the McNeese Wind Symphony in a performance of “The Last Voluntary” during a free performance in McNeese’s F.G. Bulber Auditorium. Direction of the piece will be particularly poignant because it will also be performed as a tribute to Gates, who died of pancreatic cancer in May 2007.

The McNeese department of performing arts dedicated its 2007-08 season to Gates, who Waybright describes as a “misplaced romanticist,” with a style reminiscent of the 19th century Romantic period of Brahms and Berlios.

“Keith was extremely passionate and that passion came out in his music,” said Waybright, who worked with Gates at McNeese from 1984-87. “He always struck me as a spirtual person who was able to rise above.”

Waybright was invited to conduct for McNeese by Dr. Jay Jacobs, a former student of his from UF and the current director of bands for McNeese. Jacobs asked if he could perform one of the Gates’ pieces as part of the seasonal tribute. Waybright immediately knew which piece he wanted to conduct.

“‘The Last Voluntary’ is a somber piece, so I’m not sure if it’s been played as much as some of his other pieces, but it was certainly the most appropriate thing I could think of to play for the concert. The piece was commissioned for me and now it is not only a tribute to Brian, but it also pays tribute to Keith,” Waybright said.

The McNeese Wind Symphony will also perform other 20th century works, including “Tempered Steel,” by Charles Rochester Young, “Pageant,” by Vincent Persichetti, “The Promise of Living,” by Aaron Copland, “Folk Dances,” by Dmitri Shostakovich and two energetic works by University of Florida composition professors Paul Basler and Paul Richards. The Wind Symphony will include area high school musicians and music educators as part of the McNeese Clarinet Ensemble, under the direction of McNeese professor Jan Scott.

The All-Star High School Honor Band will conclude the concert with a performance at 4:30 p.m. The band, which consists of 81 high school musicians from 19 Louisiana and Texas high schools, will spend two days in Lake Charles for auditions, masterclasses, rehearsals and concerts, according to Jacobs. McNeese faculty members will present the masterclasses.