Andrew Trachsel writes: “Why “Ampersand”? Well, because that’s what we are doing here, both on this album and beyond. We officially started using this term – and its accompanying symbol “&” – just three years ago, for the first of the annual Ampersand Festivals, a concert series devoted to collaboration in all of its many forms. But the underlying principles of this annual concert have come from an organic evolution over the course of several years. Some of these seeds were planted from early one-off collaborations and from the opportunity to work with the school’s new music ensemble. Ampersand is a label we use for convenience, but more importantly, it is a concept that has grown out of an increased curiosity, desire, and need to collaborate with a wide-ranging cast of creatives. The result is what you’ll experience on this album: the members of the Ohio University Wind Symphony & exciting new music & innovative composers & captivating guest collaborators & prog-rock & prog-jazz &...”