Wind and percussion musicians in spotlight at annual conference

KALAMAZOO, Mich.—The School of Music at Western Michigan University will present the 47th annual Spring Conference on Wind and Percussion Music in Miller Auditorium and the Dalton Center Thursday, April 16. The daylong event is free and open to the public.

Each year the festival focuses on a guest composer whose works are featured during the conference. This year's featured artist is composer Dana Wilson.

The day's activities will include two afternoon band concerts presented at 1 p.m. by the Saline High School Wind Ensemble, conducted by Nate Lampman, and at 2 p.m. by the Muskegon Reeths-Puffer High School Wind Ensemble, conducted by Charles A. Hodson. Both concerts will take place in Miller Auditorium.

The conference will conclude with an evening performance beginning at 7:30 p.m. in Miller Auditorium. The concert will feature performances by the WMU Symphonic Band, conducted by Scott Boerma, and the 120-member Dana Wilson All-Star Band. Students from 60 Michigan high schools were nominated by their band directors for the honor of performing in this band.

Dana Wilson

Wilson holds a doctorate from the Eastman School of Music and is the Charles A. Dana Professor of Music in the School of Music at Ithaca College. He is co-author of "Contemporary Choral Arranging" and has written articles on diverse musical subjects. He has been a Fellow at the Yaddo artists’ retreat in Saratoga Springs, New York, a Wye Fellow at the Aspen Institute and a Fellow at the Society for Humanities at Cornell University.

Four of Wilson's works will be performed at the April 16 conference, including "Awakening," "A Shortcut Home," "Day Dreams" and "Colorado Peaks."

For more information about the conference, visit wmich.edu/music/festivals/spring-conference or call (269) 387-4667.

For more news, arts and events, visit wmich.edu/news.