Cal Poly to Host California Wind Band Festival March 2–5
Bands from California, Washington, D.C., and Japan will participate in the California Wind Band Festival, a four-day series of performances — all starting at 8 p.m. — Wednesday
through Saturday, March 2–5, in Harman Hall in the Performing Arts Center at Cal Poly.
A highlight of the festival — which is being presented by Cal Poly's Music Department, the American Bandmasters Association, and the Japanese Band Directors Association — will
be a free performance by the U.S. Army Field Band.
The festival will open March 2 with a performance by the Cal Poly Wind Ensemble conducted by Andrew McMahan, followed by a combined performance by two groups from Japan: the Shizuoka Community Band “Concert Liberté,” and the Shimizu Wind Orchestra, conducted by Takahiro Unno.
The March 3 performance will feature the Kansai Student Federation Concert Band from Osaka, Japan, conducted by Keisuke Fukuda, and the Cal State Long Beach Wind Symphony, conducted by John Carnahan.
On March 4, the festival's showcase event will include a performance by the U.S. Army Field Band from Washington, D.C., conducted by band commander Col. Jim R. Keene. The 75-member ensemble has been thrilling audiences of all ages for more than six decades. Soloists for the performance will be Chris Martin, principal trumpet of the Chicago Symphony, and Joseph Alessi, principal trombone for the New York Philharmonic. Although admission is free, tickets to this event are required.
The festival will conclude March 5 with a performance by the Cal Poly Wind Orchestra, conducted by Christopher J. Woodruff, followed by the Cal Poly Pomona Symphonic Wind Ensemble, under the direction of Rickey Badua. The program will finish with selections performed by the combined ensembles.
The concerts are part of the American Bandmasters Association (ABA) 82nd annual convention. More than 400 members of the ABA will be joined by more than 75 members of the Japanese Band Directors Association. The ABA, founded in 1929, with John Philip Sousa as honorary life president, recognizes outstanding achievement on the part of concert band conductors and composers throughout the U.S. and Canada.
Tickets for March 2–3 are $18 for the public and $12 for students. Four free tickets per household are available for the March 4 concert, while supplies last. Tickets for March
5 are $12 for the public and $9 for students. Pricing includes all Performing Arts Center fees, and event parking is sponsored by the PAC. Tickets are available at the Cal Poly Ticket Office between noon and 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. To order by phone, call SLO-4TIX (756-4849).
A 10 percent discount is given to patrons who buy season tickets to four Music Department events through the Cal Poly Ticket Office; a 15 percent discount is given on tickets to five or more events.
The festival is sponsored by Cal Poly's College of Liberal Arts, Music Department, and Instructionally Related Activities program. The San Luis Obispo Tribune is sponsoring
the U.S. Army Field Band's concert. For more information, call the Music Department at 805-756-2406.