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CSU-Pueblo hosts 8th annual Festival of Winds February 25-27

Release Date: February 15, 2016

Cora Zaletel

Executive Director, External Affairs

Colorado State University-Pueblo

719.549.2810

Press Release

PUEBLO - Colorado State University-Pueblo's Department of Music will host more than 400 high school musicians and faculty representing 50 Colorado high schools as part of the eighth annual Festival of Winds event, February 25-27. For the first time, CSU-Pueblo is bringing part of the festival into the community with three Friday evening concerts at the Sangre de Cristo Arts Center and a Saturday matinee concert at Memorial Hall.

The three-day event will feature four high school honor bands as well as national and internationally renowned conductors plus a composer-in-residence from Los Angeles, Calif.

In addition to music director-recommended High School Honor Bands, the festival also features exhibition performances by invited high school concert bands, master classes, graduate credit for participating directors, and concerts by the Pikes Peak Brass Band and U.S. Air Force Falconaires Jazz Band. Students are selected through a recommendation by their high school band teachers. This year's event brought in nearly 600 director recommendations.

According to Festival Director Dr. Alan Mills, this includes more than just a weekend of rehearsing music and producing a final honor band performance. In addition to this, students participate in small group music rehearsals and master classes with the instrument music teachers from the Department of Music at CSU-Pueblo. Participating students and teachers also have the opportunity to enjoy a series of eight concerts throughout the weekend.

"While this is certainly a recruiting opportunity that brings high school musicians to campus, it is also serves as an opportunity for the CSU-Pueblo Music Department to give back great musical experiences to state-wide music programs, with the goal of taking their experiences with them and sharing them with their classmates back at their high school," Mills said.

This year's concert series includes performances by the USAFA Falconaires Jazz Band, the Pikes Peak Brass Band, the CSU-Pueblo Wind Ensemble, the CSU-Pueblo Faculty Woodwind Quintet, Air Academy High School, and a performance by the band teachers who represent each of the participating students, called the Top of the Hill Band. The concerts on Thursday and Friday are open to the public at no charge. Audience members are encouraged to arrive early for concerts as full capacity crowds are expected.

THURSDAY 3:30-4 p.m. PERFORMANCE #1: CSU-Pueblo Faculty Woodwind Quintet, Hoag Recital Hall
THURSDAY 5:30-6:30 p.m. PERFORMANCE #2: United States Air Force Academy Falconaires Jazz Band, Hoag Hall
FRIDAY 11-11:45am PERFORMANCE #3: Third Annual Top of the Hill Band, Dr. Alan Mills, Conductor, Hoag Hall
FRIDAY 6:30-7:15 p.m. PERFORMANCE #4: Air Academy Concert Band, Stoney Black, Conductor, Sangre de Cristo Arts Center Theatre
FRIDAY 7:15-8 p.m. PERFORMANCE #5: CSU-Pueblo Jazz Ensemble I, Brad Easton, Director, Sangre de Cristo Jackson Conference Center
FRIDAY 8-9 p.m. PERFORMANCE #6: Pikes Peak Brass Band, Debbie Baker, Conductor, Arts Center Theatre
SATURDAY 10:45 a.m.-noon. PERFORMANCE #7: CSU-Pueblo Wind Ensemble, world premiere performance of "Pastorale" by Anthony O'Toole, Dr. Alan W. Mills, Conductor, CSU-Pueblo Ballet Folklorico, directed by Dr. Dora Luz Cobian-Klein and Iskra Dafne Merino, and CSU-Pueblo Mariachi Los Lobos, Jorge Melo, director, Hoag Hall
SATURDAY 4-6:30 p.m. PERFORMANCE #8: Memorial Hall

High School Honor Bands:

  • Blue Symphonic Band
  • Red Symphonic Band
  • Gold Wind Orchestra
  • Green Wind Orchestra

Admission to the Saturday afternoon concert is $7 per adult with $4 tickets for students and seniors. Children five and under and honor band participants, directors, or chaperones are FREE.

The following schools have faculty and/or students represented at the Festival of Winds:

PUEBLO AREA

Pueblo Centennial High School

Pueblo County High School

Pueblo East High School

Pueblo South High School

Pueblo West High School

COLORADO SPRINGS AREA

Cherokee Trail High School

Classical Academy

Colorado Springs Christian

Doherty High School

Elicott High School

Falcon High School

Harrison High School

Heritage High School

James Irwin Charter High School

LewisPalmer High School

Manitou Springs High School

Pikes Peak Home School

Sand Creek High School

OTHER COLORADO SCHOOLS

Bayfield High School

Cañon City High School

Crowley County High School

Elbert High School

Florence High School

Fort Lupton High School

La Junta High School

Lake County High School

Mead High School

Miami Yoder High School

Mountain Vista High School

Mountain Vista Home School Academy

Niwot High School

Otis High School

Platte Valley High School

Prairie View High School

Rangeview High School

Resurrection Christian High School

Rifle High School

Rocky Ford High School

Springfield High School

Swink High School

The Vanguard School

Valley High School

Wray High School

Colorado State University - Pueblo is a regional, comprehensive university emphasizing professional, career-oriented, and applied programs. Displaying excellence in teaching, celebrating diversity, and engaging in service and outreach, CSU-Pueblo is distinguished by access, opportunity, and the overall quality of services provided to its students.

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