CSU-Pueblo hosts 8th annual Festival of Winds February 25-27
Release Date: February 15, 2016
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:
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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.
