Waynesburg University’s Music Program will revive its Annual Conducting Symposium Friday, Feb. 2, and Saturday, Feb. 3. The symposium will be held in the Marsh Center on the University’s main campus beginning at 5 p.m. Friday and ending at 5 p.m. Saturday.
Colonel Lowell Graham will serve as the guest clinician for the event. Graham is currently the director of orchestral activities and professor of conducting at the University of Texas at El Paso. He was formerly the commander and conductor of the United States Air Force’s premier musical organization in Washington, D.C., earning the position of senior ranking musician in the Department of Defense.
Graham is president-elect of the American Bandmasters Association and president and CEO of the John Philip Sousa Foundation. Additionally, he has been inducted into the University of Northern Colorado School of Music “Hall of Honor” and was a recipient of the Award of Distinction for Contributions in Music Education from the Illinois Music Educators Association, among many other awards.
He has released recordings on six labels, including Naxos, Telarc, Klavier, Mark, Altissimo and Wilson that have been recognized for both their artistic and sonic excellence. These recordings have been recognized in Stereophile’s “Records to Die-For” list and The Absolute Sound’s “The Super Disc List,” as well as one having won a Grammy.
Graham received a Bachelor of Arts degree in music education and a Master of Arts degree in music performance from the University of Northern Colorado, in addition to a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in orchestral conducting from The Catholic University of America.
The Waynesburg University Symphonic Band will function as the clinic band for the workshop experience. Repertoire will include “Overture for Winds” by Charles Carter, “Down a Country Lane” by Aaron Copland, “Tempered Steel” by Charles Rochester Young, “Incidental Suite” by Claude T. Smith and “El Capitan” by John Philip Sousa/Brion & Schissel.
The opportunities to register as a conducting fellow, observer or ensemble member still exist. The fee to observe is $10 for high school students and as low as $30 for adults.
To register, contact Dr. Ronda Depriest, director of the Music Program and professor of music, at 724-852-3420 or rdepries@waynesburg.edu.
Founded in 1849 by the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Waynesburg University is located on a traditional campus in the hills of southwestern Pennsylvania, with three additional sites located in the Pittsburgh region. The University is one of only 22 Bonner Scholar schools in the country, offering local, regional and international opportunities to touch the lives of others through service.
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