Tarleton’s Invitational Band Festival to feature composer Robert Sheldon

6th Annual Tarleton Invitational Band Festival

6th Annual Tarleton Invitational Band Festival

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, March 21, 2016

STEPHENVILLE, Texas—Tarleton State University will host renowned wind band composer Robert Sheldon in its sixth annual Invitational Band Festival on March 22 and 23, with the Tarleton Wind Ensemble providing a public concert at the Clyde H. Wells Fine Arts Center Auditorium.

Sheldon’s works are among the most performed compositions in wind band music today. A recipient of numerous awards from the American School Band Director’s Association, Phi Beta Mu and the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, Sheldon composes works that embody a level of expression that resonates with ensembles and audiences alike.

His music is performed around the world and appears on many international concert and contest lists. With more than one million copies of his compositions and books sold, Sheldon regularly accepts commissions for new works and produces numerous publications for concert band and orchestra each year.

Sheldon’s schedule includes many appearances as guest conductor for All-State and Regional Honor Bands. He also frequently appears as a music education clinician, and has presented sessions and seminars at numerous colleges and universities as well as state Music Education Association conferences.  He has served as a conductor and clinician throughout the United States, Japan, Canada, Italy, Germany, Australia and The Republic of China, and has conducted performances of his works in New York’s Carnegie Hall, Chicago’s Orchestra Hall, Boston’s Symphony Hall, Taipei’s National Concert Hall, Matsumoto’s Seiji Ozawa Performing Arts Center, the Sydney Opera House and the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C. He is currently concert band editor for Alfred Music.

This year, the Tarleton Invitational Band Festival has a new format that includes having ensembles audition for entry by using recordings from the prior school year, said Director of Bands Dr. Anthony Pursell. “It was time to take the festival to a new level while preserving the focus on providing a solid music educational experience for our student guests and their directors. Visiting ensembles will continue to receive valuable feedback after their performance from both a member of the adjudication panel and also from the guest composer.”

Pursell mentioned that the festival “allows students to interact with both an adjudicator who is nationally recognized as a leader in our field and with the composer of one of their performed works. These interactions can bring the music to life and may give the student performers additional ownership of the music. It also makes music more exciting and provides immediate feedback to the director so they can improve future performances.”

Participating ensembles this year include: Burleson High School, Maypearl High School, Stephenville High School’s Concert Band and Symphonic Band, Strickland Middle School, Gatesville High School, Clifton Middle School and High School, Hutto High School’s Symphonic Band and Wind Ensemble, and the Tarleton Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Band.

All performances during the day will be in the Clyde H. Wells Fine Arts Center Auditorium and are free and open to the public. For a list of concerts and times, visit www.tarleton.edu/band.

The 7:30 p.m. Tuesday evening concert will feature a trifecta of bands, all performing works by the visiting composer, Robert Sheldon. The concert will feature the Stephenville Symphonic Band, conducted by Mike Childs, the Tarleton Symphonic Band, under the baton of Dr. Gary Westbrook, and the Tarleton Wind Ensemble.

The Wind Ensemble will be conducted by Sheldon and accompanied by the visiting adjudication panel of Amy Acklin and Chris Gleason. Admission to the concert is $5, or free with a valid Tarleton ID.

Tarleton, a member of The Texas A&M University System, provides a student-focused, value-driven educational experience marked by academic innovation and exemplary service, and dedicated to transforming students into tomorrow’s professional leaders. With campuses in Stephenville, Fort Worth, Waco, Midlothian and online, Tarleton engages with its communities to provide real-world learning experiences and to address societal needs while maintaining its core values of integrity, leadership, tradition, civility, excellence and service.

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Contact: Kurt Mogonye
254-968-9460
[email protected]

A founding member of The Texas A&M System, Tarleton State is breaking records — in enrollment, research, scholarship, athletics, philanthropy and engagement — while transforming the lives of nearly 17,000 students in Stephenville, Fort Worth, Waco, Bryan and online. True to Tarleton’s values of excellence, integrity and respect, academic programs emphasize real world learning and address regional, state and national needs.
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