WWU Wind Symphony and Symphonic Band to Perform with Special Guests May 17

Contact:  Christopher Bianco, Western Washington University associate professor of Music, (360) 650-3404, Christopher.Bianco@wwu.edu

BELLINGHAM – Western Washington University’s Department of Music presents its Wind Symphony and Symphonic Band in concert at 8 p.m. on Thursday, May 17, in the Performing Arts Center Concert Hall. 

The performance is free and open to the public.

Conducted by WWU Music faculty Christopher Bianco, the evening will include standard and contemporary band literature and feature guest artists Charles Villarrubia, world-class tuba virtuoso, and composer Donald Grantham. 

Villarrubia frequently performs with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Boston Pops Orchestras, with whom he has recorded with, and is a founding member of the ensemble ‘Rhythm and Brass.’

During the evening program, Villarrubia will be performing the west coast premiere of Grantham's “Concerto for Tuba and Orchestral Winds,” a piece that WWU helped to commission. 

Composer Donald Grantham is the recipient of numerous awards and prizes in composition, including the Prix Lili Boulanger, the Nissim/ASCAP Orchestral Composition Prize, First Prize in the Concordia Chamber Symphony's Awards to American Composers, a Guggenheim Fellowship, three grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, three First Prizes in the NBA/William Revelli Competition, two First Prizes in the ABA/Ostwald Competition, and First Prize in the National Opera Association's Biennial Composition Competition.

In addition to the performance by Villarrubia, the evening program will also feature works by Joel Puckett, John Mackey, Ryan George, Mark Camphouse, Ralph Vaughn Williams and Michael Markowski.

While in residence at WWU, both Villarrubia and Grantham will offer free master classes open to the public on Wednesday, May 16. 

Charles Villarrubia will present a Low Brass master class from noon to 1:30 p.m. in room 24 of the PAC and Donald Grantham will present a Composition master class from 5 p.m. to 6:15 p.m. in room 47 of the PAC.

For more information call WWU’s Department of Music at (360) 650-3130 or visit http://www.wwu.edu/music.