Festival of Winds and Percussion
The Festival of Winds and Percussion festival offers students an opportunity to perform in ensembles of like instruments under the direction of artists from the VCU’s wind and percussion faculty, and to spend the day in concentrated study of their individual instruments. During the past 20 years, the festival has grown to involve eight separate homogenous instrumental ensembles, such as the clarinet choir and percussion ensemble, and includes more than 300 students each year. It has served as a model for similar events at other universities across the U.S.
VCU’s 25th annual Festival of Winds and Percussion will be held on Saturday, January 19, 2013. Students are nominated by their instrumental music or private teachers in the fall and invitations are issued in December.
The festival is held in the Singleton Center and the Education Annex on VCU’s Monroe Park Campus. On the day of the festival, students may park in the lot by the Education Annex.
Ensembles
One of the most exciting features of the Festival of Winds is the unique ensemble experiences that are offered. Rarely do students have the opportunity to perform within ensembles made up of just the instruments from their instrument family.
Brass and percussion
- Low Brass Ensemble: Directed by Ross Walter, this ensemble is comprised of trombones, euphoniums, and tubas.
- Horn Choir: Directed by Patrick Smith, horn professor at VCU.
- Trumpet Choir: Directed by Rex Richardson, trumpet professor at VCU and member of Rhythm and Brass.
- Percussion Ensemble: Directed by Peter Martin, percussion professor at VCU. Each student will have the opportunity to play a variety of percussion instruments throughout the day.
Woodwind
- Double Reed Ensemble: Oboists and bassoonists join forces to perform music of many styles and genres under the direction of Bruce Hammel. This is an experience unlike anything these young musicians will find in their school programs.
- Saxophone Choir: Directed by Mary Jo Webster, this ensemble utilizes the entire family, including bass and soprano saxophones.
- Flute Choir: Directed by Tabatha Easley, students have the opportunity to play the piccolo, alto, and bass flute on works specifically written for flute orchestra. Works range from Latin style to traditional Baroque; educational and fun simultaneously!
- Clarinet Choir: This ensemble is orchestral in scope and utilizes the entire clarinet family, from contra-bass clarinet to E-flat soprano clarinet. Conducted by Charles West, VCU clarinet professor and conductor of the Charlottesville Youth Orchestra, the Clarinet Choir performs outstanding literature.
Accepted students
The cost for attending the festival is a nominal fee of $30, which includes lunch at the VCU cafeteria and a pizza dinner before the concert.
Each student should bring the following:
- A pencil
- A collapsible music stand labeled with your name
- Concert attire — no band uniforms, just nice, dress-up clothes
- Your instruments
