Singapore International Band Festival 2008 (posted 1-25-08) July 23-27, 2008 - Competition, Band Exchange, Workshops, Outreach Programme Dear Band Directors and Teachers, On behalf of the Wind Bands Association of Singapore and the Festival Artistic Advisory Council, I would like to invite you and your band to join us at the Singapore International Band Festival 2008. WBASingapore (formerly WASBE Singapore) is a non-profit organisation which began in 2001 to promote musical activities for wind band ensembles and raise the profile and quality of wind band music education and performance through various platforms such as concerts, workshops and band festivals. The various components of this Festival-- Competition, International Band Exchange, Workshops and Outreach Programme, help us to promote band activities beyond schools and provide a platform where band members continuously strive for excellence to raise the standard of bands in Singapore and abroad. Through these activities, participants will also have an opportunity to experience the dynamic quality present in wind music repertoire in Singapore and around the world. We also invite bands to join us in enriching ourselves as well as reaching out to the community-at-large through the joy of playing wind band music. We are pleased to enclose the participation form for this Band Festival for your consideration. (Please click on the link below to access this form.) We look forward to meeting you at the Band Festival and hope you and your band will benefit greatly from this Band Festival. Yours Sincerely, Dr Lee Tian Tee President, Wind Bands Association of Singapore Participation Form

2008 World Wind Orchestra Project Seeks Players (posted 1-24-08) The 2008 World Wind Orchestra Project (WYWOP) will be held July 5-13 as part of the Mid Europe festival in Schladming, Austria. This is an International Wind Ensemble open to anyone age 15-30. Guest conductors include Kevin Sedatole (USA), Felix Hauswirth (CH), and Johann Mösenbichler (A). If you have any students who might be interested, please direct them to this website for application forms and more information: http://www.mideurope.com/index-en_71.htm

The Vanderbilt Music Académie (posted 11-9-07) The Vanderbilt Music Académie (June 27-July 13, 2008) is a new interdisciplinary program offered jointly by the Blair School of Music and the Vanderbilt-in-France Center in the South of France.   Open to  woodwind, brass, percussion, and string musicians ages 19-24, the Académie will offer participants unprecedented access to the artistic resources of the renowned Festival International d’Art Lyrique et de Musique in Aix-en-Provence.  This includes private lessons, chamber music coachings, and masterclasses with the Festival’s resident musicians from the Berlin Philharmonic, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, and Ensemble Intercontemporain, along with larger mixed-ensemble performances conducted by Dr. Thomas Verrier as part of the official Festival dAix program. In addition to the world class musical experiences, VMA participants will be offered French classes, organized activities including sailing on the Mediterranean and hiking through the inspirational beauty of the Provence countryside, and an array of creative experiences such as French cooking lessons, wine tasting, and workshops in visual arts, drama, and dance. Our goal is to empower students to experience music from the inside out, nurturing the creativity and inspiration of each participants inner artist alongside the skill development of his/her performer shell, states Dr. Verrier.  Ultimately, we hope to deepen the connection between the musician and the music to more effectively complete the circuit from the composer to the audience. For more information about the application/audition process and associated fees, see the Vanderbilt Music Académie website www.vanderbilt.edu/vma/  or email Dr. Thomas Verrier at thomas.verrier@vanderbilt.edu.

29th Annual Intercollegiate Wind Festival - California State University, Fresno (posted 9-24-07) Dear Colleague: I am pleased to invite you and your fine band to the 29th Annual Intercollegiate Wind Festival to be held on the campus of California State University, Fresno on Saturday, March 8, 2008 and Sunday, March 9, 2008.  This long standing tradition has been a wonderful time for sharing music among college bands from all across the west. A panel of some of our country’s most distinguished conductors has been assembled to offer you and your students the most educational experience possible.  Joining us this year are Bob Fairington, Director of Bands at DeAnza College; Craig Fuchs, Director of Bands at Pittsburg State University (Kansas); and Glenn Price, Director of Bands at the University of Calgary.           I am proud to announce that Dr. Christopher M. Neal and the McMurray University Wind Ensemble of Abilene, Texas will share a special concert with my CSU, Fresno Wind Orchestra, on Saturday, March 8, 2008 at 8pm.  On Sunday, March 9, 2008 the adjudicators will trade in their tape recorders for a baton as they conduct Intercollegiate Wind Festival Wind Orchestra for a culminating event that will surely be quite memorable. Each of the day’s performing groups will receive tape recorded comments from our distinguished educators and a fine CD recording of the bands performance. Because we adhere to a first-come, first-served policy, I urge you to complete and send in your application and entry fee immediately.  The $325.00 entry fee is non-refundable.  A waiting list will be established once the festival is full. We will all be forever indebted to Dr. Lawrence R. Sutherland who organized this terrific event 29 years ago.  I do not know of another event like it in the United States.  We are very fortunate to have this great tradition here on the west coast.  I hope you and your band will be able to join us for the prestigious event this year! Please email me at garygi@csufresno.edu OR garygi@sbcglobal.net if you would like to receive an application.  Thank you! Sincerely, Gary P. Gilroy, D.M.A. Director of Bands                garygi@csufresno.edu garygi@sbcglobal.net 559.278.2489