On Saturday, March 4, the Skyline College Concert Band performed in the 13th Annual Pacific Western Concert Band Festival in Stockton, CA. The 44-member ensemble of student musicians from Skyline College, ranging in age from 17 to 84, was one of twelve bands participating in the festival. Professor Emeritus Billy Robinson, who taught Skyline College’s bands from 1969 to 2011, now plays as a member of the band. Other bands traveled from southern California, Oregon, and Washington, while adjudicators from collegiate faculties in Utah and Montana provided comments and encouragement. Apart from performing and listening to other bands’ performances, student musicians attended 90-minute elective clinics led by University of the Pacific Conservatory faculty with offerings such as Yoga for Musicians, Recording Studio Basics, Drum Circle for Music Therapy, Campus Tour, Flute of the Bumblebee, Tai Chi for Musicians, and Composition.
The Skyline College Concert Band will perform in the Skyline College Theater on Sunday, March 19, at 3:00 p.m., presenting “Nordic Tracks” (music of Scandinavia), including the Grieg Piano Concerto with guest artist Benjamin Warsaw and a medley of selections from Disney’s Frozen. Also on the program, Music Department faculty members Zachary Bruno, Michelle Hawkins, and Jude Navari will lead student musicians of the Concert Band, Vocal Jazz Ensemble, and Concert Choir, along with members of choirs from Oceana High School, College of San Mateo, and Notre Dame de Namur University. In total, more than 100 students will perform for this collaborative event.
Article by Zack Bruno
