By TYLER ELLYSON
UNK Communications
KEARNEY – The University of Nebraska at Kearney Wind Ensemble will perform Friday (March 1) during the Nebraska State Bandmasters Association annual convention in Lincoln.
It’s the first time a UNK band has been selected to play at the event since 2003.
“Being selected to present a concert at this year’s NSBA conference is a milestone for our band program and a very high honor,” said Duane Bierman, UNK director of bands. “Fifteen years have passed since a band from UNK has been selected to perform at this conference, so I’m very proud of what the students have accomplished.”
The Wind Ensemble, selected through a blind audition based on the strength of concert recordings, will perform 8 p.m. Friday in Kimball Recital Hall on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus. The concert, which is free and open to the public, includes trombone soloist Cal Switzer and a guest conducting appearance by Brian Alber, UNK assistant director of bands.
Switzer, a UNK junior from Gretna, will play the first movement of Johan de Meij’s “T-Bone Concerto.” The movement is titled “Rare.”
“I am very honored to be performing this piece with the UNK Wind Ensemble,” the K-12 music education major said. “It’s a chance to represent UNK and give back to the school that has given so much to me.”
Alber will lead the Wind Ensemble during “Reminiscence” by composer Kathryn Salfelder.
“Conducting this work at the NSBA convention is an opportunity to highlight quality wind band repertoire that high school and middle school directors around Nebraska could program with their own bands,” Alber said.
The UNK Wind Ensemble features 42 students from five states and three countries.
“This is a great way to recognize the good that comes from connecting through shared interests,” Bierman said.
UNK WIND ENSEMBLE MEMBERS
* denotes section leader
FLUTE/PICCOLO
Minden – Sydney Wilson
North Platte -Taylor Blagdon
Parker, Colorado – Hayden Baldwin
Pella, Iowa – Erin Van Hal*
OBOE
Grand Island – Reiley Hillman
Lincoln – Cole Chancellor
CLARINET
Gering – Jaycee Rice
Grand Island – Aaron Borer*
Grand Island – Bre Dobesh
Hastings – Rachel Witt
Marion, Kansas -Terran Homburg
BASS CLARINET
Lexington – Jonathan Madison
Omaha – Anna Overbeck
ALTO SAXOPHONE
Omaha – Miranda Niemeier*
Omaha – Noah Pierson
TENOR SAXOPHONE
Central City – Bailey Manhart
BARI SAXOPHONE
Brighton, Colorado – Zac Dibbern
HORN
David City – Bethany Tebbe
Lexington – Chris Rogers
North Platte – Joshua Lindenberger*
TRUMPET
Blair – Blaine Fisher*
Blair – Grace Lueders
Blair – Bryson Pavlik
Crete – Allison Singh
Ogallala – DeVere Larington
Colorado Springs, Colorado – Aidan Bentley
Florina, Greece – Anastasios Valkanis
TROMBONE
Gretna – Cal Switzer*
Grand Island – Alex Gewecke
Grand Island – Chris Pennell
Kearney – Jacob Temme
Kearney – Kali Wubben
Joplin, Missouri – Aaron D. Lawson
EUPHONIUM
Gretna – Trey Switzer
Red Oak, Iowa – Jared Sherman
TUBA
Grand Island – Cosme Price
Shizuoka, Japan – Yuma Oishi*
PERCUSSION
Blair – Sam Rosenau*
Columbus – Mia Grant
Mitchell – Gabriel Reynoso
North Platte – Steven Koehn
Seward – Nickolas Shearer
