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Students begin performing their individual instruments in the concert. The Washburn University band met weekly and was open to all members of the community.
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Anya Pogorelova, conductor, begins the concert by leading the first two pieces. Pogorelova conducted “Midwestern Suite” by Tom Davoren and “Slope of Hope” by Peter Meechan.
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Tristan Shepard, sophomore music performance major, takes a pause during the concert as his part concludes. He played the flute in this concert.
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The group of clarinet players play their instruments in unison. They performed a total of five pieces.
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Matias Bledsoe, trumpet player, performs a trumpet solo as a guest musician. Bledsoe will attend college in the upcoming fall.
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The musicians stand up after finishing their performance to show gratitude for those attending the concert. This concert featured rotating conductors with some students selected to lead the performances.
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Savannah Workman, student conductor, gets ready to lead the concert. Workman conducted “Diamond Tide” by Viet Cuong.
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Workman leads the concert with a subtle motion. This was the first time Workman conducted a concert.
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Dylan Rizzo, student conductor, bows before starting the piece. He conducted Movement 1, “Moderato,” from Viet Cuong’s piece.
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Pogorelova leads the group with confidence and precision. Pogorelova has been working as the director of bands for the past two years.
On Monday, April 23, the Washburn University band performed at White Concert Hall from 7:30-8:30 p.m. Around 200 attendees were present during this event. The concert opened with a performance of the ‘Midwestern Suite’.
This casually run ensemble was open to both students and community members and meets weekly in a relaxed setting. It features rotating conductors instead of having a single permanent leader.
Anya Pogorelova, director of bands and conductor of this concert, has been conducting concerts for two years. She shared her expectations for future band students.
“Well, for the university band, I think we’re just going to try to get more people involved,” Pogorelova said. “Like I said, I’ve been here for two years, and it’s also post-COVID, so there’s a lot of rebuilding that has to happen. [I]just would like to get more people fully involved in playing with us.”
Tristan Shepard, sophomore music performance major, has been playing the saxophone for 10 years. He shared his way of balancing academics and music.
“I got the chance to play the flute,” Shepard said. “I technically play saxophone, so playing flute is a good way for me to play in the university band. Right now, my academics are mostly music-based. I find it very easy to balance them, but in my general education, I basically just have to set aside time to work on them.”
Midway through the concert, Pogorelova introduced guest conductor Barry Evans of Topeka West High School to lead “Song of Hope” by Peter Meechan. Evans was joined by his two students, Matias Bledsoe and Julian Ramcharan, who performed as trumpet soloists.
Dylan Rizzo, senior music education major and bassoon player, conducted this concert for the first time. He describes his practice routine for the concert.
“I am a music major,” Rizzo said. “We get to do it as music majors. There are chunks that’s kind of built into our schedules, which is nice. I practice in between the classes … I’m different from most, so I like to get practice at night. I will start practicing clarinet from 9 o’clock till 11 o’clock to avoid disturbance.”
The final piece, “Diamond Tide,” featured different student conductors. Rizzo conducted Movement 1, “Moderato,” while Orion Craig, student conductor, led Movement 2, “Allegro.
The Washburn music department is going to conduct the WU Wind Ensemble at White Concert Hall at 7:30 p.m. For more details about the upcoming program, you can visit this website.
Edited by Morgan Albrecht and Jeremy Ford.
