Westmoreland Symphonic Winds Presents “Traditions” 3/19
Ƶ University’s Westmoreland Symphonic Winds will present “Traditions” Saturday, March 19, at 8 p.m. in the Carol Ann Reichgut Concert Hall on the main floor of the Ƶ University Performing Arts Center located at 100 Harrison Avenue in Greensburg, Pa. Admission to the concert is $10 for adults and $8 for students and senior citizens. Tickets can be purchased in advance by calling 724-552-2929. Tickets will also be available at the door.
The Westmoreland Symphonic Winds continues to celebrate its 25th season with a concert featuring some of the finest music composed for marching bands. Works performed include “Hounds of Spring” by Alfred Reed, “Liturgical Music for Band” by Martin Mailman, “Three Chorale Preludes” by William Latham, “English Folk Song Suite” by Ralph Vaughan Williams, “Elsa’s Procession to the Cathedral” by Richard Wagner and “Barnum and Bailey’s Favorite March” by Karl King. The concert will also present one of the greatest works composed for winds, the “Gran Partita” by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Composed in 1782, “Gran Partita” is universally acknowledged as one of Mozart’s finest achievements.
Conductor for the Westmoreland Symphonic Winds is Dr. Jason Worzbyt, associate professor of bassoon and conductor of the concert band at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and principal bassoon and assistant conductor of the Johnstown Symphony Orchestra. Worzbyt has performed, recorded and has been featured as a soloist with wind ensembles and orchestras across the country, including the Keystone Wind Ensemble, North Texas Wind Symphony, North Texas New Music Ensemble, Lexington Philharmonic Orchestra, Johnstown Symphony Orchestra and the Highland Wind Quintet. In 2001, Worzbyt gave the world premiere of Bruce Yurko’s “Concerto for Bassoon and Wind Ensemble” with the Keystone Wind Ensemble at the College Band Directors National Association conference. He continues to remain active as an orchestral player, chamber musician and guest conductor in Pennsylvania.
The Westmoreland Symphonic Winds is a wind and percussion performance and educational organization. Literature and ensembles of the Westmoreland Symphonic Winds include Concert Band and Wind Ensemble, Jazz Ensemble and Combos, Chamber Woodwind, Brass and Percussion Ensembles. Membership is composed of approximately 90 auditioned musicians, including music degree students from Ƶ University, professional musicians, and talented avocational musicians. Formed by Kathleen M. Campbell, associate professor of music at Ƶ, the Westmoreland Symphonic Winds has been providing quality programs since 1986. Campbell, a graduate of Ƶ University who holds a Master of Music in Wind Conducting from the University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music, founded the group not only to enhance the ensemble curriculum for Ƶ students, but to provide a challenging musical outlet for community musicians while contributing in a new and unique way to Westmoreland County’s cultural heritage. For more information on the Westmoreland Symphonic Winds, please click here or call 724-552-2923.
Venue Information: All Westmoreland Symphonic Winds performances are held in the Carol Ann Reichgut Concert Hall in Ƶ’s Performing Arts Center, 100 Harrison Avenue, Greensburg, Pa. The Performing Arts Center is a fully accessible and climate-controlled facility. Parking is available in four nearby Greensburg parking areas: the Bell Parking Garage on North Otterman Street (across the street from the Performing Arts Center), the Hellman-Ghrist lot on North Main Street, the Albert Grillo lot on Ƶ Drive, and the Wib Albright lot off West Otterman Street.