Bands
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Claughton Middle School Symphonic Band
Ogechi Ukazu, Conductor
Houston, Texas
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Cobb Wind Symphony
Alfred Watkins, Conductor
Marietta, Georgia
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Creekview High School Wind Symphony
Preston Hazzard, Conductor
Carrollton, Texas
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Cross Timbers Middle School Honors Band
Asa Burk, Conductor
Grapevine, Texas
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Douglas Anderson School of the Arts Wind Symphony
Shawn Barat, Conductor
Jacksonville, Florida
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Farmington Junior High Symphonic Band
Heath Wolf, Conductor
Farmington, Utah
|
Kunitachi College of Music Blasorchester
Toru Miura, Conductor
Tachikawa-City, Tokyo JAPAN
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L.V. Berkner High School Symphonic Band I
Frank Troyka, Conductor
Richardson, Texas
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Lakota West Symphonic Winds
Gregory Snyder, Conductor
West Chester, Ohio
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Northshore Concert Band
Mallory Thompson, Conductor
Evanston, Illinois
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Springdale Har-Ber High School Wind Symphony
Jeremy Ford, Conductor
Springdale, Arkansas
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The Air National Guard Band of the Midwest
Major Bryan Miller, Conductor
Peoria, Illinois
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The United States Army Band "Pershing's Own"
Col. Thomas Palmatier, Conductor
Washington, D.C.
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VanderCook College of Music Symphonic Band
Charles T. Menghini, Conductor
Chicago, Illinois
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Orchestras
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Beckendorff Junior High Symphony Orchestra
Matthew Porter and Susan Steber, Conductors
Katy, Texas
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Bothell High School Chamber Orchestra
Philip Dean, Conductor
Bothell, Washington
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Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras
Allen Tinkham, Conductor
Chicago, Illinois
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Iolani School Orchestra
Katharine Hafner and Joan Wehrman, Conductors
Honolulu, Hawaii
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James E. Taylor High School Symphony Orchestra
George Englemann, Chris Bailey, and George Liverman, Conductors
Katy, Texas
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Rapid City Central High School Chamber Orchestra
Bruce Knowles, Conductor
Rapid City, South Dakota
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Robinson Middle School Orchestra
Laura Carpenter, Conductor
Wichita, Kansas
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Symphony Orchestra of Shanghai Nan Yang Model High School
Wang Yong Ji, Conductor
Shanghai, Zhabei District CHINA
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ViBravo String Ensemble (Clayton Honors Orchestra)
Jan Davis, Conductor
Clayton, Missouri
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Jazz Ensembles
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Downers Grove South High School Jazz Ensemble
Craig Roselieb, Director
Downers Grove, Illinois
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Midwest Young Artists Big Band
Chris Madsen, Director
Highwood, Illinois
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Mountain View High School Jazz Ensemble I
Sam Ormson, Director
Vancouver, Washington
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St. Charles North High School Jazz Ensemble
John Wojciechowski and Jim Stombres, Directors
St. Charles, Illinois
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The Jazz Ambassadors of The United States Army Field Band
Chief Warrant Officer Gordon K. Kippola, Director
Ft. Meade, Maryland
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University of Illinois Concert Jazz Band
Chip McNeill, Director
Urbana, Illinois
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University of Nevada Las Vegas Jazz Ensemble I
David Loeb, Director
Las Vegas, Nevada
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Western Michigan University Jazz Orchestra
Scott Cowan, Director
Kalamazoo, Michigan
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Small Ensembles
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Boston Brass
Northboro, Massachusetts
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Cedar Park Middle School Saxophone Ensemble
Manuel C. San Luis, Director
Cedar Park, Texas
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Chicago Brass Band
Colin Holman, Director
Chicago, Illinois
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Japan Ground Self-Defense Force Central Band "The Japan Tubists"
Col. Akira Takeda, Director
Nerima-ku, Tokyo JAPAN
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Lassiter High School Percussion Ensemble
Mike Lynch, Director
Marietta, Georgia
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Schindewolf/Strack Intermediate Percussion Ensemble
Lamar Burkhalter, Director
Spring, Texas
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The United States Army Band Chamber Ensemble
Col. Thomas Palmatier, Director
Washington, D.C.
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University of Missouri Bassoon Ensemble
Rodney Ackmann, Director
Columbia, Missouri
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Congratulations to all the performers! Here,
we share some of their reactions to being invited to appear at The
2011 Midwest Clinic.
"It took quite a few read-throughs of the invitation email to process
what was actually happening. I then jumped out of my chair and told
just about every one I could tell. What else do you do when something
this incredible occurs? Post it on Facebook of course! Dozens of "like" and
comment notifications later, I am still in some disbelief over what
we will be spending the next 7 months working towards. A thousand thanks
to The Midwest Board! We'll see you in December!"
— Ogechi
Ukazu, Director, Claughton Middle School Symphonic Band, Houston, TX
"I received the official Midwest Clinic invitation on Monday, April 4th,
just hours before rehearsing the University of Missouri Bassoon Ensemble. I was
ecstatic
with the news of course, and couldn't wait to share it with my students. The
timing could not have been more perfect. Later that afternoon, I made the announcement
to the Ensemble with tears of joy and pride in my eyes for their achievement.
They too, were overwhelmed with the wonderful news!!! We are grateful for this
honor and eager to perform for the distinguished Midwest Clinic audience."
— Rodney
Ackmann, Assistant Professor of Bassoons, University of Missouri Bassoon Ensemble,
Columbia, MO
"Knowing the prestige of The Midwest Clinic, I was elated and ecstatic to read
the acceptance email. I immediately called my wife and staff to let them know
and they shared the same enthusiasm as I did. I called a special meeting for
percussion at the schools and all the kids entered nervously and silent. As I
read aloud the first sentences, they broke out in applause and silly grins. Since
the announcement, our community and district have been educated as to the importance
and significance of The Midwest Clinic. Our students, parents, teachers and administrators
share in my excitement about performing at The Midwest Clinic."
— Lamar
Burkhalter, Music Director, Schindewolf/Strack Intermediate Percussion
Ensemble, Spring, TX
"There's no competition, no prize or trophy, that creates a greater desire
to strive for musical excellence than to be invited to perform at 'The
Midwest.'"
— Frank Troyka, Director, L.V. Berkner
High School Band, Richardson,
TX
"I'm so proud of the job we did and to be able to give this opportunity
to the underclassmen who will get to perform in our absence."
— Jonathan Villela, Senior Saxophone,
L.V. Berkner High School Band,
Richardson,
TX
"It's great to make Region. Even better to make State. But we just made
World!"
— Garrett Lindholm, Senior Trumpet, L.V.
Berkner High School Band,
Richardson,
TX
"I went from zero to thrilled in about 3 seconds when we received the invitation
to perform at Midwest. I quickly hit print and ran to share the news with my
assistant. By the time I flew down the hall and shared the news with the principal
I was completely of breath. I immediately sent an email inviting the Honors Band
parents to class that day to ‘share the moment' with their kids for
a major announcement. At the end of that day's rehearsal the kids were
quite confused as their parents filed into the band hall. When I made the announcement,
the room erupted in cheers and applause. This was one day the kids were not in
a hurry to leave quickly for lunch."
— Asa
Burk, Director of Bands, Cross Timbers Middle School Honors Band, Grapevine,
TX
"My first reaction was how thrilled I am to be going back to Midwest for the
third time! There has been no greater thrill in my entire career than to perform
for
the Midwest audience. Next, I reflected on how proud I am of this year's
seniors. I wish they would be making the trip with us, but I know next year's
students will, with great eagerness and tenacity, step up to the plate. My role
would be to paint a picture for the students, and their parents, as to how magnificent
this once-in-a lifetime affair will be. In the next moments, my mind began to
reel with the daunting task of selecting the perfect music for the perfect program,
to piece together the intricate Midwest puzzle of classifications, publishers
and composers."
— Gregory
Snyder, Director, Lakota West Symphonic Winds, West Chester, OH
"It was spring break and my wife was driving as I was headed to Central Washington
University to sit in on a rehearsal of my old college wind ensemble. I was checking
my email on my phone to keep myself from having a huge pile of unread emails
when I came back to school. I had just finished and was putting my phone away
when the screen refreshed and there was the email from "The Midwest Clinic." My
pulse shot up to about 180 as I scrambled to open the email. When I realized
that the band had been invited, there was elation at the success and excitment
for the kids. That feeling was quickly replaced with the apprehension of having
to pick music and get all of the details in place for a successful trip. I was
wishing I could have the jazz band rehearse right at that moment! The kids cheered
on Monday morning when I told them that we had been invited. The next week was
a non-stop chorus of "We're going to Chicago!"
— Sam
Omson, Director, Mountain View High School Jazz Ensemble I, Vancouver, WA
"Finding out that we had been invited to perform at the 2011 Midwest Clinic
was the culmination of a year-long journey for our ensemble. After submitting
an
application and not being asked to appear at the 2010 Clinic, we turned disappointment
into determination to reach our goal. We worked harder on this year's audition
and were more critical of ourselves during the rehearsal and recording process.
When the acceptance email arrived, we were thrilled and proud of having reached
our goal; and in that was a good lesson for our students about perseverance,
hard work and achievement. Our planning for December has already started, and
we are excited about the opportunity to perform in front of the world's best
music educators!"
— Shawn
Barat, Director, Douglas Anderson School of the Arts Wind Symphony, Jacksonville,
FL
"I was at a neighboring high school doing a clinic when I received the email.
Words cannot express the rush of emotions that I felt at that moment. I was so
proud of our students and honored that our community would be represented at
the Midwest-an organization that has impacted my personal and professional life
beyond words. I immediately called my principal and executive director of fine
arts, who pulled the students out of class for me right then. One of the most
memorable moments in my life will always be getting to share this moment with
my students. Tears of joy are a great thing!"
— Preston
Hazzard, Director of Bands, Creekview High School Wind Symphony, Carrollton,
TX
"How exciting! What a wonderful
opportunity for such a well deserving ensemble to perform at one of
the greatest venues anywhere."
— Jan Davis, Director, ViBravo String
Ensemble, Clayton, MO
"I had been "nervous", for
lack of a better term, in the days leading up to
finding out that we had been accepted to perform at The Midwest Clinic
this
year. The students had worked so hard...we actually missed 10 days
of
school during the month leading up to the Midwest application deadline
because of record-setting snowfall and ice in northwest Arkansas. However,
our students stayed late after school day after day to prepare the
best
recording possible, and I really wanted their great effort to be rewarded.
"I was actually sitting down at my desk to handle a rather unpleasant
phone
call (we all have those from time to time, right?) when I clicked refresh
on
my e-mail, screamed like a 5th grade girl, and ran full-speed to my
assistant's office. Pure joy, elation, and a huge sense of responsibility
overwhelmed the two of us...and those feelings are still present today
as we
make preparations for a memorable Midwest Clinic 2011."
— Jeremy Ford, Director, Springdale
Har-Ber High School Wind Ensemble, Springdale, AR
"My first reaction to the invitation
to perform was shock. I had been told by directors who had previously
performed at the Midwest Clinic that the invitation would come via
email on Saturday or Sunday. When Monday morning arrived and we had
not received an invitation I was resigned to the fact that we had not
been invited. When the invitation to perform came on Monday afternoon
I was literally speechless. The sad part was that we had just started
a week long spring break and I desperately wanted to tell my kids."
— Heath Wolf, Director, Farmington
Junior High School Symphonic Band, Farmington, UT
The Midwest Clinic encourages you to apply to appear
at a future conference. Each November, performance applications and clinic proposal
forms become available on this website. They are due the following March. Good
luck to all the applicants! |