Chamber Music: The Why and How
Clinic Synopsis:
In this clinic, Greg White and Dan Gelok will outline the importance of Chamber Music in a well rounded band program. Attendees will leave with concrete steps to take in order to start or advance Chamber Music Programs in their own schools and will hear examples of both young and seasoned chamber ensembles and the benefits of having students perform chamber music.
Greg White
- Biographical Information
Greg White has been the Associate Director of Bands at Ronald Reagan High School in San Antonio, TX since 2011. He currently conducts the Symphonic Band and Concert Bands and directs an active Chamber Music program. Under his direction, bands have consistently received ‘Superior’ Ratings and “Best in Class” honors at contests and Festivals across the State.
As an active advocate for the proliferation of Chamber Music in public schools, Mr. White has cultivated a program of chamber music that has included winners at State, National, and International competitions. Mr. White had the privilege of directing the first public school chamber ensemble to win the prestigious M-Prize International Chamber Music Competition. Additionally, Mr. White has directed multiple ensembles that have advanced to the quarter and semi-finals of the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, including the winner of the 2018 American Brass Quintet Junior Wind Prize. In December of 2015, Mr. White directed the Quid Nunc Saxophone Quartet in a featured concert in the 69th Annual Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic.
Students under Mr. White’s instruction have been winners of Music Teacher National Association National Solo competitions, and have been featured performers on National Public Radio’s “From the Top”.
Mr. White received Bachelor's and Master's degrees from Texas Tech University, where his primary instructors were David Dees, Dr. Sarah McKoin, Dr. Keith Dye, and Dr. Eric Allen. Professional affiliations include the Texas Music Educators Association, Texas Bandmasters Association, Music Teachers National Association, and the North American Saxophone Alliance.
Dan Gelok - Biographical Information
Saxophonist and educator Dan Gelok is internationally recognized and sought-after as an outstanding young performer and teacher of classical saxophone music. He received his Bachelor's degree in Music Education from Indiana University and his Masters in Saxophone Performance from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. He currently holds the title of Assistant Professor of Saxophone at the University of Houston. His teachers include Otis Murphy, Lynn Klock, and David Baker.
As a performer of new music he has worked closely with composers such as Zach Browning, Bill Ryan, Rob Smith, Kawai Shiu, Zechariah Goh, and Christian Lauba, with whom he organized an international workshop in the spring of 2012. He has recordings of new music on the Ablaze and Resolute Music record labels, and frequently performs with Musiqa, a Houston-based new music collective.
As an educator, Mr. Gelok also maintains a private studio of students ranging in experience from beginner to the collegiate level. Internationally sought-after as a teacher, he has received masterclass and lecture invitations from the Northeast Texas Saxophone Symposium, The New England Saxophone Symposium, the Singapore Saxophone Symposium, the Artists Academy (Singapore) Summer Workshop Series, the Belles Artes Music Festival (Medellin, Colombia), and various universities throughout the United States. His students have advanced and received awards from prestigious contests such as the Young Texas Artist Competition, the NASA soloist competition, the J.C. Arriaga competition, the Coleman Competition, the Plowman Competition, and the Fischoff competition, to which he sent an unprecedented two ensembles in the spring of 2014. In addition, he founded and continues to serve as Director of the Houston Underground Competition, the country’s largest independent chamber music contest for high school saxophonists.
Mr. Gelok is a Yamaha Performing Artist.
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