Celebrating the Art of Donald Hunsberger: A Conversation
Clinic Synopsis:
Donald Hunsberger (1932-2023) conducted the Eastman Wind Ensemble from 1965-2002, leading tours across the US, Japan, and southeast Asia. With 14 albums and numerous concerts given, he emphasized artistic standards, orchestration clarity, and a flexible wind ensemble concept. This session will honor his legacy, discussing his curation of programs, recordings, and repertoire, and his unique role as conductor, composer, and pedagogue. Colleagues and students will share memories and insights.
Reed Chamberlin
- Biographical Information
Reed Chamberlin serves as Director of Bands and School of Music at the University of Nevada, Reno. Internationally recognized through publications, presentations, and performances, he was honored as a Fennell Conducting Fellow as a doctoral student at the Eastman School of Music and received the Walter Hagen Prize. His scholarly work appears in publications like the WASBE and CBDNA Journals and he has presented at conferences including the CBDNA National Conference, the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic and the WASBE and IGEB conferences. In 2023, he was an invited participant in the Warsaw Wind Band Conducting Contest. Under his leadership, the Nevada Wind Ensemble has performed at events such as the College Band Directors National Association Western Division Conference. His recent album, "Ave Maris Stella," demonstrates an innovative approach to wind ensemble arranging and studio production.
Mark Scatterday - Biographical Information
Mark Davis Scatterday, Professor of Conducting at the University of Rochester’s Eastman School of Music and conductor of the Eastman Wind Ensemble (EWE), has garnered acclaim worldwide through a host of guest conducting engagements, arrangements, and recordings. He's led the EWE on tours globally, earning praise at prestigious venues like Carnegie Hall and Severance Hall. With over 30 premieres of wind ensemble works by notable composers, he's collaborated with esteemed artists like Canadian Brass and Bela Fleck. Notable recordings include Roberto Sierra’s Cancionero Sefardi and Manhattan Music, nominated for Latin Grammy and JUNO awards.
James Ripley - Biographical Information
Professor James Ripley conducts the Carthage Wind
Orchestra, Carthage Band, and the AMATI chamber winds. He is the immediate past
president of the World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles (WASBE)
and previously served as music director of the Wind Philharmony and guest
faculty at Kurashiki Sakuyo University in Japan. A recipient of the Carlo A.
Sperati Award from Luther College, he became music director of the Waukesha
Area Symphonic Band in 2018. Before joining Carthage in 2001, Ripley was an assistant
professor at the Eastman School of Music where he was the associate conductor of the Eastman
Wind Ensemble and Wind Orchestra, and as conductor of the Symphonic Wind
Ensemble at the River Campus of the University of Rochester. He
taught for 11 years in Minnesota and Iowa public schools. He holds degrees from
Luther College, Northwestern University, and Eastman School of Music.
Michael Votta - Biographical Information
Michael Votta, Jr. is the Director of Bands and a
Professor at the University of Maryland, where he leads the UMD Wind Orchestra
(UMWO), which has performed at national and international conferences and
collaborated with prominent artists. He has held conducting positions at the
University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Duke University, Ithaca College, the
University of South Florida, Miami University (Ohio), and Hope College. Votta
holds degrees in conducting, clarinet performance, and microbiology from the
Eastman School of Music and The University of Michigan. He is currently
President-Elect of the College Band Directors National Association (CBDNA) and
has served as President of the Big Ten Band Directors Association, Editor of
the CBDNA Journal, and on the boards of the International Society for the
Investigation of Wind Music (IGEB) and the Conductors Guild.
Mallory Thompson - Biographical Information
Mallory Thompson served as the
director of bands, professor of music, and coordinator of the conducting
program at Northwestern University from 1996-2024, where she held the
prestigious John W. Beattie Chair of Music . She conducted the Symphonic Wind
Ensemble, led the band program, and recorded five albums with the ensemble on
Summit Records, earning praise from renowned composers like John Adams,
Jennifer Higdon, and David Maslanka. Thompson earned her Bachelor of Music
Education and Master of Music in conducting from Northwestern, studying under
John P. Paynter and Vincent Cichowicz, and her Doctor of Musical Arts degree
from the Eastman School of Music under Donald Hunsberger. She has been an
active guest conductor and clinician across the U.S. and internationally,
working with ensembles such as the United States military bands, the Dallas
Wind Symphony, and Banda Sinfônica in Brazil. Awarded the Medal of Honor by the
Midwest Clinic in 2019, Thompson has taught conducting to thousands and takes
pride in the achievements of her 58 graduate conducting students and countless
Symphonic Wind Ensemble members at Northwestern.
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