California Wind Band Festival comes to SLO for four days of concerts

The California Wind Band Festival, which runs Wednesday through Saturday at the Performing Arts Center in San Luis Obispo, will showcase some of the best ensembles playing bass, brass, woodwind and percussion instruments today — from student groups to professional bands.

“To have all these groups come together for the week of the festival is an opportunity to … demonstrate for our students (and audience members) what a great week of music is,” said Christopher Woodruff, Cal Poly’s associate director of bands and director of wind ensembles. “It’s an occasion for them to see some great bands from around the world.”

The concerts are part of a joint convention of the American Bandmasters Association (ABA) and the Japanese Band Directors Association, which is bringing more than 400 conductors, composers, music publishers and instrument makers to San Luis Obispo. (The festival is being presented by both associations, plus the Cal Poly music department.)

San Luis Obispo last hosted an ABA convention in 2007. Although it’s rare for the organization to convene in the same place twice, Johnson said, the response to the Central Coast gathering was so positive that organizers jumped at the chance to do it again.

“It was a huge success,” recalled Johnson, who retired as the university’s director of bands in 2010. He’s a member of the ABA board of directors and president of the World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles.

By bringing the ABA back to San Luis Obispo, he said, “We’re making a little bit of history.”

“This is a real shot in the arm for the Cal Poly band program,” said Johnson, noting that this will be the fourth year Cal Poly wind ensembles have performed at an ABA convention. “That (festival) gives them a world stage to do their thing.”

The California Wind Band Festival kicked off Wednesday with a concert by the Cal Poly Wind Ensemble and two Japanese groups, the Shizuoaka Community Band Concert Liberté and Shimizu Wind Orchestra.

It continues Thursday with performances by the Kansai Student Band Federation Concert Band and the CSU Long Beach Wind Symphony. Selections include Carl Orff’s “Carmina Burana,” Johann Sebastian Bach’s “Blithe Bells” and John Philip Sousa’s “The Washington Post.”

Woodruff, who conducts the Cal Poly Wind Orchestra, said the Japanese bands in particular specialize in “music that’s performed at a very high level.”

“They really go after achieving technical success very early on,” he said. “When they bring their bands, it’s a wonderful treat.”

The United States Army Field Band will take the stage Friday for a program ranging from patriotic tunes such as “The Star-Spangled Banner” and “God Bless America” to John Williams’ closing credits music for the movie “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” (Although the Army Field Band concert is free, tickets are required.) The Washington, D.C., ensemble will be joined by two prominent guest soloists — Chris Martin, principal trumpet player for the Chicago Symphony, and Joseph Alessi, principal trombonist for the New York Philharmonic Orchestra.

“They’re serious musicians,” Johnson said. “They really want to make a big impression, and they will.”

All told, about 120 students will take the stage that night, Woodruff said.

“They get to meet one another and play together and really celebrate music making on the highest level at Harmon Hall,” he said.

The Cal Poly Wind Orchestra’s portion of the program will open with “Blessed Are They” from “Requiem” by Johannes Brahms and “Lightning Field” by John Mackey, as well as works by Johann de Meij and David Maslanka. The Cal Poly Pomona ensemble will also play a piece by Mackey, “Aurora Awakes,” among other works.

“It’s a lot of great, tuneful music, and highly energetic,” Woodruff said.

Cal Poly student Deborah Newberry is looking forward to playing in the California Wind Band Festival.

“Personally, I’m very excited about the opportunity to play in such a large festival,” said the computer science major, who plays flute in the Cal Poly Wind Orchestra and the Mustang Marching Band. “Playing in large groups helps improve the impact of the sound we make. …”

“The festival also comes at a perfect time — the year we celebrate 100 years of Cal Poly bands!” Newberry added. “Hosting and performing in this event is already a huge honor, but now it’s also a great way to celebrate the centennial of our bands.”

This story was originally published March 2, 2016 at 11:27 AM with the headline "California Wind Band Festival comes to SLO for four days of concerts."