Conducting Symposium Highlights Wind Ensemble Concert

Allan McMurray, Distinguished Professor and emeritus professor of conducting at the University of Colorado-Boulder, will be the featured speaker and clinician at the 2016 University of Arkansas Conducting Symposium on March 4-5 at the Jim and Joyce Faulkner Performing Arts Center.

The symposium will include a performance by the University of Arkansas Wind Ensemble at 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 4, at the Faulkner Performing Arts Center. Tickets for the concert may be purchased here.

"We are excited to have Allan McMurray join us for a three-day residency. As one of the leaders in conducting pedagogy, he will bring so much insight to our students regarding the art and craft of conducting" said Christopher Knighten, director of university bands. "His residency also allows us to invite public school music teachers from throughout Arkansas and Oklahoma to engage with the University of Arkansas Bands and Department of Music as a resource to further their own skills and artistry."

The University of Arkansas Wind Ensemble will serve as a lab band for symposium participants. Each participant will spend time conducting the ensemble, receive feedback from the clinician panel, and attend lectures that explore the art of conducting.

Attendees will include current University of Arkansas music students, regional band directors, and prospective graduate students.

Considered one of the world's leading teachers of conducting, Allan McMurray was director of bands at the University of Colorado-Boulder for 35 years. He has guest conducted and taught in 45 states and 15 foreign countries. He has been a featured visiting professor at over 200 universities and conservatories nationally.

About the University of Arkansas Bands: The University of Arkansas Bands Program, inside the Department of Music in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, began in 1874 and is one of the oldest band programs in the country. The program has six ensembles including the Razorback Marching Band, Hogwild Band, and four concert bands with over 400 student members representing every college at the university.