Paula Holcomb conducts a concert of the Fredonia Wind Ensemble April 15

Dr. Paula Holcomb directs the Fredonia Wind Ensemble

Under the direction of Dr. Paula Holcomb, the SUNY Fredonia Wind Ensemble will perform  Thursday, April 15 at 8 p.m. in King Concert Hall. The event is free and open to all.

The program includes Karel Husa’s Concerto for Wind Ensemble, the central piece of this program. An exciting and interesting work, each section of the ensemble is featured at various points in the piece and several individual solos are also highlighted.

“It truly demonstrates the virtuosity and technique of the ensemble,” said Dr. Holcomb.

“We are also excited to welcome Staff Sergeant Benjamin Albright to the program, a Fredonia alumnus who now plays trumpet with the President’s Own Marine Band. Staff Sergeant Albright was one of three apprentice conductors recently selected to be a Conducting Fellow for the President’s Own Marine Band.”

He will conduct Donald Grantham’s J'ai été au bal which uses Cajun folk melodies as its basis. The program also includes the premiere of ‘N Tangle Ments, a piece written specifically for the SUNY Fredonia Wind Ensemble by Jim Self of Los Angeles, CA. “He was so inspired with our ensemble during his visit this fall when we played his work entitled Tour de Force that he went home and composed ‘N Tangle Ments for us,” said Dr. Holcomb. Keystone Celebration by John Cheetham and Beatrice d'Este by Reynaldo Hahn will also be performed.
 

Dr. Holcomb

Dr. Paula Holcomb became Director of Bands at the State University of New York at Fredonia in 1999 after being Director of Bands for 20 years at Central College in Pella, Iowa. Under her direction at Central College, the Symphonic Wind Ensemble and the Symphonic Band toured internationally to Canada, Europe, and Mexico and performed at Alice Tully Hall of New York City's Lincoln Center. At SUNY Fredonia, Dr. Holcomb oversees an extensive band program consisting of four concert bands while she conducts the Wind Ensemble and musicals. In addition, she initiated the Master of Music in Conducting degree program and teaches graduate and undergraduate conducting.

Highly sought after as an adjudicator and guest conductor, Dr. Holcomb has conducted bands and orchestras in 39 states, South America, Australia, Mexico, Europe, and Canada. She has presented Conducting Symposiums in Canada, South America, Australia and the United States. Dr. Holcomb is former assistant horn of the Des Moines Symphony and past president of the Iowa Music Educators Association. Recently, she was presented with the A. Frank Miller award from Kappa Kappa Psi, served on the Council and Artistic Planning Conference Committee for the World Association of Symphonic Bands and Ensembles, serving on the board of the Conductors Guild and is currently Northeastern Division President-elect of the College Band Directors National Association.