Twelve students will conduct East Central University's Symphonic Band in its spring concert Thursday [APRIL 29] in the Ataloa Theatre in the Hallie Brown Ford Fine Arts Center. The select Wind Ensemble will be conducted by ECU Band Director Allen Correll and guest conductor Dean Coale.
The free concert will begin at 8 p.m. and is open to the public.
The students will conduct either short pieces or movements of longer works. Kelsey Creed will conduct "Creed" by William Himes, and Adam Mount will conduct "On a Hymn Song of Philip Bliss" by David Holsinger.
Samantha Tyler and Sarra Blok each will conduct a movement of "Highbridge Excursions" by Mark Williams. Nate Sheeley and Cody Rowe will be the conductors for "Court Festival by William Latham.
Others conducting movements will be Sam Crosby, "Young Molly Bawn" from "A Longford Legend;" Ashley Branscum, "Folk Tale" from the "Suite of Bohemia" by Vaclav Nelybel; Rebekah Unruh, "The Vicar of Bray" from "Little English Suite" by Clare Grundman; and Tommy Long, Derek Akers and Ryan Corley, "In the Forest of the King" by Pierre LaPlante.
Kelsey Creed, Sarra Blok, Tommy Long and Derek Akers are majoring in instrumental music. Ryan Corley is a mass communication major.
Adam Mount, Samantha Tyler, Nate Sheeley, Cody Rowe, Sam Crosby, Ashley Branscum and Rebekah Unruh are majoring in instrumental music education.
Dean Coale, a retired band director from Oklahoma and Arkansas, will conduct the Wind Ensemble's performance of "National Emblem" by E.E. Bagley. Correll will conduct "Perthshire Majesty" by Samuel R. Hazo and "Zion" by Dan Welcher.
Coale was inducted last week into the Okemah Hall of Fame joining the famous Woody Guthrie as a recipient. He also is a member of the Oklahoma Bandmasters Hall of Fame and the Oklahoma Music Educators Hall of Fame.
He taught in Edmond, Bartlesville and Sapulpa Public Schools, along with a short tenure at the University of Tulsa before leaving to teach in Fayetteville, Ark., schools. Coale has won numerous Sweepstakes Awards in Oklahoma for his many superior-rated bands and serves frequently and a judge and clinician throughout the Southwest.
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