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NorCal Wind Conducting Symposium
Next Symposium: June 8-13, 2025
location TBA due to anticipated contruction at Sac State
The NorCal Wind Conducting Symposium, founded by Dr. Robert Halseth at Sacramento State in June 1994, is back for its 28th year in 2025! Open to adult conductors, the six-day Symposium will provide a safe, nurturing environment of professional development in which to improve conducting skills, rehearsal techniques, and wind literature awareness.
Work one on one with our Guest Artist Clinician, Dr. Peter Boonshaft, and the Sacramento State School of Music Director of Bands, Dr. Matthew Morse.
The Symposium provides a unique opportunity for up to 20 Participant/Conductors to receive podium time and instruction in front of a 45-piece wind ensemble. Additionally, an unlimited number of Auditor/Observers will also be accepted. Registration is required.
The Symposium will begin on Sunday afternoon, June 8, with an approximately two-hour readthrough/rehearsal of the repertoire set with the band, which will be made up of the Symposium Participant/Conductors and Auditor/Observers, and local Sacramento musicians, conducted by our clinicians, Dr. Peter Boonshaft, Dr. Matthew Morse, and our Symposium Founder, Dr. Robert Halseth.
Following the rehearsal, we will have pizza and an informal meet-and-greet, where you will meet the clinicians, staff, and each other, and hear about the topics to be discussed during afternoon seminars Monday through Thursday.
The Symposium will wrap up on Friday, June 13 following that morning’s rehearsal.
Info and Forms
The NorCal Wind Conducting Symposium will operate as a ‘day camp’ type activity, running 8:00am-4:30pm Monday-Thursday and ending early afternoon on Friday. Those participants coming from out of town will be responsible for their own travel and accommodations.
FEES
- $600 - for Participant/Conductor (limited to 20)
- $300 - for Auditor/Observer (unlimited)
REGISTER FOR THE SYMPOSIUM
Please complete the Google form asking for registration information. Contained in the Google form is a link to the payment site – please also ensure that you also complete the payment process to reserve your place as a Participant.
REGISTER NOW (available in February)
Continuing Education Units will be available through the Sac State College of Continuing Education for attendance/participation in the NorCal Wind Conducting Symposium. Conductor/Participants will be eligible for 3 CEUs and Auditor/Observers will be eligible for 1.5 CEUs. Registration for these units will be taken care of as the Symposium ends and will incur an additional fee, payable through the Registrar’s office.
What to Expect
Mornings are devoted to podium time for Participant/Conductors with a 45-piece band. Each conductor will conduct the band daily for 10-15 minutes and have their session recorded. During conducting, one clinician provides audio comments on the recording while another works with the conductor in front of the ensemble. Each conductor will be in front of the band five times during the Symposium.
Afternoons will be spent in seminars and activities presented by our clinicians supporting a wide range of subjects pertaining to wind bands. All of this will happen in the School of Music’s Capistrano Hall on the beautiful 300-acre park-like Sacramento State campus in the heart of Sacramento.
For more information or further questions, please email Dr. Matthew Morse.
Repertoire List
This is the 2024 repertoire - 2025 repertoire coming soon
Participants should pick five pieces from the list below to conduct with the band – movements of the multi-movement pieces (Milburn, Jacob, Camphouse, or Holst) will count as one piece. Participants are responsible for procuring their own scores.
We have chosen music in a variety of difficulty levels to accommodate teachers at different stages of conducting expertise.
| Composer | Title (2024 Repertoire) | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Dwayne S. Milburn | American Hymnsong Suite (4 Movements) | 5 |
| Gordon Jacob | William Byrd Suite (6 Movements) | 5 |
| Michael Barry | Grayscale | 5 |
| Mark Camphouse | Three London Miniatures (3 Movements) | 4 |
| Gustav Holst | Second Suite in F for Military Band (4 Movements) | 4 |
| Randall Standridge | Imaginarium | 3 |
| Yukiko Nishimura | Northern Lights | 3 |
About Our Clinicians
Clinician: Dr. Peter Boonshaft
Dr. Peter Loel Boonshaft has been called one of the most exciting and exhilarating voices in music education today, has been invited to speak and conduct in every state in the U.S. and around the world. Honored by the National Association for Music Education and Music For All as the first recipient of the “George M. Parks Award for Leadership in Music Education,” Dr. Boonshaft is Director of Education for Jupiter Band Instruments. He is the author of the critically acclaimed best-selling books Teaching Music with Passion, Teaching Music with Purpose, and Teaching Music with Promise. He is also co-author of Alfred Music’s method book series Sound Innovations. As well, his weekly “Boonshaft’s Blog” for music educators continues to inspire teachers everywhere. He has received official proclamations from the Governors of five states and a Certificate of Appreciation from former President Ronald Reagan, as well as performing for former President and Mrs. George H. W. Bush, former President Bill Clinton, and for Margaret Thatcher, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. His honors also include being selected three times as a National Endowment for the Arts “Artist in Residence,” three times awarded Honorary Life Membership in the Tri-M Music Honor Society, receiving the Al G. Wright Award of Distinction from the Women Band Directors International, and being selected for the Center for Scholarly Research and Academic Excellence at Hofstra University in Hempstead, NY, where he is Professor Emeritus of Music.
Clinician/Host: Dr. Matthew Morse
Dr. Matthew Morse is currently Director of Bands and Assistant Professor of Conducting at Sacramento State, where he conducts the Symphonic Wind Ensemble and Concert Band, oversees the Marching Band, and teaches undergraduate and graduate conducting. He is also the Music and Artistic Director for the Sacramento Symphonic Winds and is in demand as a guest conductor, clinician, and adjudicator. Prior to his appointment at Sac State, Dr. Morse earned degrees in conducting from the University of North Texas as a student of Eugene Migliaro Corporon, and Indiana University of Pennsylvania as a student of Dr. Jack Stamp. Dr. Morse also served for 25 years as a performing musician and bandmaster in the U.S. Army, culminating with his capstone assignment as Associate Bandmaster of the U.S. Military Academy Band at West Point, NY.