San Jose Wind Symphony

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Guest Artists

 

Ed Shaughnessy

Drummer

Edwin Thomas "Ed" Shaughnessy is a swing music and bebop drummer best known for his long association with Doc Severinsen and The Tonight Show Band on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. He was born in Jersey City, New Jersey and grew up in the New York City area, working in the 1940s with George Shearing, Jack Teagarden and Charlie Ventura. In the 1950s he worked in the Benny Goodman and Tommy Dorsey bands. In the 1960s he played for Count Basie prior to joining The Tonight Show Band. Shaughnessy recorded extensively throughout his career and was known for his drum competition with Buddy Rich.

 

Darrell Johnston

Guest Conductor

SJWS was founded in September 1958 by Conductor Emeritus Darrell Johnston. Maestro Johnston graduated from the Eastman School of Music, where he studied under the legendary Frederick Fennell, the father of the modern wind ensemble. Inspired by his friend and mentor, Maestro Johnston had the vision, creativity, perseverance and talent to form a musical organization that would become a cornerstone of the Bay Area performing arts community for over half a century.

 

Craig Bohmler

Composer

Craig Bohmler is a composer, pianist and conductor. Primarily a composer for the lyric theater and the solo voice, Mr. Bohmler has three operas and nine musicals to his credit as well as 150 songs and numerous choral works. His musical, Gunmetal Blues, has had over 110 productions. Enter The Guardsman won first prize in the International Musical of the Year competition and premiered in London's West End, where it was nominated for an Olivier Award for “best musical.” The Quiltmaker’s Gift was commissioned by Phoenix Theatre, where it is an annual holiday offering. Mountain Days is in its 5th year in a theatre built specially for it.

His most recent theater commission, The Haunting Of Winchester, opened the San Jose Repertory Theatre’s 25th anniversary season. His orchestral works include Saints and Pentimento, both commissioned and recorded by the San Jose Chamber orchestra. More detailed information and recordings may be found at CraigBohmler.com.

 

Leigh Weimers

50th Anniversary Concert Emcee

Leigh Weimers retired as the dean of Bay Area newspaper columnists, concluding a 47-year career with the San Jose Mercury News. He presently writes a monthly column in San Jose Magazine and contributes weekly commentaries to KLIV-AM.

He is a native Californian who holds a B.A in Journalism from San Jose State University. On the staff of the Mercury News he served in such varied capacities as general assignment reporter, assistant city editor, founding editor of the newspaper's lifestyle section, and columnist.

He also has contributed articles to regional and national magazines and is the author of Leigh Weimers' Guide to Silicon Valley and co-author of Silicon Valley: A 100-Year Renaissance.

 

Forrest Williams

50th Anniversary Reception Emcee

Forrest Williams, a 40-year resident of San Jose, is in his second term on the San Jose City Council. Forrest represents the more than 92,000 residents of the Santa Teresa/Edenvale area of San Jose. He is Chair of San Jose’s Transportation and Environment Committee; member of the City’s Public Safety, Finance and Strategic Support Committee; member of the Redevelopment Agency Board; member of the City’s Police and Fire Retirement Board and Federated Retirement Board. He is a member of the Family Domestic Violence Advisory Board, the Santa Clara County Black Infant Health Advisory Board and serves as Council Liaison to the Arts Commission and the Planning Commission.

Forrest worked for IBM Corporation for over 35 years as a Senior Engineering Manager. He holds the following degrees: BSEE, MSEE and DEECS. He is a veteran of the United States Army Signal Corp.

 

Camerata California

Jennifer Randolph: recorders, crumhorns, strings, percussion
Sam Kitely: sackbut, viol, crumhorns, recorders, percussion
Mike Megas: recorders, crumhorns
Lettie Smith: recorders, crumhorns, rankett, shawm, percussion
Sally Terris: recorders, crumhorns

Camerata California is a vocal and instrumental ensemble of the South San Francisco Bay area, dedicated to performing sacred and secular music from the medieval through the early Baroque eras. The ensemble was founded by the late Dr. Vernon B. Read, who taught and led Early Music at San Jose State University for many years. Dr. Read's personal collection of early instruments was donated to SJSU's School of Music and Dance, and Camerata incorporates many of the instruments in its programs.

 

Galen Lemmon

Percussionist

Galen Lemmon has performed professionally in the San Jose area for over 30 years. He is Principal Percussionist with Symphony Silicon Valley, Ballet San Jose Silicon Valley and the Cabrillo Music Festival Orchestra under the direction of Marin Alsop. Galen performs frequently with many orchestras in the Bay Area.

As an active clinician and Zildjian artist he has recently given clinic/performances at the CMEA State Conference in Sacramento, the College Band Directors Conference in Reno, NV and the Fresno State University Day of Percussion.

He has been a featured soloist with the San Jose Symphony Pops, the San Jose Wind Symphony, The Ohlone College Wind Symphony, the San Jose Symphony Brass Quintet Plus One, the San Jose State University Wind Ensemble, the San Jose State University Orchestra and the Pacific Chamber Orchestra.

He has his own snare drum book and operates his own retail store, Lemmon Percussion, serving Northern California.

 

Susan Powers

Lyric Soprano

Susan Powers is a professional actress and classically trained lyric soprano with a B.A. in Theatre and over 25 years of performing experience in musical theatre, light opera and oratorio. A favorite musical theatre performer in the Bay Area, Susan has performed with American Musical Theatre of San Jose, TheatreWorks, Broadway By the Bay, 42nd Street Moon, ACT, Oakland Lyric Opera, Woodminster Summer Musicals, Playhouse West and Crossroads Theatre. She has also been nominated numerous times for her work by the Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle and has won twice for her roles as Guenevere in Camelot and Marian in The Music Man. She is currently nominated for playing Magnolia in Showboat last year. Other favorite roles performed include Cunegonde in Candide, Mother in Ragtime and Betty in The Will Rodgers Follies.

 

Michael Taylor

Baritone

Michael Taylor graduated from San Francisco Conservatory of Music with his masters degree in 1990. He has appeared as soloist with many opera companies including Sacramento Opera, Opera San Jose, Marin Opera, Oakland Opera, West Bay Opera and Townsend Opera Players where he sang such roles as Gianni Schicchi, Escamillo in Carmen, the Count in The Marriage of Figaro, Scarpia in Tosca, Dr. Malatesta in Don Pasquale, Don Giovanni, Belcore in The Elixer of Love, Tonio in Pagliacci, Figaro in The Barber of Seville, Dandini in Cenerentola and Marcello in La Boheme. Mr. Taylor has appeared in concert with the Masterworks Choral, Berkeley Symphony, Vallejo Symphony, Fremont Symphony, Sacramento Choral Society, Schola Cantorum and performed as a vocal soloist with the Oakland and San Francisco Ballet.

A regional finalist in both the San Francisco Opera Merola Auditions and the Metropolitan Opera Auditions, Mr. Taylor was also a participant in the San Diego Opera Apprentice Program. A winner of the 1989 Bel Canto Foundation competition, Mr. Taylor spent six weeks in Siena, Italy, studying with coaches from La Scala. Mr. Taylor was also a member of the cast of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera at the Curran Theater in San Francisco from 1993 to 1998. In addition to performing, he is also an active voice teacher and stage director.