THE WHITWORTH WIND SYMPHONY
Richard Strauch, conductor presents
WIND WIND CURRENTS
CURRENTS 2026 2025
with special guests
MEDICAL LAKE HIGH SCHOOL WIND ENSEMBLE Craig Johnson, conductor
FERRIS HIGH SCHOOL WIND ENSEMBLE Ben Brueggemeier, conductor Melissa Jones, conductor (student teacher)
The Whitworth Wind Symphony Richard Strauch, conductor Wind Currents 2026 Monday, March 16, 2026 7:30 p.m. The Martin Woldson Theater at the Fox PROGRAM Medical Lake High School Wind Ensemble Craig Johnson, conductor Arabesque
Samuel R. Hazo (b.1966)
Beyond the Horizon
Rossano Galante (b.1967)
Fuego Espanol (2017)
Mark Lortz
Ferris High School Wind Ensemble Ben Brueggemeier, conductor Melissa Jones, conductor (student teacher) Aviators
Joshua Idio (b.1995)
Folk Song Suite Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) 1. March: Seventeen Come Sunday 2. Intermezzo: My Bonny Boy 3. March: Folksongs from Somerset Alligator Alley
Michael Daugherty (b.1954)
INTERMISSION
Whitworth Wind Symphony Richard Strauch, conductor
George Washington Bridge
William Schuman (1910-1992)
Crown Imperial
William Walton (1902-1983) arr. W.J. Duthoit
Raise the Roof
Michael Daugherty (b.1954) Prof. Leigh Wilson, timpani
Medical Lake High School Wind Ensemble Craig Johnson, conductor Piccolo Katherine Hart Flute Sereena Dancel Ryvenna Martinusen Soraya Michel Savanah Evans Sabrina Mallette Violin Riley Maloy Oboe Maggie Moody Clarinet Emily Killian Keilianna Ornelas Giselle Garza Tiana Schneider Emma Rivera Bass Clarinet Stella Willoughby-Knight Aiden Maxey Alto Saxophone Evan Neher Oluebube Okemgbo Mary Rose Plute Brooklynn DeVore Caleb Johnson Tenor Saxophone Lorelai Flaherty Baritone Saxophone Alejandra Ramon Horn Eric Roberts Trumpet Jordan Kocsis Aizea Dancel
Sophia Hughes Adam Stamper Andrii Kvaterniuk Alex Leitz Conner Grant Trombone Loghan Bradley Mya Gardner Soren Jorgensen Wyatt Stafford Alex Bradley Jaydin Keller Euphonium Landon McMahon Cody Rupert Tuba Jesse Burt Bass Eli Eschette Piano Tyson Graham Percussion Scarlett Lalicker Corbin Kuster Ryzick Iglesias Brayden Dixon Teagan Cadman Lillian Kelm Malu King Skylar Willoughby-Knight Colin Merritt Aiden Murillo Owen Pritchard Aiden Smith Jaydan Olson
Ferris High School Wind Ensemble Ben Brueggemeier, conductor Melissa Jones, conductor (student teacher) Flute Deacon Ball* Liam MacMullan Rowan Hastings Kody Higginbotham Brooke Higgins Aria Fortner Julia Beloshitsky Oboe Brantly Hazelbaker Samantha Kotsala* Bassoon Eloise Benson* Brayden Martin Maddie Whitmore Clarinet Ben Horrocks* Mack Nogaki Emma Wells Emjay Nichols Marcus Koczarski Andrew Cesaratto Morgan Myers Ava Anderson Ruby Miller Hazel Alexander Hayden Sassone Kiley Mitchell-Gregg Bass Clarinet Ava DeLeon Jack Hinson* Marisa Blanchard
Alto Sax Caede Lutz* Austin Barton Avery Higgins Makenzie Boren Tenor Sax Maximus Raugust Ariana Kasimov* Dominic Flynn Bari Sax Lillian DeLeon* Emily Aamodt Horn Bennan Walker* Jasper Innes Daisuke Ike Tate McCulloch Henry Beagle Trumpet Allison Monkman Aaron Warren* Dayson Moorhead Tanis Renn Tanner Wolff Noah Roberts Ash Bingo Clayton Gadberry Landon McCaffree Trombone Ari Smith Isaac Wolters* Quinn Kobluk Beau Van Akin
Tate Wolff Cody Nafzgar Euphonium Lilly Wagenblast* Zoey Lewis Tuba Chris Solscheid Katie Wall* Josh Stailey Alex Flanigan Percussion Jo Coyne Charne Tuombe Andrew Schacht Dan Dotson
Penny Morris Kylee Estes Cami Estes Eric Nguyen Nixon Barth Maria German Michael Condon Ireland Rahder Toby Lee Sam Breckon
About the Whitworth Wind Symphony The threefold mission of the Whitworth Wind Symphony is to train and educate musicians for a lifetime of musical learning; to represent Whitworth’s mind-and-heart education though excellence in performance before audiences on campus, throughout the community and across the globe; and to advocate for and promote wind literature through the study and performance of the ensemble’s core repertoire as well as the commissioning of new works. The Whitworth Wind Symphony has appeared in concert at state and regional conferences of the Washington Music Educators Association, the National Association for Music Education and the College Band Directors National Association, and has toured throughout the western United States and in Hawaii, Costa Rica and Thailand. The wind symphonyhas been featured on Spokane Public Radio’s Concert of the Week broadcast, and can also be heard in performance on the ensemble’s YouTube channel (youtube.com/whitworthwinds). As the university’s select auditioned wind and percussion ensemble, the wind symphony has been active in commissioning new works and collaborating with composers around the world. Noted composers David Maslanka, Eric Ewazen, James David and Peter Van Zandt Lane have praised the wind symphony’s performances of their music, and recent performance collaborations have included saxophonist Lawrence Gwozdz, bass trombonist Douglas Yeo and the Travis Brass of the United States Air Force. The ensemble is open by audition to all Whitworth University students in any major who are woodwind, brass, percussion or string bass musicians. The other components of the wind and percussion studies program at Whitworth include the Whitworth Chamber Winds, Whitworth Symphony Orchestra, the Whitworth Concert Band and a variety of chamber ensembles.
About the Conductor Richard Strauch is in his 29th year as director of the Whitworth Wind Symphony and professor of music at Whitworth University. He also conducts the Whitworth Chamber Winds, teaches courses in music history and conducting, and leads Whitworth’s Power & Politics of Art: Rome/Florence/Vienna/Berlin study program. Prior to joining the Whitworth music faculty, Strauch served as director of instrumental activities at Phillips University, acting director of the Wheaton College Wind Ensemble and assistant to the director of bands at Yale University. He has toured Europe as music director of the Oklahoma Ambassadors of Music and as conductor of the Fox Valley Youth Orchestra. An active professional trombonist, he is a member of the Spokane Symphony Orchestra, and his other performance credits include the Clarion Brass Choir, the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, the National Orchestral Institute and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. Strauch holds doctor of musical arts, master of musical arts and master of music degrees in trombone performance from Yale University, and a bachelor of music degree in trombone performance and music history from the Wheaton College Conservatory of Music. About the soloist Leigh Wilson is professor of percussion at Whitworth University and principal percussion in the Spokane Symphony. A Massachusetts native, he began playing percussion at age twelve. In college, he studied in the Harvard/New England Conservatory dual degree program, graduating with a degree in chemistry from Harvard College and a master’s degree from the New England Conservatory, before attending the University of Southern California for further study in music. His principal teachers include John Tanzer, Matthew McKay, Kyle Brightwell, Joseph Pereira, and Jim Babor. Since 2021, he has held a position with the South Dakota Symphony, performed with orchestras including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, National Arts Centre Orchestra, and the Portland Symphony, and held fellowships at the Music Academy of the West and the National Orchestral Institute.
The Whitworth Wind Symphony 2025-26
Piccolo Valerie Hanes, ’27 Physics Spokane Flute Rachelle Austin, ’28 Psychology Spokane Alyssa Brown, ’29 Undeclared Spokane Ellie Hobson, ’29 Elementary Education Tacoma Elizabeth Addison, ’28 Music Education Deer Park Oboe Samarra Salcido, ’26 Music Spokane Isaac Ojennus, ’29 Chemistry Spokane Melody Hough, ’28 Biology Spokane Bassoon Zoë Johnson, ‘27 Music Perf/Music Ed Spokane Celeste Depew, ’27 Psychology/English Lynden E-flat Clarinet Anthony Bithell Guest Artist Spokane Clarinet Bar Rozenhaimer, ’27 History/Psych/Theol West Linn, OR James Fischer, ’28 Music Perf/Music Ed Spokane Teresa Johnson, ’29 French/Secondary Ed Cheney Kylie Mitchell, ’27 Music Ed Cheney Luciano Bellissimo, ’27 Music Comp./Comp. Sci. Cashmere, WA Noah Wells, ’28 Music Prod & Songwriting Post Falls, ID Ethan Evans-Ngo, ’29 Psychology Redlands, CA Lila Gamero, ’27 Elementary Ed Spokane Rosalind Nordberg, ’27 Environmental Sci. Bellevue Bass Clarinet Mason Groth, ’26 Chemistry & Health Sci Coeur d’Alene Ivan Lepekhin, ’29 Philosophy Spokane Soprano/Alto Saxophone Jonathan Morris, ’28 Music Perf Blaine Alto Saxophone Nathaniel Kurano, ’28 Engineering Honolulu, HI Tenor Saxophone Nicholas Kar, ‘27 Math Education Spokane Baritone Saxophone Christopher Rodriguez-Chen, ’28 Music Ed Yakima
Horn Isaac Crawford-Heim, ’26 Health Science Bjorn Peterson, ’29 Engineering Kelsey Swenland, ’29 Music Perf/Music Ed Arian Gamero, ’29 Art/Secondary Ed Sam Hershberger, ’28 Biochemistry Hannah Marcoe, ’27 Math/Secondary Ed. Trumpet Julia Maher, ’26 Music Education Matthew Thornell, ’27 Music Alexis Hochberg, ’28 Music Education Dakota Bair, ’28 Music Ministry Anthony Cao, ’25 Music Education Trombone Will Strauch, ‘28 Music Perf Sawyer Peterson, ’29 Engineering Meg Zwiers, ’29 Music/Psychology Conor Waller, ’25 Music Composition Euphonium Adonis Hartz-Upham, ’29 Engineering Julian Crandell, ’27 Music Composition Tuba Michael Perry, ’27 Music Education Owen Moe, ’28 Biochemistry Micah Flint, ’29 Biochemistry Bass Patrick McNalley Faculty Piano Isaac Dorcy, ’27 Music Composition Percussion Ryland Gabriel, ’26 Psychology Luke Wagner, ’25 Computer Science Max Bartron, ‘27 Music Performance Katy Brown, ’28 Undeclared Elli Seaman, ’28 Nursing EJ Preuschoff, ’29 Music Education Loren Lehne, ’27 Biochemistry Madeleine Lyon, ’26 Biology Hannah Lind, ’27 Front End Design
Spokane Missoula, MT Spokane Spokane Everett Moscow, ID Whidbey Island Kingston Liberty Lake Lake Stevens Spokane Spokane Spokane Gallup, NM Spokane Spokane Deer Park Richland Spokane Bellingham Spokane Shelton Spokane Clackamas, OR Edmonds Spokane Pousbo Spokane Damascus, OR Hockinson Liberty Lake
WHITWORTH UNIVERSITY Since 1890, Whitworth has held fast to its founding mission to provide “an education of mind and heart” through rigorous intellectual inquiry guided by dedicated Christian scholars. Recognized as one of the top regional colleges and universities in the West, Whitworth University has an enrollment of about 2,500 students and offers more than 100 undergraduate and graduate degree programs. Whitworth University’s 200-acre campus of red-brick buildings and tall pines offers a beautiful, inviting and secure learning environment. More than $135 million in campus improvements have been made in recent years, including an expanded music center, a renovated auditorium stage, an expanded dining hall, a rec center, a science hall, an athletics leadership center and a graduate health sciences building. In all of its endeavors, Whitworth seeks to advance its founder’s mission of equipping students to “honor God, follow Christ and serve humanity.” For application information: Office of Admissions Whitworth University 300 W. Hawthorne Road Spokane, WA 99251 509.777.3212 admissions@whitworth.edu whitworth.edu/admissions
MUSIC AT WHITWORTH The Whitworth University Music Department, accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music, provides superb training in music as well as a thorough introduction to this essential element of the liberal arts. Whitworth music majors have gone on to prestigious graduate schools, fulfilling performance careers and successful teaching positions. Also, many non-music majors participate in the university’s renowned touring ensembles and enroll in private lessons through the music department. Whitworth University offers bachelor of arts degrees in composition, music production & songwriting, instrumental performance, jazz performance, string pedagogy, voice performance, and music education. Music scholarships are available to both music majors and non-majors. facebook.com/whitworthmusic instagram.com/whitworthmusic youtube.com/whitworthuniversitymusicdepartment Scan to learn about Whitworth’s music program.
whitworth.edu/music