The Virginia Tech University Symphonic Wind Ensemble and the University Symphony Band present a concert featuring over 125 student-musicians.

The concert will be held on Sunday, Feb. 17 at 3 p.m., in Burruss Auditorium located on the Virginia Tech campus.

The program features transcriptions of the orchestral work of Richard Wagner and the haunting choral work of Morten Lauridsen. Contemporary works include the music of Brian Balmages and Michael Markowsky, the recipient of the first Frank Ticheli Composition Contest. The grand finale features a massive, combined band performance of Rimsky-Korsakov’s triumphant Procession of the Nobles and the classic grand Italian march of Julius Fucik, The Florentiner.

The University Symphonic Wind Ensemble is under the direction of Stephen King, assistant professor of music education at Virginia Tech. Before joining Virginia Tech, King retired from the Virginia public school system with 32 years of service including work as director of bands at William Byrd High School in Vinton and Coeburn High School in Coeburn. He also spent 11 years as supervisor of fine arts for Roanoke County Schools. King has served as president of the Virginia Music Educators Association and the Virginia Band and Orchestra Directors Association. He is the first recipient of the Virginia Tech Distinguished Music Educator Award. King maintains an active schedule as an adjudicator, guest conductor, and clinician throughout the southeast.

The University Symphony Band is under the direction of David McKee. McKee is in his twenty-second year at Virginia Tech, where he is also director of The Marching Virginians and assists with the University Campus Band. He is an active guest conductor, clinician, and advocate for music education in the public schools.

At the 2007 Virginia Music Educators Association Conference in Norfolk, he served as a percussionist, orator, and conductor within the span of 48 hours. In 2005, McKee was awarded a Certificate of Teaching Excellence by Virginia Tech’s College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences. He is a member of the ACC Band Directors Association, past-president of the Big East Band Directors Association and has served on the Athletic Band Advisory Committee of the College Band Directors National Association.

General tickets are $5 and student/senior tickets are $3 and will be available one hour prior to performance time at the door.

The Department of Music at Virginia Tech provides professional music training to select music students and enhances the cultural life of the university, region, and the Commonwealth through teaching, professional service, artistic performance, creativity, and research. The Department of Music, located in the School of the Arts within the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences, also provides high-quality training to a wide variety of ensembles and courses for large numbers of non-music majors.

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