A FOND FAREWELL

Please join us in wishing a fond farewell to long time member of our flute section, Deb Blue. Deb has been with the IWS for several years and has a position at Michigan State University.

PLEASE WELCOME OUR NEWEST MEMBERS

Laura Block joins us on piccolo. Laura is from Pittsburgh and earned a Bachelor's in Flute Performance at Duquesne University. She is currently pursuing a Master's at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, where she studies with Kathryn Lukas. She is a Suzuki Flute instructor and enjoys horseback riding and baking.

Leslie Valez joins us in the horn section! Leslie is a recent graduate of Butler with a Bachelor's in Horn Performance. She is a native of Evansville and studied with Gail Lewis at Butler. She is employed by Paige's Music.

 David Marcotte, trombone, currently serves the MSD of Wayne Township as the Director of Personnel. Prior to this appointment, he was the principal of Ben Davis High School and Danville High School. David began his professional career as a band director in both Michigan and Indiana before moving into school administration. He holds degrees from Central Michigan University, Bowling Green State (Ohio), and Butler University.

Nancy and Karen Frass join our Clarinet and Flute sections respectively. Nancy comes from a musical family. Her father was a professional oboe player and mother played piano. Her sister, Karen, studied flute in college and also continues to play with various ensembles in Indianapolis. Nancy studied with Harald Hansen, clarinetist with the ISO, as well as Howard Klug at IU. She attended Interlochen National Music Camp, and in 1969, began playing with ensembles under mentorship of Robert A Phillips, playing with the Indianapolis Symphonic Band for the past 40 years. She has played with The Philharmonic Orchestra of Indianapolis for 5 years. Nancy is a nurse and has specialized in cardiology and inservice education most of her career. Since 2000 she has worked as a nurse practitioner, currently practicing at the Rehabilitation Hospital of Indiana working with stroke survivors. She is an avid naturalist, birder, and photographer, and enjoys needlecrafts. She lives on 21 acres of hardwood forest in Morgan County with her two beloved dogs, Sirius and Procyon.

Steve Stickler, clarinet - Steve retired recently after 38 years as a high school and middle school band director in Anderson. He is a graduate of Ball State University and the University of Alabama and enjoys fishing.
 
Lindsay Perry, clarinet - Lindsay is an Oregon native who graduated from BYU - Idaho with a Music Education degree. She has taught elementary music and now teaches woodwind lessons. She recently moved to Fishers with her husband.
 
Ben Moreno, clarinet - Ben is employed by Roche Diagnostics and graduated from Purdue University with a degree in Industrial Management. He enjoys sports, cooking and traveling, and is a former member of the Indianapolis Youth Wind Ensemble.
 
In Other News:

Charles Conrad has written several entries in the new Groves Encyclopedia of Music and Musicians - American Edition. He will guest conduct the Columbus (IN) Symphony Orchestra on a concert in April.
 
Charles Conrad (playing trumpet),Brian Hoover (trumpet), Nathan Voges (french horn) and Dan Corrigan (tuba) participated in a brass quintet for a most interesting recording project in Auburn (IN). The Phonovention, a conference of enthusiasts of historical recording technology, featured a performance of a new work by Indiana composer Malinda Zenor, The Phonovention Rag. It was recorded on circa 1909 Edison recording equipment, and the product was a wax cylinder recording. It was definitely a unique experience

Lilly Endowment Teacher Creativity Award:

In 2009, IWS saxophonist, Andrew Brinkman was awarded with a Teacher Creativity Award from the Lilly Endowment for his grant proposal entitled "A Mighty Fortress: How a Monk and a Mallet Changed the World." Each year,
the Lilly Endowment awards up to 120 Indiana teachers a grant to do a summer renewal project of the teacher's choice. Andrew's award allowed him to travel to several places throughout Europe to study the history of the
Protestant Reformation and compose his first piece for middle school band, "Post Tenebras Lux (After Darkness, Light)", based on the inspiration of the travel experiences and the historical time period that was researched.

He spent three weeks visiting places that have a significant historical connection with the Protestant Reformation. The trip began in Rome, Italy and continued on to Geneva, Switzerland, the location of the ministry of the reformer, John Calvin. After Geneva, the trip continued in Germany where several places were visited in connection to the reformer, Martin Luther. Next came Paris, France and surrounding areas to investigate the St.Bartholomew's Day Massacre against the French Huguenots as well as John
Calvin's boyhood town of Noyon. The trip ended with travel to London and Oxford, England to see sites connected with the British side of the Reformation under the rule of Henry VIII.

His composition, "Post Tenebras Lux," will be performed by the Fall Creek Valley Middle School Wind Ensemble at a concert later this fall. This concert will be a joint concert with the FCV Wind Ensemble and the Lawrence North High School Wind Ensemble under the direction of Mr. Don Lain,and will feature music inspired by the Reformation period.