The Global Band Room

One of my favorite guests so far joined me all the way from down under! Cathy Likhuta is talented, funny, and charming. If you don’t know her work, you should!

Catherine Likhuta, composer is a Ukrainian-born, Australian-based composer, pianist and recording artist. Her music exhibits high emotional charge, programmatic nature and rhythmic complexity. Cathy’s wind band works have enjoyed performances by Columbia University Wind Ensemble, SUNY Potsdam Crane Wind Ensemble, Sydney Conservatorium Wind Symphony, University of Georgia Hodgson Wind Ensemble, University of Kentucky Wind Symphony and many other groups. Her music was played at the Australian School Band and Orchestra Festival (Sydney) and the Midwest Clinic (Chicago).

Introducing our new podcast documentary, Finding Drum Corps.

Back in 2015 I was introduced to an activity that would quite simply, change how I felt about music performance and education. Over this series I'll be finding out everything I can about this incredible community of artists and performers.

Today kicks off Conn-Selmer Education Institute Connect. If you've been listening to the podcast for the past month you've heard all about it. I was delighted to chat with Randy Greenwell of Conn-Selmer recently about this career and Conn Selmer Education.

Randy spent 24 years as Director of Bands and Chairman of the Performing Arts Department at Lawrence Central HS, Indianapolis, IN. Under his direction, the Lawrence Central Bands built a tradition of excellence and success. Randy is also an active Drum Corps International, Bands of America and Winter Guard International judge and has written and arranged for many bands across the United States. He maintains an active schedule as a trumpet performer with the Heartland Big Band and has presented numerous clinics at conventions on a wide range of educational topics.

Tim Hinton from the "Marching Roundtable" joins me for this fun episode to chat about his media and drum corps career! Tim has spent his life helping those in the marching arts to have a more fulfilling and successful experience. His passion is to facilitate getting the information people need to find more joy and success in their work. He is “The Beast of the Marching Arts.”

 

Find out more about Tim and his work at https://marchingartseducation.com/

Key is a composer and arranger with expertise in the marching arts. He has written for the world’s most famous drum corps including the Santa Clara Vanguard, Mandarins, Glassmen, Spirit of Atlanta, Cascades, Spartans, Sunrisers, Hurricanes, Caballeros, Raiders, Millennium (Italy), Juliana (Netherlands), Siamyth (Thailand), Star United and the Mass Brass Mini Corps. He was also the wind arranger for the WGI group Chromium Winds (The Cavaliers) and won back-to-back Gold Medals in their first 2 years of existence. As the owner of Key Poulan Music, he has been recognized as one of the country’s top arrangers and composers in the area of contemporary marching band, has several concert band works to his credit. His marching band arrangements have won several national titles at the Bands of America Grand Nationals Championships.

 

Find out more about Key Poulan at https://keypoulanmusic.com/

We're heading to Brazil for this episode with our friend Leandro Pascui! Leandro was the first South American and Brazilian percussionist to march in DCI and is the Director of Percussion and Arranger of the WAMSB World Champions “FAMA –Atibaia." He's also the Band Director of the Atibaia Percussion Ensemble, Percussion Coordinator of the Atibaia’s Music Program, called “Projeto Música e Cidadania”, who teaches marching band style for about 2500 kids in the Atibaia City. This Music Program has won many national awards.

 

Find out more about the Shadow Scouts Marching Band at www.facebook.com/ShadowScoutsMarchingBand

Johan de Meij has been a great friend to Ireland and Irish banding in recent years. In addition to his patronage of the Irish Symphonic Wind Orchestra, he has composed and arranged well-known pieces such as At Kitty O'Shea's and Celtic Classics. He's also great friends with Ireland's Bill Whelan and has orchestrated much of his music for wind band including the Seville Suite and of course Riverdance.

 

Find out more about Johan and his music at https://johandemeij.com

Always very happy when I get a chance to talk my my friend Brendan Breslin. Brendan is a native of Co. Tyrone in Northern Ireland. As a conductor, he is in much demand with brass and wind ensembles, orchestras and choirs across Ireland. As a composer and arranger, Brendan's music has featured with orchestras, brass and concert bands across Ireland, the U.K., Europe, and the United States of America. Conductor with the award winning Dublin Concert Band, Brendan is also responsible for all outreach work with the Royal Irish Academy of Music.

Oisin Molloy is the Chairman of the Irish Marching Bands Association and Director of the Inbhear Mór Performance Ensemble from Wicklow, Ireland. We chatted about the growing interest in the marching arts in Ireland, the challenges that bands face in Ireland, the current crisis, and how the banding community are working together to overcome these challenges.

Find out more about the Irish Marching Bands Association at www.irishmarchingbands.com

Jimmy Wong has been actively involved in the development of marching bands in Asia for the past 25 years and has brought many local and international accolades to the bands under his direction. He has successfully organized the Kuala Lumpur World Marching Band Competition from 2007 to 2010, which was the foremost international marching band competition in the Asia Pacific region. In 2011 he organized the WAMSB World Championship of Marching Show Bands which was hosted by Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.