Dr. Robert Halseth, conductor and artistic director of Sierra Nevada Wind Orchestra. Courtesy photo

SACRAMENTO REGION, CA (MPG) - Join the Sierra Nevada Winds Orchestra on Saturday, November 18, 2023 at 7:30 p.m. as our symphonic wind ensemble, directed by Dr. Robert Halseth, takes the stage for an exciting program of classical music with pieces by composers including Johann Sebastian Bach, Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Eric Whitacre, Julie Giroux, and others.  The concert takes place at St. Andrew Presbyterian Church, 1390 Franklin Road, Yuba City.

This exciting program will feature our trombone section in a rousing arrangement of the classic folk song Malaguena, composed by Ernesto Leucona.  Other selections include Johan Sebastian Bach’s Prelude and Fuge in B-flat major, Felix Mendelssohn’s Overture for Harmoniemusik, the clever and fun Satiric Dances for a Comedy by Aristophanes by Norman Dello Joio, and the lush and beautiful October by Eric Whitacre….and other pieces sure to delight the listener!

Tickets, available at the door, are $15 for general admission and $10 for seniors.  There is no charge for students or children. Call (530) 415-6623, check http://www.sierranevadawinds.org or visit the Sierra Nevada Winds on Facebook for further information.

Dr. Robert Halseth is the Conductor and Artistic Director of the Sierra Nevada Wind Orchestra, one of northern California’s premiere wind ensembles. He also serves as Professor of Conducting and Director of Bands at California State University, Sacramento, USA, where he heads the graduate conducting program, conducts the Symphonic Wind Ensemble, and is the founder and co-clinician of the Summer Wind Conducting Workshop.

He holds bachelors and masters degrees in music from California State University, Fresno, and a doctorate from the University of Northern Colorado, where his primary professor was Eugene Migliaro Corporon.  He has conducted instrumental music at all levels -- elementary through professional -- including more than a hundred honor bands in the United States and abroad.  Previous university faculty positions were at Carroll College (Wisconsin) and University of the Pacific (Stockton, California).

The Sierra Nevada Winds Orchestra, composed of over 45 brass, woodwind and percussion musicians, joined together in 1990 for the pleasure of performing as an ensemble.  Many of the members have played with the Sacramento, Camellia, and other symphonies, as well as with notable military bans.  The ensemble rehearses weekly at Placer High School, Auburn, Calif.

The group has performed in concert halls, parks and other venues throughout the Sierra and Sacramento Valley.  It has become known for a varied musical repertoire that ranges from Big Band jazz to serious contemporary composers.  In 2016 the group was awarded the Sudler Silver Scroll award from the John Philip Sousa Foundation which is its highest honor awarded to community bands for its dedication to musical excellence and for playing a significant role in the cultural musical environment of its community. 

Membership dues, as well as concert ticket receipts and performance fees, provide the operating capital for the Sierra Nevada Winds Orchestra, a non-profit corporation.  The only paid position at this time is that of the conductor.

During the 2015-2016 concert season, the Winds have performed at Yuba City’s Gauche Park in August, Garden Valley’s Music on the Divide concert series in September, two children’s concerts at the Roseville Theater Arts Academy in February and at Yuba City’s First United Methodist Church in November.  The Sierra Nevada Winds has expanded their outreach to children with the creation of an annual Children’s Concert servicing the students of the Yuba-Sutter area at Yuba College.