Redmond musicians tune up for Washington Wind Symphony concert

Redmond will be well-represented as the Washington Wind Symphony (WWS) performs its "Atmospheres" concert at 3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 17. The event takes place at the Kirkland Performance Center, 350 Kirkland Ave. in downtown Kirkland.

Redmond High School band director Andy Robertson is a percussionist and assistant conductor for the group of 45-50 adults who play classical and contemporary band music for wind and percussion instruments.

Other WWS members from Redmond include Christie Cabrera (oboe), an office assistant in Nintendo's legal department; Mariko Lane (clarinet), the band director at Juanita High School in the Lake Washington School District (LWSD); Ryan Lane (alto sax), a band director in the Mercer Island School District; Alan Karlak (trumpet), who is an engineer; Jeff Reeder (trombone) a software engineer; Lon Turner (trombone), an elementary teacher in the LWSD; Carol Karlak (piano/percussion), a piano teacher; and also Don Furness (trombone) who lives in Edmonds but is the band director at Redmond Junior High.

Formerly known as the Puget Sound Concert Band, the WWS was created 25 years ago by members of the Bellevue Community Band "who wanted to play a more challenging repertoire of wind band music than they had been," Robertson explained.

The WWS rehearses at Redmond High School and has performed at Redmond events such as Arts in the Parks.

For Robertson, who's both a music educator and a 22-year member of the WWS, this "extracurricular activity" allows him to keep his own skills sharp and to constantly be immersed in the culture of music.

"Many school band directors do not perform once they get a job, due to the job and family time commitments," said Robertson. "I think it helps me be a better conductor and teacher. I get to hear high-quality playing and music and I get a fine lesson in directing every week."

That lesson comes from WWS conductor Dr. Edwin C. Powell, who is director of bands and assistant professor of music at Pacific Lutheran University.

Said Robertson, "I've found that when we have a great conductor like Dr. Powell, my work in front of my own groups gets better. Of course, I also love playing the music and getting together with people I've been in the group with, for many years."

Playing in the WWS also helps Robertson set an example for his high school students.

"We talk about playing in college, even if they are not music majors," he noted. "Many schools have 'campus' bands that are for non-majors to keep playing and I have many students who have played in the UW (University of Washington), WSU (Washington State University) and CWU (Central Washington University) marching programs. We also talk about getting scholarships for playing, especially the more in-demand instruments like bassoon and tuba. I'm realistic that many of my students will be very busy in the coming years with college, starting a job and new families, but I stress that music is something they can do for the rest of their life."

The Jan. 17 WWS concert program includes Vincent Persichetti's "Psalm," Warren Benson's "The Passing Bell," Claude Debussy's "The Engulfed Cathedral," Johann Sebastian Bach's "Toccata & Fugue in D minor" and Satoshi Yagisawa's "Matchu Picchu."

The group typically performs a wide variety of music, said Robertson, from new composers such as Frank Ticheli and Eric Whitacre to the revered Gustav Holst.

Audience-pleasers, according to Robertson, include transcriptions of classic works, Sousa marches and movie themes such as "Star Wars."

And attending a WWS concert won't break the bank. Tickets for adults are $13. Seniors and students pay just $5.

For more information, visit www.washingtonwindsymphony.org.

Contact Redmond Reporter Reporter Mary Stevens Decker at mdecker@redmond-reporter.com or (425) 867-0353, ext. 5052.

Comment on this story.

COMMENTING RULES: We encourage an open exchange of ideas in our online community, but we ask you to follow our guidelines for respecting community standards. In a nutshell, don't say anything you wouldn't want your mother to read.