Department of Music

Presents

Redwood High School Wind Ensemble

Jordan Ray, Conductor
and the
Fresno State Wind Orchestra
Gary P. Gilroy, Conductor

Thursday May 2nd, 2024

Concert Hall
7:30pm
 Program

Redwood High School Wind Ensemble

Mother Earth………………………………………………….….……………….…...………..…….. David Maslanka (1943-2017)

Journey Through Orion……………………………………………….………….……………….…..……… Julie Giroux (b. 1961)

Shenandoah………………………………..……………………………………….………………….………. Frank Ticheli (b. 1958)

Celebration at Lake Sequoia………………………………………………..………………….………….. Gary P. Gilroy (b. 1958)

Eternal Father, Strong to Save………………………………………………….…………....…….. Robert W. Smith (1958-2023)

Amparito Roca…………………………………………….…………….……….……..………..…….. Jaime Texidor (1884-1957)

Arr. Charles Booker

Intermission

Fresno State Wind Orchestra

Stride………………………………………………………………………………..……………..…………... Kevin Day (b. 1996)

Traveler……………………………………………….………………….….………………...…….. David Maslanka (1943-2017)

Alec Rodriguez, Master Student Conductor

Bone Slayer!………………………………………….……...…………...……………….………………. Gary P. Gilroy (b. 1958)

Featuring Dr. Russ Zokaites, Bass Trombone

Symphony Dance No. 3 “Fiesta”………………………………….………………….…..…………..Clifton Williams (1923-1976)

Kevin Misakian, Guest Conductor

Our Cast Aways……………………………………………..…...…………….…………………………….. Julie Giroux (b. 1961)

Concerto for Saxophone Quartet……………………………………………..………..…………….. David Maslanka (1943-2017)

I. Inward
II. Moving, Assertive
III. Dramatic/Motoric

Elysium Saxophone Quartet, Concerto Competition Winner

Jordan De La Torre, Timothy Childs, Jamal Anderson, Elric Pfeifer

Thank you for attending tonight’s concert.

Please join us afterwards for a reception in the Foyer sponsored by Kappa Kappa Psi and Tau Beta Sigma
Redwood High School Wind Ensemble Personnel

Flute Trumpet
Christine Lastimoza Jacob Abbott*
Jazrine Nieto Matthew Garcia
Abigail Ray* Henry Koford
Justyne Sanchez Hunter Wallace
Isaac Zamerano
Clarinet
Frankie Alvizo French Horn
Ella Boyle* Aeren Buckley
Jacob Chappell Elias Hernandez*
William Schafer Adrian Martinez

Bass Clarinet Trombone

Jacob Hermansen Joseph Abbott*
Michael Poggione
Alto Saxophone Emmanuel Rodriguez
Keoni Estevez Morales*
Francisco Salazar Euphonium
Matthew Topete Gavin Stoll
Elsa Wendt
Tuba
Tenor Saxophone Michael Brito
Luciano Noguera Carlos Ramos

Baritone Saxophone Percussion

Rocco Gutierrez Jovial Blair
Emma Buckley
Trumpet Matthias Cecena-Cabal-
Jacob Abbott* lero
Matthew Garcia Isabella Chan
Henry Koford Christopher DeBrie*
Hunter Wallace Johnny Grove
Isaac Zamerano James Pierce
Seth Souza
Laura Spalding
Anne Wu

*Principal Player
 Spring 2024 Fresno State Wind Orchestra Personnel
Piccolo Clarinet (cont.) Trumpet (cont.) Tuba (cont.)
Megan Vargas !, SAI Gavyn Tapp *, PMA Tyler Webb !, PMA Ethan Spikes *#
Music as a Liberal Art Music Education Music Education Music Performance
Lemoore HS, 2020 Clovis HS, 2023 Clovis HS, 2021 Central East HS, 2020

Flute Katie Winter French Horn Percussion

Sophia Abraham Music Davian Barba *!#, KKY Thomas Cook
Pre Health Newbury Park HS, 2014 Music Education Music Performance
Clovis HS, 2023 Central Valley HS, 2021 Central East HS, 2020
Bass Clarinet
Isabella Caso Raul Arredondo * Sophia Brown Brooklynn Dees, SAI
Music Education Music Education Music Performance Music Education
Mission Oak HS, 2021 Redwood HS, 2023 Clovis HS, 2023 El Diamanté HS, 2021

Sarah Hunt Kaleb Wilson, PMA Alexander Gooch, PMA Lewis Ku

Liberal Studies Music Education Music Composition Music Performance
Tulare Western HS, 2021 Clovis North HS, 2022 Buchanan HS, 2019 Saint Johns School, 2022

Jazlynn Salgado Contra Alto Clarinet Carson Kimber ! Jo Maluyao

Music Performance Rodrigo Alvarez Music Education Music Education
Lincoln HS, 2021 Music Education Clovis North HS, 2020 Mt. Whitney HS, 2015
Hanford West, HS 2017
Miguel Sandoval *, PMA Silvestre Vasquez, KKY Bianca Marquez
Instrumental Performance Contra-Bass Clarinet Music Education Music Education
Atwater HS, 2019 Danielle Densmore, SAI Sanger HS, 2019 Firebaugh HS, 2023
Music Education
Thaliyah Sosa !, SAI Clovis HS, 2021 Christopher Woods Samuel Navarro
Music as a Liberal Art Music Performance Music Education
Firebaugh HS, 2019 Alto Saxophone Sanger HS, 2019 Sunnyside HS, 2020
Timothy Childs *!#, PMA
Oboe/English Horn MA Instrumental Conducting Trombone Alex Perez
Arwen Blanks * Clovis North HS, 2018 Braeden Alberstein ! Music Performance
Accounting Fresno State, 2022 Music Education Golden West HS, 2022
Buchannan HS, 2021 Golden West HS, 2021
Jamal Anderson, PMA Alec Rodriguez
Abel Juarez Kinesiology Julio Moreno * MA Instrumental Conducting
Music Composition San Benito HS, 2018 Music Performance Independence HS, 2015
Edison HS, 2021 Sanger HS, 2019 Fresno State 2019
Elric Pfeifer, PMA
Catherine O’Bryan-Shade Jazz Studies Ryan Peterson, PMA Matthew Sarmiento *!#
Graphic Design Clovis HS, 2022 Music Education Music Performance
Golden Valley HS, 2023 Clovis East HS, 2023 Independence HS, 2020
Tenor Saxophone
Bassoon Matthew Kerber, PMA Maynor Quiroa, PMA String Bass
Reese Curtis* Music Education Music Performance Frank Buma
Business Clovis West HS, 2021 Hoover HS, 2019 Music Education
Clovis North HS, 2021 Clovis HS, 2023
Bari Saxophone Jack Sullivan
Andrew Juarez Eric Velazco Music Composition Piano
Music Composition Music Education Buchanan HS, 2023 Kristine Kemmer, TBS
Edison HS, 2021 Caruthers HS, 2022 Music Composition
Gracie Valenzuela !, SAI Buchanan HS, 2020
Contra-bass Bassoon Bass Saxophone Music Education
Blake McAllister, PMA Kayleen Riggs !# Independence HS, 2020 Harp
Jazz Studies Music Education Natalie Samuelson
Bullard HS, 2019 Washington Union HS, 2019 Bass Trombone MA Instrumental Performance
Oscar Alvarez Chawanakee Academy
Clarinet Trumpet Music Education Charter, 2019
Marco Bautista Donald Barley *!# Clovis HS, 2023 Fresno State, 2023
Music Education MA Instrumental Performance
Fresno HS, 2023 Heritage HS, 2017 Euphonium *=Principal Player
Fresno State, 2022 Robert Davey !=Board of Directors
Joshua Bell #, KKY Music Education #= NAfME Member
Music Education Kevin Davalos #, PMA Golden Valley HS, 2021 KKY= Kappa Kappa Psi
Morningside HS, 2017 Music Education PMA=Phi Mu Alpha
Tulare Western HS, 2021 Richard Moring IV, PMA SAI= Sigma Alpha Iota
Devin Calderon, PMA Music Education TBS= Tau Beta Sigma
Music Composition Aidan Godinho Independence HS, 2020
Redwood HS, 2023 Music Education
Clovis West HS, 2022 Joseph VanDeVelde *
Joshua Gracia Music Education
Music Education Colby Kuyper Clovis West HS, 2021
Dinuba HS, 2019 Music Education
Buchannan HS, 2022 Tuba
Jason Hilario David Hernandez IV, KKY
Pre-Health Martin Penaloza Music Education
Clovis East HS, 2023 Music Education Golden West HS, 2020
Taft Union HS, 2022
Justine Louie Josiah Powell
Music Education Fernando Romero !# Music Education
Linden HS, 2020 Music Education Ridgeview HS, 2023
Firebaugh HS, 2020
Program Notes
Stride Commissioned by the American Bandmasters Association, Stride is derived from the definition meaning
to walk in a decisive way to cross and overcome obstacles that may come within our paths. Stride is also a
reference to the marching band tradition and highlights Kevin Day’s experience growing up as a Texas band kid
marching on the field. This piece is an energetic work that features brass and drum grooves that could be felt
within duple and triple meter, while contrasting to a beautiful lyrical section that showcases the woodwind section.
Kevin Day is a composer, conductor, producer and multi-instrumentalist from Arlington, Texas. Day's father was
a prominent hip-hop producer in the late 1980s, and his mother was a sought-after gospel singer, singing alongside
the likes of Mel Tormé and Kirk Franklin. Kevin Day plays euphonium and tuba and is a self-taught pianist and
composer. He received a Bachelor of Music degree in euphonium/tuba performance from Texas Christian
University, studying under Richard Murrow for tuba and euphonium and Dr. Neil Anderson-Himmelspach
and Till MacIvor Meyn for composition. He holds a Master of Music in Composition from the University of
Georgia, studying with composers Peter Van Zandt Lane and Emily Koh, and conductor Cynthia Johnston Turner.
Day, whose music often intersects between the worlds of jazz, minimalism, Latin music, fusion, and contemporary
classical idioms, has more than 150 compositions. A winner of the BMI Student Composer Award and other
honors, his works have had numerous performances throughout the United States, Russia, Austria, Australia,
Taiwan, South Africa, and Japan. His works have been programmed by the Boston Symphony, Detroit Symphony,
Houston Symphony, and more Day currently serves as the vice president for the Millennium Composers Initiative
and is an alumnus of Kappa Kappa Psi National Honorary Band Fraternity and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity
of America.
Traveler was commissioned in 2003 by the University of Texas at Arlington Band Alumni Association, the Delta
Sigma chapter of Kapa Kappa Psi and the Gamma Nu chapter of Tau Beta Sigma, in honor of the career
contributions of Ray C. Lichtenwalter, retiring director of bands at UT Arlington. Ray has been a close friend and
champion of Maslanka’s music for many years, and it was a great pleasure for him to write this piece for his final
concert. The idea for Traveler came from the feeling of a big life movement as Maslanka contemplated his friend's
retirement. Traveler begins with an assertive statement of the chorale melody Nicht so traurig, nicth so sehr (Not
so sad, not so much). The chorale was not chosen for its title, although in retrospect it seems quite appropriate.
The last part of a life need not be sad. It is the accumulation of all that has gone before, and a powerful projection
into the future -- the potential for a tremendous gift of life and joy. And so the music begins with energy and
movement, depicting an engaged life in full stride. At the halfway point, a meditative quiet settles in. Life's battles
are largely done; the soul is preparing for its next big step.
In our hearts, our minds, our souls
We travel from life to life to life
In time and eternity.
David Maslanka was an American composer who attended the Oberlin College Conservatory where he studied
composition with Joseph Wood, and spent a year at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria. He also did graduate
work in composition at Michigan State University with H. Owen Reed. David Maslanka served on the faculties
of the State University of New York at Geneseo, Sarah Lawrence College, New York University, and
Kingsborough College of the City University of New York. He was a member of ASCAP. Over the past four
decades, David Maslanka has become one of America’s most original and celebrated musical voices. He has
published dozens of works for wind ensemble, orchestra, choir, percussion ensembles, chamber ensembles, solo
instrument, and solo voice. However, he is especially well-known for his wind ensemble works. Of his nine
symphonies, seven are written for wind ensemble, and an additional forty-one works include among them the
profound “short symphony” Give us This Day, and the amusing Rollo Takes a Walk. Year after year, Maslanka’s
music is programmed by professional, collegiate, and secondary school wind ensembles around the world.
Maslanka's works for winds and percussion have become especially well known. In addition, he has written a
wide variety of chamber, orchestral, and choral pieces.
Bone Slayer was commissioned by Dr. Russ Zokaites, Trombone Professor at Fresno State. It was premiered in
Fresno, California on Thursday, May 2, 2024 with the composer conducting and Dr. Zokaites playing the solo.
Composer Gary P. Gilroy writes: I’ve been in love with the trombone since my high school days when I heard
my former band director, Joe McCaskey play his trombone often during rehearsals. He was an inspirational
example for all of us and we always had a great trombone section in our band as a result. I didn’t know then that
I would one day take up the trombone at the urging of my college and Santa Clara Vanguard buddy, Charlie
Iwanaga, to be a part of the San Jose State Spartan Marching Band trombone section. We had too many
percussionists and not enough low brass. It was a great experience and although I was certainly not the most
proficient on the instrument, I was a loud and proud contributor and I had a great time! That experience would
also be very helpful in the years following as I taught high school for the first part of my career as a band director
and it was also quite helpful to me as a composer and arranger. My trombone ensemble, Fanfare and Dance For
Bob was featured at the International Trombone Festival in New Orleans in 2005 and I feel like much of the
success of that work was based on the knowledge I gained from my one-semester college experience learning to
play and appreciate the trombone. I am certainly very proud to compose this fun work for Russ Zokaites and my
wonderful Fresno State Wind Orchestra students who have brought much joy to my life as a conductor. This
collaboration has been another great experience and I treasure the time I’ve spent working on Bone Slayer with
Dr. Zokaites and my talented Wind Orchestra students. Dr. Russ Zokaites adds the following: I’ve always seen
the bass trombone as a playful and masculine instrument. In many cases, the bass trombone is used to convey
loud, boisterous, and monstrous scenes. One could say, we are the battle axe of the orchestra. To quote Hector
Berlioz: “In my opinion, the trombone is the true head of the family of wind instruments, which I have named the
‘epic’ one. It possesses nobility and grandeur to the highest degree; it has all the serious and powerful tones of
sublime musical poetry, from religious, calm and imposing accents to savage, orgiastic outburst. Directed by the
will of the master, the trombones can chant like a choir of priests, threaten, utter gloomy sighs, a mournful lament,
or a bright hymn of glory; they can break forth into awe-inspiring cries and awaken the dead or doom the living
with their fearful voices”.
Symphonic Dance No. 3 “Fiesta” is one of five symphonic dances commissioned by the San Antonio Symphony
Orchestra to celebrate its 25th anniversary in 1964. Each of the five dances represents the spirit of a different time
and place in the history of San Antonio. This dance reflects the excitement and color of the city’s many Mexican
celebrations, which Williams called “the pageantry of Latin American celebration -- street bands, bull fights,
bright costumes, the colorful legacy of a proud people.” The introductory brass fanfare creates an atmosphere of
tense anticipation, while the bells, solo trumpet, and woodwinds herald the arrival of an approaching festival. The
brass announces the matador’s arrival to the bullring, and the finale evokes a joyous climax to the festivities.
Williams rescored this work for band, and it was first performed in 1967 by the University of Miami Band, where
he was chairman of theory and composition.
James Clifton Williams was an American composer who began playing French horn, piano, and mellophone in
the band at Little Rock High School. As a professional horn player, he would go on to perform with the San
Antonio and New Orleans Symphony Orchestras. Williams also served in the Army Air Corps band as a drum
major, composing in his spare time. Clifton Williams attended Louisiana State University) where he was a pupil
of Helen Gunderson, and the Eastman School of Music where he studied with Bernard Rogers and Howard
Hanson. In 1949, Williams joined the composition department at the University of Texas School of Music. He
taught there until he was appointed Chair of the Theory and Composition Department at University of Miami in
1966. Clifton Williams received the prestigious Ostwald Award in 1956 for his first composition for
band, Fanfare and Allegro. He repeated his success in 1957 when he won again with his Symphonic Suite. In
addition to his many other honors, those most recently listed include election to membership in the American
Bandmasters Association, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia National Music Fraternity of America, and the honorary degree
of Doctor of Music conferred by the National Conservatory of Music at Lima, Peru.
Our Cast Aways 6.5 million companion animals enter animal shelters every year and 2.4 million of these
adoptable animals are put down. These numbers do not include the thousands who suffer in silence. Thanks to
thousands of caring people, these numbers are steadily decreasing, but we still have a long way to go. This work
is dedicated to all those who work hard in the fight to end puppy mills, to rescue suffering pets and to provide
care and medical attention to all those rescued. It is dedicated to those companions who get rescued and for those
whose rescue never comes. We are all shepherds. Every living creature is in our care. Hopefully mankind will
someday uphold his responsibility and become caretaker of all living things on earth. Maybe someday all humans
will be humane and mankind will be kind. The pictures of the rescued animals belong to people who are friends
with Julie Giroux on Facebook. She has kept great company when it comes to people who rescue and adopt
animals who have been cast away. Giroux’s own rescues are also in the photos. The published score will feature
these beautiful rescues in full color.

Julie Giroux is an American composer of orchestral, choral, chamber, and numerous concert band works. Julie
is an extremely well-rounded composer, writing works for symphony orchestra, chamber ensembles, wind
ensembles, soloists, brass and woodwind quintets and many other serious and commercial formats. Ms. Giroux
has an extensive list of published works for concert band and wind ensemble. She began writing music for concert
band in 1983, publishing her first band work Mystery on Mena Mountain with Southern Music Company. Giroux
left Los Angeles in 1997 to compose for concert bands and orchestras full time, publishing exclusively with
Musica Propria. In 2004 Gia Publications, Inc. published the book entitled which features a chapter written by
Julie Giroux. Her insightful chapter gives a down-to-earth description which is often humorous of her personal
methods and techniques for composing for bands. In 2009 Giroux, an accomplished pianist, performed her latest
work, Cordoba for Solo Piano and Concert Band, in five U.S. cities and attended the premier of a work for solo
F tuba and concert band, at Blinn College in Brenham, Texas.

Concerto for Saxophone Quartet and Wind Ensemble For a period of time in the past year Maslanka’s musical
listening was intently focused on the keyboard concertos of J.S. Bach. The invention of the keyboard concerto is
attributed to Bach. His pieces in this genre are small musical gems, finding an exquisite balance of feeling,
technique, and form. It is the element of balance that intrigues me the most – letting the music speak what it needs
to as economically as possible.
Maslanka’s Concerto for Saxophone Quartet and Wind Ensemble reflects some of these values. It is not
programmatic – no stories to tell beyond what the music wants to say, and what it sparks in each listener. The
three movements are substantial but concise. The solo quartet is often integrated into the accompanying group in
the fashion of a Baroque Concerto Grosso. Two Chorale melodies appear in the Concerto, We Should Now Praise
Christ, and Only Trust in God to Guide You. He has used Chorale melodies in my music for many years. These
melodies open something deep in Maslanka. The Chorales have transformed my composing, and my composing
has absorbed and transformed the Chorales. His use of the Chorales is not about preaching the Christian faith, but
feeling the full power of melodies that have grown out of the Earth, and through centuries of human experience.
They have been my doorway to the roots of our musical language.

David Maslanka was an American composer who attended the Oberlin College Conservatory where he studied
composition with Joseph Wood, and spent a year at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria. He also did graduate
work in composition at Michigan State University with H. Owen Reed. David Maslanka served on the faculties
of the State University of New York at Geneseo, Sarah Lawrence College, New York University, and
Kingsborough College of the City University of New York. He was a member of ASCAP. Over the past four
decades, David Maslanka has become one of America’s most original and celebrated musical voices. He has
published dozens of works for wind ensemble, orchestra, choir, percussion ensembles, chamber ensembles, solo
instrument, and solo voice. However, he is especially well-known for his wind ensemble works. Of his nine
symphonies, seven are written for wind ensemble, and an additional forty-one works include among them the
profound “short symphony” Give us This Day, and the amusing Rollo Takes a Walk. Year after year, Maslanka’s
music is programmed by professional, collegiate, and secondary school wind ensembles around the world.
Maslanka's works for winds and percussion have become especially well known. In addition, he has written a
wide variety of chamber, orchestral, and choral pieces.

Program Notes compiled using information found on The Wind Repertory Project (www.windrep.org)
Jordan Ray is currently the Director of Bands at
Redwood High School and is in his 18th year as a
public-school instrumental director. Before
Redwood, Mr. Ray taught at Cherry Ave. Middle
School in Tulare, CA and Mt. Whitney High School
in Visalia, CA. Mr. Ray’s responsibilities include
instructing and directing 6 instrumental ensembles:
Marching Band, Ranger Symphonic Band, Wind
Ensemble, Jazz Band, Jazz Combo, and Percussion
Ensemble.

Mr. Ray earned his B.A. in Music from California

Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo and
a Masters in Instrumental Conducting through the
American Band College of Sam Houston State
University.

Along with teaching, Mr. Ray is also an

accomplished Euphonium player. Mr. Ray currently serves as principal euphonium in the Wind
Symphony of Clovis and has had the opportunity to be a featured soloist with the Cal Poly Wind
Ensemble, Cal Poly Symphony, Tulare County Symphony, WASBE International Youth Wind
Orchestra in Jönköping Sweden, the Sequoia Winds, San Luis Obispo Mozart Festival, and the
C.O.S. Wind Ensemble. Mr. Ray has had the pleasure to work with some of the top names in low
brass performance including Dr. Brian Bowman, Lance LaDuke, Christian Lindberg, Roy Main
and many other fine musicians in the California music field.

Jordan currently resides in Visalia, CA with his wife Rebecca, daughter Abigail, and son Holden.
 Alec Rodriguez is a dedicated student of the
art of conducting, pursuing a Master of Arts
degree in Instrumental Conducting at Fresno
State. He serves as a Graduate Assistant for
both the Fresno State Bulldog Marching Band
and the Symphonic Band, contributing his
expertise to the enrichment of musical
education at the university.

In addition to his academic pursuits, Alec holds

the position of Associate Director of
Instrumental Music at Clovis High School.
Within this role, he provides instruction in
percussion classes, guides the intermediate-
level Symphonic Band and String Orchestra,
and offers valuable support to the Wind
Ensemble and Marching Band.

Prior to his current endeavors, Alec

distinguished himself as the Associate Director
of Bands at Independence High School in Bakersfield, CA, from 2019 to 2022. Under his
leadership, the marching band achieved notable milestones, including their inaugural SCSBOA
State Finals bid in the 5A class in 2019. Additionally, Alec led the Winter Percussion program to
a local circuit championship in the Open Class division in 2022, while garnering Unanimous
Superior ratings for the intermediate Symphonic Band at CMEA Ratings Festivals.

Alec's journey in music began at Fresno State, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree
in Music Education in 2019. His achievements as a percussionist include three victories in the
Central California Percussive Arts Society Solo and Ensemble Competition, along with
performances with esteemed ensembles such as the Bakersfield Symphony Orchestra and The
Wind Symphony of Clovis.

An active member of the drum corps community, Alec marched marimba with the Santa Clara
Vanguard Cadets in 2017 and 2018, achieving consecutive World Championships and High
Percussion trophies. Transitioning seamlessly into an educator, he has imparted his knowledge
and passion to students as an instructor for the Blue Devils B front ensemble.

Looking ahead, Alec's aspirations include pursuing a Doctorate of Musical Arts degree in Wind
Band Conducting from esteemed institutions such as the University of Texas at Austin, University
of North Texas, University of Michigan, UCLA, or Arizona State University. His ultimate goal
is to hold a Director of Bands position at a major university, where he can continue to inspire
future generations of musicians. Join us in wishing Alec success on his journey.
 Russ Zokaites has had a diverse career as a musician
and trombonist. His performance credits include,
recording the Fuchs Bass Trombone Concerto with the
United States Army “Pershing’s Own,” performances
with the Dayton Philharmonic, Kentucky Symphony,
Bergen Philharmonic (Norway), The Netherlands
Symphony Orchestra, and live on Netherlands Radio
4. He has performed with many great musicians
including Joseph Alessi and YouTube Star
Christopher Bill. In 2014, Zokaites recorded the #1
pop hit in the Netherlands with the band Sunday Sun.
Zokaites has collaborated with over 35 composers
including Grammy Award winning Kenneth Fuchs,
American Prize winner Martin Hebel, and Inez
McComas. Dr. Zokaites keeps an active schedule as a
guest performer performing at such schools as, the
Manhattan School of Music, New York University,
Wright State University and University of California,
Davis.

Dr. Zokaites serves as the Lecturer of Trombone and

Euphonium at Fresno State University in California.
His solo album is published by Centaur Records and
is available through Naxos. Russ was a Fellow at the 2013 Alessi Seminar hosted by Joseph
Alessi of the New York Philharmonic. He is an artist with endorsements from Lätzsch Custom
Brass and Monster Oil.
Kevin Misakian holds a Bachelor's
degree in Music Education and a Master's
degree in Instrumental Conducting from
Fresno State. During his Master's studies,
Misakian had the privilege of studying
with Dr. Gary P. Gilroy.
Currently serving as the Director of
Instrumental Music at Firebaugh High
School, Misakian is deeply committed to
educating the next generation of
musicians. He seeks to inspire students
through his passion and expertise, as well
as foster a love for music and excellence
in performance.

Misakian resides in Fresno with his fiancé Katie and dog Riker. He is thrilled to join
the Fresno State Wind Orchestra as a guest conductor and has thoroughly enjoyed
collaborating with the talented musicians of Fresno State.
The Elysium Quartet is the 2024 Concerto Competition Winners here at California State
University, Fresno. The Elysium Quartet strives to bring fresh interpretations to classic
saxophone standards while also exploring the instrument’s contemporary soundscape and the
overarching chamber music canon. In addition to performing existing works for saxophone
quartet, the Elysium Quartet works toward contributing to the repertoire by regularly
collaborating with composers. They are committed to performance at the highest level of
excellence.

Since their formation in 2022, the Elysium Quartet has collaborated heavily with members of the
Fresno State composition studio. The group takes great pride in the development of new works
for the genre, and has been fortunate to have premiered a wide variety of pieces. Currently, the
Elysium Quartet is working towards collaboration with widely recognized saxophone composers
across the country.

In addition to performance, the group is dedicated to the pedagogical side of their craft. The
members of the Elysium Quartet are music educators in the Fresno area and beyond. The quartet
is also an active clinicing ensemble, focused on spreading their passion for chamber music to
greater audiences.

In the summer of 2023, the Elysium Quartet was accepted into the Sinta Quartet Institute, where
they were given the opportunity to travel to Boston, Massachusetts to work with the legendary
Sinta Quartet. Entering the summer of 2024, the Elysium Quartet plans to record, concertize, and
compete on a national level.
 Gary P. Gilroy is a Professor of Music and Director of Bands
at California State University, Fresno. In 1993 he was
appointed Associate Director of Bands and Director of the
Bulldog Marching Band. After 13 years in this position and
building one of the finest collegiate marching bands on the west
coast, Dr. Gilroy became Director of Bands in 2006. Prior to
this appointment he served for a decade as Director of Bands at
Fred C. Beyer High School in Modesto, California where his
band was awarded several national honors as well as the
International Sudler Shield Award from the John Philip Sousa
Foundation. Gilroy also served as faculty at CSU, Stanislaus
and graduate assistant at the University of Oregon in Eugene,
Oregon where he completed his doctorate in 1995.
In March of 2014 Dr. Gilroy was voted into the
membership of the prestigious American Bandmasters
Association. He has served on the board of California Band Directors Association for fourteen years
and he is a Past President of that organization. Gilroy is also a Past President of the Fresno Madera
Counties Music Educators Association. From 1999 to 2006 he served on the board of the National
Band Association as a Member At Large and the Western Division Chairman.
Dr. Gilroy is in demand as a guest conductor of many honor bands throughout the United
States. As an adjudicator and guest conductor he has served in 40 states, Canada, China and England.
Dr. Gilroy has been the conductor for all state groups in Colorado, Iowa and Oregon as well as the
California Band Directors Association All-State Junior High School Symphonic Band and the All-
State High School Symphonic Band.
In 2017 Dr. Gilroy was a co-founder of the Wind Symphony of clovis, a group of semi-
professional musicians from California. After being in existence for less than ayear the band was
accepted to perform at the 72nd Annual Midwest Clinic in Chicago, Illinois. Their December-2018
perfromance earned them an immediate standing ovation at the conclusion of the concert.
An ASCAP Award-winning composer with more than 200 publications to his name, Gilroy's
music is published for concert band, marching band, and various ensembles through the Arrangers
Publishing Company, BRS Music, Inc., C. Alan Publications, Daehn Publications, Gary P. Gilroy
Publications, Kagarice Brass Editions, Matrix Publications, TRN Publications, Warner Brothers,
Wingert-Jones, Inc., and CPP/Belwin Mills. His compositions have been featured at the American
Bandmasters Association Convention, the Bands of America National Concert Band Festival in
Indianapolis, the Eastern Trombone Workshop in Washington, DC, the International Trombone
Festival in New Orleans, and on many occasions at the International Midwest Band and Orchestra
Clinic in Chicago. Additionally, Gilroy’s compositions have been performed by many regional and
state honor bands throughout the United States. Dr. Gilroy served as the arranger/composer for the
2008 Olympic Orchestra in Beijing, China. He has been an ASCAP Composers Award recipient
every year since 2001.
Dr. Gilroy and his wife Dena have lived in Clovis, California since 1993. His daughter,
Alexandra, has music degrees from UCLA and UNLV and is currently a music teacher in the Clovis
Unified School District and his son, Nicholas, is a graduate of CSU, Long Beach and a music teacher
and freelance percussionist who makes his living as a the Cellar Master at Ficklin Vineyards in
Madera California.
 Acknowledgments

Director of Bands Emeritus

Dr. Lawrence R. Sutherland

Administration
Dr. Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval, President
Dr. Honora Chapman Dean, College of Arts & Humanities
Dr. Matthew Darling, Chair, Department of Music

Administrative Assistants, Department of Music

Yvette Gilbert
Audrey Rodriguez
Rachel Stratton

Department of Music Technicians

Terry Barrett
José ElaGarza

Audition Adjudicators
Dr. Matthew Darling
Professor Cody Forcier
Professor David Gabrielson
Dr. Gary P. Gilroy
Dr. Thomas Hiebert
Professor Steven McKeithen
Professor Angelica Ruiz-Nuby
Dr. Amelia Smith
Dr. Nathan Sobieralski
Dr. Russell Zokaites

Wind Orchestra Board of Directors

Braeden Alberstein
Davian Barba
Donald Barley
Timothy Childs
Carson Kimber
Kayleen Riggs
Fernando Romero
Matthew Sarmiento
Thaliyah Sosa
Gracie Valenzuela
Megan Vargas
Tyler Webb

A Special Thanks To
Dena Gilroy
Steve Martin of GPG Music
Laura Porter
Spencer Hannibal-Smith of GPG Music

Program Design and Layout

Fernando Romero