Brian Wilson

Brian has finished a new commission for the Catskill Klezmorim with a composition entitled "From the Banks of the Moldavka." The piece recalls the mystical story of the Golem of Prague, a legendary figure of Jewish lore that arises from a mold of clay to protect a town. The Klezmer group (Klezmer is Yiddish for "musicians") of clarinet, violin, piano, bass and drums will feature the piece on their upcoming concert season centered in the New York City area. Wilson's association with the Catskill Klezmorim includes an earlier commission, "GMT Plus Two" that the group premiered in 2000 and is available on their CD, The Well-Tempered Klezmir, at www.catskillklezmorim.com/.

The wind band music of Percy Grainger has found its way into the hearts, souls and programs of wind players and audiences the world over. Brian Wilson, Music, announces the publication of his book, "Orchestrational Archetypes in Percy Grainger's Wind Band Music", by The Edwin Mellen Press. The study, which is part of Mellen's ongoing series in the History and Interpretation of Music, examines the orchestrational techniques in selected Grainger band compositions to reveal the secrets of that composer's unique and unforgettable tonal palette.closelyThe book is available through amazon.com

RECENT PREMIERES…

January 2005. Prayer for Peace, commissioned by the Harker School (San Jose) String Orchestra and Cantilena vocal group. Performed in Vienna, Budapest and Prague. American premiere in March. Prayer for Peace uses lines from "Whispers from Eternity" by the yogi Paramahanasa Yoganananda. The poem speaks of the oneness of all humanity and the hope for a peaceful world.

August 2005. On The Banks Of The Moldovka, perf. by the Catskill Klezmorim in Fleischmanns, NY.

Upcoming, Summer 2006. Original music for the Greek tragedy, Hippolytus, by the University of Detroit Theatre Abroad in Spetses, Argos and Athens, Greece.

West Coast Premieres... 2003 Ecclesiastes for cello and piano. Judiyaba, cello and Marilyn Thompson, piano. Wind Chill Factor for flute, viola and guitar, Del Mar Chamber Players. The Season for flute, clarinet, baritone sax, violin, guitar, bass, tuba and percussion. North, concerto for clarinet and band. Roy Zajac, clarinet, Sonoma State University Wind Ensemble, Brian S. Wilson conductor.

West Coast Premieres... 2002 Orange Was Her Color, performed by the Analy High School Band, Sebastopol, CA, Vance Regan, conductor. Sentiments: In Memoriam for string trio, performed by the Navarro Trio. Kherdian Songs for voice and piano. Jenni Samuelson, soprano and Marilyn Thompson, piano.

World Premiere... April 2002 Orange Was Her Color commissioned by the Unatego (NY) High School Band in memory of Sheri L. Mowers. Brian S. Wilson, guest conductor.

JUST OUT ON CD…

The Well-Tempered Klezmir, a CD by the renowned Catskill Klezmorim. Released in August 2003, The Well-Tempered Klezmir features GMT + Two by Brian (Wasilkovsky) Wilson, along with klezmer favorites including Freylech, Eishet Chayil, Machetuneste Mayne, Rumshinsky Bulgar and others. GMT + Two was commissioned and premiered by the Catskill Klezmorim in 1999. The title stands for Greenwich Mean Time plus two time zones east, the geographical region that was home to the people who inspired a dizzyingly melodic style of music. Band leader and clarinetist Robin Seletsky says, "Brian, our friend and colleague, keeps the piece true to the klezmer spirit while filtering it through his distinctly American perspective." Since their debut in 1995, the Catskill Klezmorim, based in upstate New York, have gone on to become one of the northeast's most popular klezmer bands. Robin Seletsky is the principal clarinetist with Glimmerglass Opera Orchestra, an active free lance player and mother of twin boys. Her interest in klezmer music comes mainly from her father, clarinetist Harold Seletsky, leader of New York's acclaimed West End Klezmorim. "Clarinet is the electric guitar of Klezmer music, it makes you laugh and cry, and that is what this music is about," Seletsky said. In their music one may hear influences of Russian folk songs, Rumanian gypsy violin, and the cantorial style of the Hebrew worship service. Other members of the band are Julie Jacobs, singer/cantor; Julie Signitzer Krajicek, violin; Orin Jacobs, bass; Kim Paterson, piano; and Bill Manley, drums. Available at catskillklezmorim.com

RECENT PERFORMANCES…

Whispers From Eternity for chamber orchestra and choir

From The Banks of The Moldovka for klezmer band. GMT+2 for klezmer band.

The Birds, a rock musical adaptation of the Greek comedy of the same name.

Sentiments for piano trio.

British Waterside; Lord Maxwell's Goodnight; Fastfare; Orange Was Her Color, for wind band.

Modes of Transportation (Symphony No. 2) for orchestra.

Right Angles, for trumpet and horn. Partita for trumpet and trombone. Fanfares for trumpet and trombone.

Starfish Dance, for jazz combo.

The Avanti Feels Glued To The Road, Even When Cruising at 100 Miles Per Hour! for trombone and percussion.

MORE NEWS

ONEONTA, NY - The International Biographical Centre of Cambridge, England, has selected Dr. Brian S. Wilson, Associate Professor of Music at Hartwick College, to be listed in the millennium edition of the International Who\'s Who in Music: Popular Music, (2000-2001) Volume 2, Third Edition.

Wilson\'s biography will feature his many contributions to the world of popular music, including \"Speak of the Twenties\", a music theatre revue set in Prohibition-era Chicago; \"The Birds\", a rock-musical adaptation of Aristophanes\' comedy; film work including composing for and conducting the marching band in the motion picture \"Iron Eagle 3\"; and commercial work for Pizza Hut of Arizona.

Wilson has composed extensively for the concert stage as well. Recent commissions include \"GMT Plus Two\", premiered Dec. 12 by the Catskill Klezmorim; incidental music for Euripides\' \"Medea\", performed in July by the University of Detroit Classic Theatre Abroad; and hymns composed for the Korean Methodist Hymnal 2000 edition.

Winner of the 1998 International Trombone Association Composition Competition, Wilson is Chair of the Sonoma State University Music Department, where he conducts the wind ensemble and teaches theory and composition.

Brian has finished a new commission for the Catskill Klezmorim with a composition entitled \"From the Banks of the Moldavka.\" The piece recalls the mystical story of the Golem of Prague, a legendary figure of Jewish lore that arises from a mold of clay to protect a town. The Klezmer group (Klezmer is Yiddish for \"musicians\") of clarinet, violin, piano, bass and drums will feature the piece on their upcoming concert season centered in the New York City area. Wilson\'s association with the Catskill Klezmorim includes an earlier commission, \"GMT Plus Two\" that the group premiered in 2000 and is available on their CD, The Well-Tempered Klezmir, at www.catskillklezmorim.com/.

Brian Wilson, Music, spent the month of July in Greece where he conducted a revival of his rock musical, The Birds, adapted from the ancient Greek comedy by Aristophanes. The production, directed by Mary Bremer of the University of Detroit - Mercy, was presented on the island of Spetses and on mainland Greece in Argos and Athens. The Argos production took place at the same amphitheater where the play was a smash hit more than 2,000 years ago. Brian has been invited back next year when the UDM players will present Agamemnon with Brian\'s original music.

In the spring of 2005, Brian conducted the American premiere of his work, Prayer for Peace, on March 18 at the Harker School in San Jose. The work was commissioned by the Harker String Orchestra and Cantilena vocal group to play on its tour of Eastern Europe which took place in January with performances in Vienna, Budapest and Prague. Prayer for Peace uses lines from \"Whispers from Eternity\" by the yogi Paramahanasa Yoganananda. The poem speaks of the oneness of all humanity and the hope for a peaceful world.