Hays Symphony Masterworks Concert - Voyage to France
Brian Buckstead and Terry Crull - conductors
Date: Sunday, May 1, 2022
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Location: Beach/Schmidt Performing Arts Center - Fort Hays State University
Performing: Francis Poulenc – Gloria
Hector Berlioz – Symphonie Fantastique
2022 ASTA National Conference
I will be presenting the following session at the 2022 ASTA National Conference in Atlanta, Georgia:
Quarter Tone Quandary: A Beginner's Guide to Arabic Violin Music and Technique
When: March 18, 2022; 8:15 a.m.
Description: In this interactive session, we will explore the basic building blocks of Arabic violin playing. Participants will play commonly used maqam, or melodic modes/scales, explore characteristic ornamentation and its application to melodies, and apply those skills to simple improvisation over drones. Although I will focus this session on the violin, violists, cellists, and bassists are welcome as well.
For more information, visit https://www.astastrings.org
Hays Symphony Winter Concert - Past Meets Present
Brian Buckstead - conductor/violin soloist
Date: Saturday, February 19, 2022
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Location: Beach/Schmidt Performing Arts Center - Fort Hays State University
Performing: Max Richter – The Four Seasons Recomposed
Igor Stravinsky – Pulcinella Suite
Sergei Prokofiev – Symphony No. 1 (Classical)
Hays Symphony Holiday Pops Concert
Brian Buckstead - conductor
Date: Saturday, December 4, 2021
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Location: Beach/Schmidt Performing Arts Center - Fort Hays State University
Performing: Samuel Coleridge-Taylor – Christmas Overture
Bob Krogstad – The Bells of Christmas
Bill Holcombe/Carson Rothrock – Festive Sounds of Hanukah
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky – Selections from Nutcracker Suite
Vince Guaraldi/David Pugh – A Charlie Brown Christmas
Bob Krogstad – Christmas at the Movies
Leopold Mozart – Sleigh Ride
Leroy Anderson – Sleigh Ride
Gordon Munford – A Christmas Carol Sing-Along
New Music Festival, featuring composer Stephen Andrew Taylor
Performers: Brian Buckstead, viola; Hilary Shepard, flute; Kristin Pisano, clarinet; Gustavo do Carmo, piano; Stephen Andrew Taylor, piano
Date: Saturday, November 13, 2021
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Location: Beach/Schmidt Performing Arts Center - Fort Hays State University
Performing: Duo for Flute and Clarinet
The Dove is Sad
Solaria
Pulse Aria/Achoo Lullaby
Piranesi (world premiere)
Hays Symphony Halloween Concert - "Creepy Classics"
Brian Buckstead - conductor
Date: Sunday, October 31, 2021
Time: 2:30 p.m.
Location: Beach/Schmidt Performing Arts Center - Fort Hays State University
Performing: Camille Saint-Saëns – Danse macabre
Modest Mussorgsky – Night on Bald Mountain
Edvard Grieg – "In the Hall of the Mountain King" from Peer Gynt Suite No. 1
Bernard Herrmann – Suite from Psycho
Hector Berlioz – "March to the Scaffold" from Symphonie fantastique
John Williams – Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Symphonic Suite
Hays Symphony Season Opening Gala - "The Western Hemisphere"
Brian Buckstead - conductor
Date: Saturday, September 25, 2021
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Location: Beach/Schmidt Performing Arts Center - Fort Hays State University
Performing: Philip Glass – The Canyon
Alan Hovhaness – Symphony No. 2 (Mysterious Mountain)
William Grant Still – Symphony No. 5 (The Western Hemisphere)
Hays Symphony Outdoor Pops Concert - "Broadway Tonight"
Brian Buckstead - conductor
Date: Saturday, August 28, 2021
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Location: Hays Pavilion
Performing: Chase – Broadway Tonight!
Bernstein – West Side Story Selections
Hamlisch – A Chorus Line
Rodgers – Richard Rodgers Portrait
Bock – Fiddler on the Roof Overture
Schwartz – Highlights from Wicked
Miranda – Suite from Hamilton
2021 High Plains Music Camp
Faculty/Staff Recital
Date: Monday, July 12, 2021
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Beach/Schmidt Performing Arts Center - Fort Hays State University
Performing: movements from the Strings & Threads Suite by Mark O'Connor
Faculty Strings Concert
Date: Friday, July 16, 2021
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Felten-Start Theatre - Fort Hays State University
Performing: "Carry On Wayward Son" by Kansas, "Jump" by Van Halen, "Satisfaction" by The Rolling Stones, and "An Irish Party in Third Class."
High School Orchestra Concert
Date: Saturday, July 17, 2021
Time: 1:30 p.m.
Location: Beach/Schmidt Performing Arts Center- Fort Hays State University
Conducting: String Symphony No. 6 by Mendelssohn, Palladio by Karl Jenkins, and "Danse Bacchanale" from Samson and Delilah by Saint-Saëns
FHSU Sinfonietta performance
I will be directing the Fort Hays State University Sinfonietta, an all-strings ensemble, in a performance of three 20th century masterworks:
Selections from the film Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters by Philip Glass
Adagio for Strings by Samuel Barber
Simple Symphony by Benjamin Britten
Our performance will be captured on video and shared via YouTube. Please check back for more details and a link for the performance.
ASTA National Conference
I will be moderating the following Collegiate Roundtable Discussion at the 2021 Virtual ASTA National Conference:
Collegiate Roundtable 2:
Virtual Roundtable Discussions—Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Collegiate String World
Friday, March 5, 2021
6:00 pm – 6:45 pm EST
Description: Participate with your collegiate colleagues in 45 minutes of highly interactive virtual discussions on how we can address issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion in our collegiate studios and classrooms. What resources exist to help us create more diverse programming? How do we make meaningful and lasting connections with diverse populations in our communities? How can we better support first-generation students? How do we address food and housing insecurity on our campuses? How can we cultivate an inclusive environment for LGBTQIA students and faculty? How do we accommodate all of the variety of opinions, beliefs, and perspectives that students and colleagues have, to help keep the arts civil, inclusive, and open minded? These facilitated conversations will be limited in size to provide an opportunity to talk to peers from around the country to find ways to navigate your current environment.
For more information, visit https://www.astastrings.org/NationalConference/2021_Roundtable_Discussions.aspx
ASTA National Conference
I will be presenting the following session at the 2021 Virtual ASTA National Conference, March 3-7, 2021:
Beyond Bach, Beethoven, And Brahms: Exploring New And Diverse Repertoire In A Top 40 World
Speaker: Brian Buckstead, Fort Hays State University
Topic Areas: Literature/Repertoire, Diverse And Inclusive Classrooms; Research Related To Pedagogy And Performance
Target Instruments: Violin
Content Level: Multi Level
For more information, visit www.astastrings.org
Hays Symphony At Home Concert Series
During this period of social distancing and postponed concerts, the Hays Symphony welcomes you to our homes-turned-studios in hopes that our performances can bring joy and inspiration to your day. While we miss performing together, and in person, for you, our musicians continue to play their music for you, from home.
Tune in to hear from members of the symphony on the Hays Symphony Facebook page, YouTube, and on HaysSymphony.org.
Stay safe and keep listening,
Brian Buckstead
Music Director of the Hays Symphony
Update on the Hays Symphony 2020-2021 Season
The continuing COVID-19 crisis has resulted in the cancellation of many concert hall performances worldwide. While I look forward to a time when rehearsals and concerts can resume as usual, we must proceed with caution with regard to the health of our musicians and our audience. Following the guidelines set forth by Fort Hays State University and the Department of Music and Theatre, large ensembles, including the Hays Symphony, will not be rehearsing this fall. Currently, a small, strings-only orchestra has begun rehearsing within carefully planned parameters. All live concerts at FHSU have been canceled for this fall. However, we are preparing music for a videotaped “concert” to be uploaded to YouTube and other online video sharing websites. Any future updates as well as links to videotaped performances will be posted here, on hayssymphony.org, and on the Hays Symphony Facebook page.
I thank you for your patience and continued support of the Hays Symphony as we work through this challenging time.
Brian Buckstead
Music Director of the Hays Symphony
Hays Symphony Season Finale (Cancelled due to COVID-19)
Date: Saturday, May 2, 2020
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Location: Beach/Schmidt Performing Arts Center - Fort Hays State University
The Hays Symphony and music director Brian Buckstead present Hector Berlioz's masterpiece Symphonie Fantastique.
Piano Trio Concert (Cancelled due to COVID-19)
Date: Saturday, April 4, 2020
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Kansas State University - All Faiths Chapel
Violinist Brian Buckstead, cellist Sunnat Ibragimov, and pianist Agustin Muriago present a concert featuring piano trios by Joaquín Turina, Gabriel Fauré, and Maurice Ravel.
Cottonwood Festival (Cancelled due to COVID-19)
Date: Friday, April 3, 2020
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Location: Beach/Schmidt Performing Arts Center - Fort Hays State University
Violinist Brian Buckstead, cellist Sunnat Ibragimov, and pianist Agustin Muriago present a concert featuring piano trios by Joaquín Turina, Gabriel Fauré, and Maurice Ravel.
Dido and Aeneas
Date: Friday, March 13 and Saturday, March 14, 2020
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Location: Hays Community Theatre
Two performances of the opera Dido and Aeneas by English Baroque composer Henry Purcell, featuring the Hays High School Chamber Singers.
Hays Symphony Valentine's Concert
Date: February 15, 2020
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Location: Beach/Schmidt Performing Arts Center - Fort Hays State University
The Hays Symphony and music director Brian Buckstead present a free concert featuring music of the season. Join the orchestra and soprano Dannielle Dickerson and tenor Luis Valencia as they perform Roses from the South by Johann Strauss II, the balcony scene from West Side Story by Leonard Bernstein, The Way You Look Tonight by Jerome Kern, My Funny Valentine by Richard Rodgers, the love theme from Cinema Paradiso by Ennio Morricone, and Romeo and Juliet Suite No. 1 by Sergei Prokofiev.
Cathedral Concert
Date: December 8, 2019
Time: 3:30 p.m.
Location: St. Fidelis Church, Victoria, KS
The Hays Symphony, FHSU Concert Choir, Smoky Hill Chorale, and many other guests present a holiday concert at the historic Basilica of St. Fidelis in Victoria, Kansas. Works performed include the Ancient Airs and Dances Suite No. 3 by Respighi, Das newgebohrne Kindelein by Buxtehude, and the Christmas cantata Uns ist ein Kind geboren.
New Music Festival
Date: November 2, 2019
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Location: Beach/Schmidt Performing Arts Center - Fort Hays State University
Beach/Schmidt Performing Arts Center at Fort Hays State University. 7:30 p.m. Hays, KS
Fort Hays State University presents an evening of the music of Daniel Bukvich, University Distinguished Professor and Professor of Music at the Lionel Hampton School of Music, University of Idaho, and the world premiere of Lost Chord Mysticanza, commissioned by the FHSU New Music Ensemble.
Beethoven Lives Upstairs with the Hays Symphony
Date: October 27, 2019
Time: 2:30 p.m.
Location: Beach/Schmidt Performing Arts Center - Fort Hays State University
The Hays Symphony presents Beethoven Lives Upstairs. Young Christoph writes to his uncle about a wild-haired, cranky stranger who has moved in the apartment upstairs. Who could it be? None other than Ludwig van Beethoven! This touching story unfolds with more than 25 excerpts of the composer's most beautiful works. Christoph comes to understand the genius of Beethoven, the beauty of his music and the torments of his deafness.
Hays Symphony Season Opener
Date: September 21, 2019
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Location: Beach/Schmidt Performing Arts Center - Fort Hays State University
The Hays Symphony and new music director Brian Buckstead present the opening concert of their new season, Symphonic Visions. The orchestra will perform the William Tell Overture by Rossini, The Moldau by Smetana, and The Three-Cornered Hat Suites 1 and 2 by Manuel de Falla.
Movie Music with the Hays Symphony
Date: August 23, 2019
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Downtown Hays Pavilion
Join conductors Jeff Jordan, Peter Lillpop, and new music director Brian Buckstead for an evening of music from the movies, including music from Pirates of the Caribbean, Star Wars, Jurassic Park, E.T., The Wizard of Oz and other popular movies.
Cuyuna Lakes Area Strings Camp presents: Music in the Park
Date: July 25, 2019
Time: 5:00 p.m.
Location: Serpent Lake Park - Crosby, MN
Join conductor and camp director Brian Buckstead as he directs the Cuyuna Lakes Area Strings Camp orchestra in a free outdoor concert. Music by Corelli, Penderecki, Vivaldi, Purcell, Glass, and Jenkins.
Virtuoso Opera Fantasies by Charles-Auguste de Bériot
Date: May 9, 2019
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Peace United Church of Christ - Duluth, MN
Violinist Brian Buckstead and pianist Asami Hagiwara present an evening of virtuoso fantasies based on popular operas of the past, including La Fille du Régiment, Lucia de Lammermoor, and Othello.
UMD Chamber Orchestra Concert
Date: April 13, 2019
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Location: Weber Music Hall - University of Minnesota Duluth
UMD Department of Music presents the UMD Chamber Orchestra. Music by Bach, Herbert, Arensky, and Kalinnikov.
UMD Chamber Orchestra Concert
Date: November 17, 2018
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Location: Weber Music Hall - University of Minnesota Duluth
UMD Department of Music presents the UMD Chamber Orchestra. Music by Meyer, Fuchs, Barber, and Tchaikovsky.
Cuyuna Lakes Area Strings Camp Concert
Date: July 26, 2018
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Location: Crosby Memorial Park - Crosby, MN
The inaugural Cuyuna Lakes Area Strings Camp will kick off Music in the Park with a concert at 6:00 p.m., featuring camp director, conductor, and violin soloist Brian Buckstead with the camp orchestra. The program, a celebration of Americana, features music by Samuel Adler, Robert Washburn, Leroy Anderson, Van Halen, and Mark O'Connor.
NSSME Orchestra Concert
Date: June 23, 2018
Time: 2:30 p.m.
Location: Weber Music Hall - University of Minnesota Duluth
The North Shore Summer Music Experience presents the final orchestra concert, with strings director and conductor Brian Buckstead and co-conductor Lorena Suarez. Music by Vivaldi, Bach, Elgar, and Bartók.
UMD Chamber Orchestra Concert
Date: April 14, 2018
Time: 3:00 p.m.
Location: Weber Music Hall - University of Minnesota Duluth
UMD Department of Music presents the UMD Chamber Orchestra, with director Brian Buckstead. Music by Purcell, Mendelssohn, and Dvořák
March 1: UMD Resident Artist Recital
Date: March 1, 2018
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Location: Weber Music Hall - University of Minnesota Duluth
UMD Department of Music presents resident artists Brian Buckstead and Tracy Like-Perry performing works by Beach, Vaughan Williams, and Franck.
UMD Chamber Orchestra Concert
Date: November 19, 2017
Time: 3:00 p.m.
Location: Weber Music Hall - University of Minnesota Duluth
UMD Department of Music presents the UMD Chamber Orchestra, with director Brian Buckstead. Music by Foote, O'Connor, Glass, and Diamond.
NSSME Orchestra Concert
Date: June 24, 2017
Time: 2:30 p.m.
Location: Weber Music Hall - University of Minnesota Duluth
The North Shore Summer Music Experience presents the final orchestra concert, with strings director and conductor Brian Buckstead and co-conductor Lorena Suarez. Music by Washburn, Holst, Elgar, and Grainger.
Tabula Rasa with the Great River Strings
Date: April 22 and 23, 2017
Time: 7:00 p.m. (April 22); 2:30 p.m. (April 23)
Location: Salem Lutheran Church - Deerwood, MN (April 22)
First Lutheran Church - Aitkin, MN (April 23)
Dr. Buckstead will join the Great River Strings in a performance of Tabula Rasa by Arvo Pärt.
UMD Chamber Orchestra Concert
Date: April 8, 2017
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Location: Weber Music Hall - University of Minnesota Duluth
UMD Department of Music presents the UMD Chamber Orchestra, with director Brian Buckstead. Music by Respighi, Lilburn, Rautavaara, and Britten.