2024 ASTA National Conference
I will be presenting the following session at the 2024 ASTA National Conference in Louisville, Kentucky:
Simplifying the Task: The Violin Exercises of John Kendall
When: March 22, 2023; 10:00 a.m.
Description: In this interactive session, I will explore some of the most brilliant and pedagogically intuitive exercises in American string pedagogy. John Kendall, the pioneering pedagogue responsible for bringing the Suzuki Method to the United States, developed a comprehensive system for overcoming obstacles common to many violinists. I transcribed his exercises into distinct categories focused on both the left and right hands. Although this session is aimed toward violinists, violists, cellists, and bassists are also welcome.
For more information, visit https://www.astastrings.org
Hays Symphony concert: Tragedy and Triumph
Brian Buckstead – conductor
Date:
Saturday, April 20, 2024
Time:
7:30 p.m.
Location:
Beach/Schmidt Performing Arts Center
Performing:
Mozart – Mass in C Major, K. 317 (Coronation Mass)
Tchaikovsky – Symphony No. 4 in F Minor, Op. 36
FHSU New Music Festival
Date:
Friday, April 26 - Saturday, April 27, 2024
Time:
7:30 p.m.
Location:
Beach/Schmidt Performing Arts Center
Performing:
Tim Rolls – Violin Fantasia
Upcoming Events
Past Events
Hays Symphony concert: A Chinese New Year Celebration (cancelled)
Zhang Yue – guest conductor
Date:
Saturday, February 17, 2024
Time:
7:30 p.m.
Location:
Beach/Schmidt Performing Arts Center
Performing:
repertoire to be announced
Hays Symphony Concert: FHSU Concerto/Aria Winner's Concert
Brian Buckstead – conductor
Student soloists:
Jackson Scott, marimba
Laurinda Lan, flute
Jiangzi Guo, cello
Xingyi Long, alto saxophone
Mackenzie Bowers, mezzo soprano
Date:
Saturday, February 10, 2024
Time:
7:30 p.m.
Location:
Beach/Schmidt Performing Arts Center
Performing:
Beethoven – Overture to the Creatures of Prometheus
Haydn– Cello Concerto No. 1 in C Major (III. Allegro molto)
Verdi – “Stride la Vampa” from Il Trovatore
Dvořák – “Inflammatus et accensus” from Stabat Mater, Op. 58
Séjourné – Concerto for Marimba and String Orchestra (II. Rhythmique Energique)
Chaminade – Concertino for Flute and Orchestra, Op. 37
Milhaud – Scaramouche, Op. 165c
Falla – "Ritual Fire Dance" from El amor brujo
Hays Symphony Holiday Pops Concert
Brian Buckstead – conductor
Date:
Saturday, December 2, 2023
Time:
7:30 p.m.
Location:
Beach/Schmidt Performing Arts Center
Performing:
Wendel – "Overture to a Merry Christmas" from A Classical Christmas Suite
Vaughan Williams – Fantasia on Greensleeves
Berlin– White Christmas
Wendel – "We Three Kings (So Unfinished Are...)" from A Classical Christmas Suite
Martin – Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
Cohen – A Klezmer Nutcracker
Wendel – "Jingle Fourth" from A Classical Christmas Suite
Amundson – Angels' Dance
Leontovich – Carol of the Bells
Wendel – "Little Bolero Boy" from A Classical Christmas Suite
Hays Symphony Children's Halloween Concert - "Symphony in Space"
Brian Buckstead – conductor
Date:
Sunday, October 29, 2023
Time:
2:30 p.m.
Location:
Beach/Schmidt Performing Arts Center
Performing:
Holst – selections from The Planets
Bach – Brandenburg Concerto No. 2
Williams – Theme from E.T.
Presenting "The Golden Record," an original musical comedy in which six aliens travel to our solar system in search of beautiful music. This extraterrestrial adventure includes an afternoon of music, drama, hands-on activities, and festivities for everyone!
Hays Symphony concert: Nordic Adventure
Brian Buckstead – conductor
Date:
Saturday, September 23, 2023
Time:
7:30 p.m.
Location:
Beach/Schmidt Performing Arts Center
Performing:
Nielsen – Overture to Maskarade
Rautavaara – Cantus Arcticus: Concerto for Birds and Orchestra, Op. 61
Sibelius – Symphony No. 5 in E-flat Major, Op. 82
Hays Symphony Outdoor Pops Concert - "Let's Dance"
Brian Buckstead – conductor
Date:
Friday, August 25, 2023
Time:
7:30 p.m.
Location:
Hays Pavilion
Performing:
Benjamin – Jamaican Rhumba
Albeniz – Tango in D
Chabrier– Habanera
Beethoven – selections from 12 Contredanses
Brahms – Hungarian Dance No. 1
Copland – "Saturday Night Waltz" from Rodeo
Dvorak – Slavonic Dance No. 8
Faure – Pavane
Grieg – "Anitra's Dance" from Peer Gynt Suite No. 1
Strauss – Pizzicato Polka
Falla – "Ritual Fire Dance" from El amor brujo
2023 High Plains Music Camp
Faculty Strings Concert
Date: Friday, July 21, 2023
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Felten-Start Theatre - Fort Hays State University
Performing: Despacito, Purple Haze, music from "Super Mario", and selections from Strings and Threads by Mark O'Connor
High School Orchestra Concert
Date: Saturday, July 22, 2023
Time: 1:30 p.m.
Location: Beach/Schmidt Performing Arts Center- Fort Hays State University
Conducting: Andante Festivo by Sibelius, Capriol Suite by Warlock, Overture to Tancredi by Rossini, and Hungarian March by Berlioz.
New Music Festival, featuring composer Katherine Bergman
Performers: Brian Buckstead, violin; Ben Cline, cello; Gustavo do Carmo, piano; Hilary Shepard, flute; Kristin Pisano, clarinet/bass clarinet; James Pisano, clarinet; Matt Rome, clarinet and Ryan Pearson, percussion
Date: Friday and Saturday, April 28-29, 2023
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Location: Beach/Schmidt Performing Arts Center - Fort Hays State University
Performing: Where Deserts Meet
An Absence of Silence
and much more
Hays Symphony Masterworks III Concert - Evocations
Brian Buckstead – conductor
Guest soloist:
Erin Wood, harp
Date: Saturday, April 22, 2023
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Location: Beach/Schmidt Performing Arts Center
Performing: Bizet – Selections from Carmen
Prélude
Aragonaise
Les Toréadors
Habanera
Danse bohème
Tailleferre – Concertino for Harp and Orchestra
Shostakovich – Symphony No. 9, Op. 70
Cottonwood Chamber Music Festival
The 2023 Cottonwood Chamber Music Festival will feature FHSU faculty member Brian Buckstead, violin, and guest artists Agustin Muriago, piano, Margaret Miller, viola, and Sunnat Ibragimov, cello.
Date: Friday, March 31, 2023
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Location: Beach/Schmidt Performing Arts Center
Performing: Felix Mendelssohn – Piano Quartet No. 3, Op. 3 in B minor
Danny Elfman – Piano Quartet
2023 ASTA National Conference
I will be presenting the following session at the 2023 ASTA National Conference in Orlando, Florida:
To B(eethoven), or not to B(rahms): Diversifying the Orchestra Conductors’ Playbook.
When: March 18, 2022; 1:30 p.m.
Description: In this session, I will present a more culturally and historically diverse and inclusive repertoire for college orchestras. By exploring beyond the European tradition and embracing forgotten, minority, disadvantaged, and underrepresented composers, including American jazz and folk music, Asian music, music by black and African American composers, Latin American music, and music by Jewish and women composers, a more diversified and balanced conductors’ playbook can be achieved.
For more information, visit https://www.astastrings.org
Hays Symphony Masterworks II Concert - Concerto/Aria Winner's Concert
Brian Buckstead – conductor
Student soloists:
Brandon Smith, piano
Katy Walters, soprano
Luis Valencia Zamora, tenor
Ashley Vilaysing, clarinet
Date: Saturday, February 18, 2023
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Location: Beach/Schmidt Performing Arts Center
Performing: Haydn – Armida Overture
Mozart – Piano Concerto No. 19 in F Major, K. 459
Meyerbeer – "Ah! mon fils!" from Le Prophète
Rossini – "Di tanti palpiti" from Tancredi
Mozart – "Guerrier che d'un acciaro" from Lucio Silla
Weber – Concertino for Clarinet and Orchestra, Op. 26
Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges – Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 11, No. 2
Cathedral Christmas Concert
Date: Sunday, December 11, 2022
Time: 3:30 p.m.
Location: St. Fidelis Church
Victoria, KS
Performing: Ottorino Respighi – Ancient Airs and Dances Suite No. 1
Simeone/Schoenfeld –Twas the Night Before Christmas
Hays Symphony Children's Halloween Concert - "Disney Magic"
Brian Buckstead – conductor
Date: Sunday, October 30, 2022
Time: 2:30 p.m.
Location: Beach/Schmidt Performing Arts Center
Performing: Disney Magic
Pixar Movie Favorites
A Disney Super Time
Aladdin
Music from Frozen
Pirates of the Caribbean
Hays Symphony Masterworks I Concert - "American Tapestry"
Brian Buckstead – conductor
Ivalah Allen – soprano
Date: Saturday, October 1, 2022
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Location: Beach/Schmidt Performing Arts Center
Performing: David Diamond – Rounds for String Orchestra
Samuel Barber – Knoxville: Summer of 1915
Wallingford Riegger – Dance Rhythms
Morton Gould – American Symphonette No. 2
Hays Symphony Outdoor Pops Concert - "Pops Potpourri"
Brian Buckstead – conductor
Date: Friday, August 26, 2022
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Location: Hays Pavilion
Performing: Hayman – Pops Hoedown
Anderson – Jazz Legato
Anderson– Jazz Pizzicato
Gould – Yankee Doodle
Anderson – Fiddle-Fiddle
Anderson – Plink, Plank, Plunk!
Anderson – Syncopated Clock
Gershwin – Lullaby
Gould – "Pavanne" from Symphonette No. 2
Gould – American Salute
2022 High Plains Music Camp
Faculty Strings Concert
Date: Friday, July 15, 2022
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Felten-Start Theatre - Fort Hays State University
Performing: Por una Cabeza by Carlos Gardel, Prayer for Peace by John Williams, Cook it HOT or Get Out of the Kitchen by Andy Patterson, and Metal Rhythmico by Kirt Mosier
High School Orchestra Concert
Date: Saturday, July 16, 2022
Time: 1:30 p.m.
Location: Beach/Schmidt Performing Arts Center- Fort Hays State University
Conducting: La Follia by Geminiani, Romanian Folk Dances by Bartók, and selections from Carmen and L'Arlésienne by Bizet.
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