Owensboro, Ky. (October 11, 2015) – Kentucky Wesleyan Professor Kevin Callihan will present a trombone and euphonium recital at the Kentucky Wesleyan College Tapscott Chapel on Saturday,
Oct. 24, at 11 a.m. in conjunction with the College’s Homecoming Weekend. Callihan is the new assistant director of bands and assistant professor of low brass at Wesleyan. He will perform works by David, Guilmant, Curnow and Sparke. Diane Earle is pianist. The program is free and open to the public.
Professor Callihan was the band director at Apollo High School, where he coordinated the program and conducted numerous ensembles and bands. His concert bands received All Distinguished ratings at the regional and state levels, performing Grade V and VI literature. He will assist with coordinating and directing the highly successful instrumental program, and he will conduct the wind ensemble and symphonic band with Professor Steven Pederson. He will also teach composition and orchestration, applied trombone, tuba and euphonium.
Wesleyan Director of Bands Steven Pederson remarked, “Kevin Callihan is an experienced and accomplished teacher, conductor and performer, and we are thrilled that he has joined our music faculty. He will continue to build on the College’s strong commitment to a successful and fast-growing college band program. In addition or our band and strings programs, the Wesleyan Music Department includes two highly acclaimed choirs and the outstanding Panther Pianists.”
According to Professor Pederson, in his fifth year at Kentucky Wesleyan, a total of 70 students take part in the Wesleyan instrumental program. The program includes the wind ensemble and honors wind ensemble, concert band, pep band, jazz band, competitive drumline and strings. Several area directors and high school musicians perform with the wind ensemble, in addition to Wesleyan faculty and staff, including Academic Dean Dr. Paula Dehn, who plays French horn.
“I’m very excited to join the Kentucky Wesleyan music faculty,” said Callihan. “I look forward to the continued exceptional growth of our instrumental program here at Wesleyan and to the strong connections with our outstanding local and regional school band programs. This is a great time to live in Owensboro and be a part of Kentucky Wesleyan College.”
An Ashland, Ky., native, Professor Callihan earned an M.M. degree in Music Performance and an M.M.E. degree in Music Education with an emphasis in instrumental conducting (Summa Cum Laude) from Northwestern University and a B.M.E. degree (Summa Cum Laude and Valedictorian) in Music Education from Morehead State University. As a performer, he has appeared with numerous bands and orchestras, including the Northwestern University Symphonic Wind Ensemble, the Evansville Symphonic Band, the River Brass Band, the Sousa International Band and the Owensboro Symphony Orchestra. His wife, Kaitlyn, an accomplished professional clarinetist, is the band director at Owensboro Middle School, South Campus.
For additional information about the recital, contact Diane Earle at 270-852-3617. For information about the band program, contact Steven Pederson at 859-333-8666 or Kevin Callihan at 606-923-6309.
-Kentucky Wesleyan College-