The fourth season, which opens next week, is going to be a big one for the Utah Wind Symphony. The group has some prominent soloists coming to town for its concerts. The 50-member band has also been invited to perform at the prestigious Midwest Clinic, An International Band and Orchestra Conference in December.

Scott Hagen

Scott Hagen, music director of the UWS, said that this conference is the most important of its kind in the country. “It’s the place to play,” he said in an interview with Reichel Recommends. This was the first time Hagen had applied to the conference since starting the ensemble. “It’s quite a feat for a group that’s only been around for four years to be accepted.”

The UWS is the only adult band from the United States to perform at the conference. Other participants who will be playing include bands from a number of high schools and colleges around the country. “Besides those groups there will be some service bands from Washington, D.C.,” Hagen said.

The four day event, which runs from Dec. 17-20 in Chicago, gives attendees an excellent opportunity to hear other groups and discover how good one’s own band is, Hagen said. “The conference draws big crowds and the audience is very critical but also very appreciative.”

Hagen noted that the UWS is the eighth band from Utah to perform at the Midwest Clinic. “That’s pretty good, considering the size of our state.”

(For more information on the conference and information on the band’s fundraising efforts, please log on to www.utahwindsymphony.org.)

To help prepare for the conference, the UWS will play some of its conference repertoire at next week’s concert and more at its concert in November.

Timothy McAllister (Photo: Courtesy Price, Rubin & Partners)

Joining Hagen and the band for their season opener on Tuesday is virtuoso saxophonist Timothy McAllister.

“Tim is a top player in the saxophone world,” Hagen said. “He’s one of the best, if not one of the two best, sax players in the country. This concert will be a great opportunity to hear sax playing of the highest caliber.”

McAllister will play John Mackey’s Concerto for Soprano Sax and Wind Ensemble, a five-movement work from 2008. “Tim was one of the first to play this concerto,” Hagen said. “It’s the focal point of the concert.”

Hagen said McAllister is very much in demand as a performer and several composers have written for him, including a concerto by noted film composer John Williams.

McAllister teaches at the University of Michigan now and in addition to performing around the country is also a sought after clinician. While he’s in Utah, he’ll hold master classes at Weber State University, Brigham Young University and the University of Utah. “We’re keeping him busy,” Hagen joked.

• CONCERT DETAILS
• What: Timothy McAllister, saxophone, Utah Wind Symphony, Scott Hagen, conductor
• Venue: Corner Canyon High School, 12943 S. 700 East, Draper
• Time and Date: 7:30 p.m. Sept. 23
• Tickets: Free, but tickets required
• Web: www.utahwindsymphony.org