U of S Music Professor Emeritus to Lead National Youth Band of Canada

Posted April 27, 2005


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - April 27, 2005
2005-04-13-ED

U of S Music Professor Emeritus to Lead National Youth Band of Canada

Marvin Eckroth, University of Saskatchewan Professor Emeritus in music, has
been chosen to conduct the 2005 National Youth Band of Canada which will
meet, rehearse, and tour in Saskatchewan for the first time in the band's
history May 6th to 15th.

"Marvin Eckroth is a remarkable conductor, musician, and mentor," says U of
S music department head Dean McNeill. "The opportunity for the students in
the National Youth Band of Canada to work with this outstanding U of S
expert in wind ensemble music is a wonderful opportunity indeed."

The National Youth Band (NYB) is known in music circles as "the cream of the
crop" for wind, brass, and percussion players aged 16 to 21 from across
Canada. Its goal is to provide an opportunity for young musicians to work
with a professional conductor and guest soloist, as well as to demonstrate
their own musical creativity. Musicians must apply and audition to gain a
spot in the NYB which, since 1994, has run annually in different parts of
Canada.

This year, 11 students from the U of S music department garnered places in
the band. Ten Saskatchewan high school students also made the cut.

"Under Marvin's direction the University of Saskatchewan Wind Orchestra was
very well respected both in Canada and internationally," says McNeill.
"We're delighted to see Marvin continue to lend his musical knowledge and
expertise to some of Canada's most aspiring young musicians in the National
Youth Band."

Eckroth was named Professor Emeritus in 2002 and remains an active
conductor, adjudicator, and musician. Conducting this prestigious ensemble
of 55 young musicians from coast to coast is just part of a long series of
ongoing scholarly and artistic contributions made by the eminent U of S
professor.

At the U of S, Eckroth taught conducting and woodwind technique and
published various articles on wind instrument topics. He has presented
clinics and master classes in such far-flung locations as Rotterdam and has
conducted such orchestras as the Pacific Basin Honour Band in Honolulu,
Hawaii. He brought the U of S Wind Orchestra to such settings as The
Netherlands and Austria, as well as to some 60 communities in Western
Canada, in addition to leading the orchestra on CBC Radio on numerous
occasions.

An accomplished saxophonist, his performance background includes numerous
CBC broadcasts and performances in Germany, Washington, Montreal, and
Virginia. His saxophone activities were the subject of a 1995 cover story in
the Saxophone Journal which recently published his master class CD and
article dealing with saxophone tone production.

The National Youth Band will begin rehearsals in Regina on May 6th. They
will perform in Saskatoon, Prince Albert, Yorkton, and Regina from May 12th
to 14th as follows:

- Thursday, May 12: 11 a.m. - 12:15 p.m., Circle Drive Alliance Church,
Saskatoon
- Thursday, May 12: 7:30 - 8:45 p.m., Carlton High School, Prince Albert
- Friday, May 13: 12:20 - 1:35 p.m., Anne Portnuff Theatre, Yorkton
- Saturday, May 14: 7:30 - 9 p.m., Education Auditorium, University of
Regina

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For more information, contact:

Jennifer W. Webber
Research Communications
University of Saskatchewan
(306) 966-1474
jennifer.webber@usask.ca
www.usask.ca/research

Marvin Eckroth
U of S Professor Emeritus
mkeckroth@shaw.ca

National Youth Band of Canada
http://www.nyb.ca/