Celebration Fanfare!.........Gary Gackstetter
Commando March............Samuel Barber/Curnow
As Summer Was Just Beginning..........Larry Daehn
Coat of Arms........................George Kenny
      Ron Stilwell, Guest Conductor
Armory....................................Dakota Pederson
Ragged Rozey....................Karl King/Boyd
Swing the Mood...............Arr Michael Sweeney
A Cohan Salute.................Arr Hawley Ades
On the Mall........................Edwin Franko Goldman

GUEST CONDUCTOR, Ron Stilwell, retired from Meramec Community College in 2003, after 35 years as the founder and coordinator of the instrumental music contingent of the college’s music department. As a clarinet major, Dr. Stilwell received a bachelor of science in music education degree from The Ohio State University and master of music in wind instrument performance and doctor of musical arts in clarinet performance degrees at The University of Michigan. In 1968, Dr. Stilwell accepted a position at the (then) new Meramec Community College in St. Louis, Missouri, with the responsibility of forming an instrumental music program. As a result of his efforts, both the symphonic and jazz bands have earned recognition for their excellence and maturity of performance, including a combined total of four invitations to perform at Missouri Music Educators Association state conferences. Dr. Stilwell has served as clinician, adjudicator, guest conductor, and guest soloist. During his retirement, he has enjoyed guest conducting and completing band transcriptions of orchestral scores, including a performance of The British Grenadiers in 2015 and Midsummer Vigil in 2018 with the University City Summer Band.

Celebration Fanfare!.................Gary Gackstatter
Thunder and Blazes..................Julius Fucik/Laurendeau
Symphonic Overture .................Charles Carter
     Bette Welch, Guest Conductor
Up in the Air! .............................Lisle Moore, Jr./Holsinger
Postcards from the Heartlands....Jared Spears
   INTERMISSION
Fanfare: Nova Lux ......................Gary Gackstatter
     Gary Gackstatter, Guest Conductor/Composer
Lullaby for Evangelina ................Gary Gackstatter
     Gary Gackstatter, Guest Conductor/Composer
Havendance..................................David Holsinger
Broadway Classics.........................Arr. Larry Norrad
On the Mall March..........................Edwin Franko Goldman

Director Thomas Poshak received his Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees from the University of Michigan. He retired in 2001 after a 30 year career as a high school band director. Mr. Poshak taught in the US Virgin Islands, in Ladue, Missouri, and was the band director and music coordinator for the Kirkwood School District from 1985 until 2001. Under his direction, the Ladue Symphonic Band performed at the MMEA convention in 1982, and the Kirkwood Symphonic Band received Honor I ratings at MSHSAA Festivals for twelve consecutive years and Gold Ratings at music festivals in Atlanta, Chicago, and Nashville. He has held offices in the Missouri Music Educators Association, Phi Beta Mu, and the St. Louis Suburban Music Educators Association, and is a member of the Music Educators National Conference, Missouri Bandmasters Association, and Phi Mu Alpha. In 2001, he received the Music Educator of the Year award from the SLSMEA and in 2004 received the Hall of Fame Award. Mr. Poshak is also the music director for the Saint Louis Wind Symphony.

Guest Conductor/Composer Gary Gackstatter is an active artist, composer, conductor, performer, and teacher, and is currently conductor of the symphonic band and orchestra at St. Louis Community College at Meramec. Prior to coming to Missouri, Gackstatter built and maintained outstanding music programs in Oklahoma and Kansas public schools, at Southwestern and Cowley Colleges in Kansas, and directed bands at Wichita State University. He is a 2006 Kansas Governor’s Arts Award recipient for Individual Multi-Genre Artist. His creative output includes five symphonies that combine the arts, several recordings of original music for voice and guitar, the book Pen and Ink, featuring his artwork and writings, and many works for band and orchestra published by C Alan Publications. He is directly responsible for many regional art events, including symphonic debuts, internationally known guest artists, and projects combining multiple art forms. His published compositions are performed internationally, and his vision to combine the various arts genres in performances has gained national attention. Gary’s most recent composition Symphony Chaco: A Journey of the Spirit was a multimedia production about Chaco Canyon, NM, that premiered in 2016. He was commissioned by the UCity Summer Band to compose Celebration Fanfare! in 2016 for the band’s 20th Anniversary season.

Guest Conductor Bette Welch earned a degree in music education from Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville. She has served as music director in Fulton County Community Schools in Cuba, IL, at First United Methodist Church in East Alton, IL, and at SS Peter and Paul Church in Collinsville, IL, and as interim director of music at University United Methodist Church. She is currently the director of orchestra at University United Methodist Church in University City, MO. Bette is a playing member of Band Together, University City Summer Band, and St. Louis Wind Symphony. She has appeared as guest conductor with Band Together as well as guest conductor with UC Summer Band on numerous occasions. When not performing, she is a practicing CPA and owns her own firm in Shrewsbury.

Celebration Fanfare!.......................... Gary Gackstatter
On the Loop....................................... Joe Pappas
Australian Up-Country Tune............. Percy Grainger/Bainum
English Folk Song Suite.................... Ralph Vaughn Williams
   III. March: Folk Songs from Somerset
Florentiner March ............................. Julius Fucik/Bourgeois
       Erica Neidlinger, Guest Conductor
Big Band Spectacular......................... Arr. John Higgins
   INTERMISSION
Down by the Riverside........................ Arr. John Rutter
American Hymnsong Suite................. Dwayne Milburn
   2. Ballad on “Balm in Gillead”
   3. Schezo on “Nettleton”
   4. March on “Wilson
       Erica Neidlinger, Guest Conductor
The Wizard of Oz............................... Harold Arlen/Barnes
On the Mall March............................. Edwin Franko Goldman

Director Thomas Poshak received his Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees from the University of Michigan. He retired in 2001 after a 30 year career as a high school band director. Mr. Poshak taught in the US Virgin Islands, in Ladue, Missouri, and was the Band Director and Music Coordinator for the Kirkwood School District from 1985 until 2001. Under his direction, the Ladue Symphonic Band performed at the MMEA convention in 1982, and the Kirkwood Symphonic Band received Honor I ratings at MSHSAA Festivals for twelve consecutive years and Gold Ratings at music festivals in Atlanta, Chicago, and Nashville. He has held offices in the Missouri Music Educators Association, Phi Beta Mu, and the St. Louis Suburban Music Educators Association, and is a member of the Music Educators National Conference, Missouri Bandmasters Association. and Phi Mu Alpha. In 2001, he received the Music Educator of the Year award from the SLSMEA and in 2004 received the Hall of Fame Award. Mr. Poshak is also the Music Director for the Saint Louis Wind Symphony.

Guest Conductor Erica Neidlinger is the associate professorand conductor of the Wind Symphony at DePaul University. Her additional responsibilities include teaching conducting and instrumental music education courses. Dr. Neidlinger has conducted performances across the United States and in Europe. She has traveled to Singapore and Canada as an ensemble adjudicator and clinician. She has been featured as a guest conductor and clinician in Latvia and will guest conduct in Moscow this September. Presentations at international conferences include the World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles in Killarney, Ireland, and the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic. She has also conducted honor bands and presented at many conferences across the United States. Before teaching at DePaul, Dr. Neidlinger served on the faculty at the University of Nebraska at Omaha and The Ohio State University. She is also a former conductor of the Nebraska Wind Symphony. Dr. Neidlinger completed her doctoral degree at the University of Minnesota under the supervision of Professor Craig Kirchhoff. In addition, she holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Kansas and a master’s degree from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. She began her teaching career as director of bands in the Piper School District, Kansas City, Kansas. Erica is a graduate of Ladue High School, where her band directors were Tom Poshak and Jerry Luckhardt.