Susan Levine
On Sept. 26, Saddlebrook Winds and Strings performed Windows of Imagination at the DesertView Performing Arts Center, presenting an ambitious and entertaining program under the direction of visiting guest conductor Antonio Padilla.
The September concert also marked an important transition for the ensemble. After three years of leadership by music director and conductor Jesús Jaquez, SaddleBrooke Winds and Strings is moving into a new chapter.
Rather than immediately naming one permanent successor, the ensemble is taking an exciting approach: welcoming two guest conductors for the upcoming season.
Antonio Padilla took the podium for the Sept. 26 performance, bringing youthful energy, imagination, and impressive musical experience to the ensemble.
A Catalina Foothills graduate, he recently had the extraordinary opportunity to conduct the Tokyo Sinfonia at Tokyo’s Oji Hall after being selected as one of only five conductors from around the world for an international conducting workshop led by Maestro Robert Ryker.
Opening the Windows of Imagination
The theme of the September concert, Windows of Imagination, was particularly appropriate for an ensemble that embraces such a broad musical world. Together, the selections illustrated what SaddleBrooke Winds and Strings is all about: a broad range of concert-band music: classical repertoire, marches, popular music, contemporary compositions, lighter selections, and music that simply makes you smile.
That variety is one of the things that makes SaddleBrooke Winds and Strings special.
The Next Window Opens Dec. 19
The ensemble’s winter concert will be Saturday, Dec. 19 at 6 p.m. at the DesertView Performing Center (DVPAC), led by guest conductor Caleb Hathaway. The theme for the winter concert will be announced soon, so stay tuned, and save the date.
Hathaway brings an unusually broad musical background to the podium. A graduate of California State University, Sacramento, he currently serves as Sound Supervisor for Arizona Opera and is Associate Conductor of the Foothills Philharmonic. He has also worked with a wide range of musical organizations and artists, with experience spanning classical music as well as jazz, Persian folk music, reggae, R&B, gospel, and hip-hop.
From a Living Room to DVPAC
The ensemble’s history is almost as entertaining as its music. It began with seven or so musicians crowded into Earlene Lewis’s home. Then rehearsals moved to Jim Van Brocklin’s garage—making SaddleBrooke Winds and Strings a genuine garage band.
Years ago, during an outdoor concert on an HOA One lawn, the sprinklers suddenly came on. Musicians scrambled to protect their instruments and music. When the sprinklers stopped, everyone continued playing—only to have a second set turn on, sending chairs and music stands sinking into the ground.
The musicians persevered.
That same determination has carried the ensemble from those early rehearsals to the DesertView stage.
Come Make Music With Us!
SaddleBrooke Winds and Strings is a no-audition community ensemble meeting Friday mornings from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. We welcome active musicians as well as those who played years ago and would love to rediscover the joy of making music.
We especially need French horn, bass clarinet, baritone saxophone, and clarinet players.
For more information, please visit our website: saddlebrookewindsandstrings.org.