CWU Wind Ensemble leaves lasting impression at WASBE International Conference

The Central Washington University Wind Ensemble reserved its place in the history books of the World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles (WASBE) International Conference last month, earning a resounding reception at the five-day festival in Gwangju City, South Korea.

The 49-member ensemble, led by CWU Director of Bands Dr. T. André Feagin, received a rare standing ovation — four of them, in fact — at the July 16-20 event, considered the world’s preeminent showcase for wind musicians.

“This concert has to be among the top two of my entire life,” said Feagin, who assembled an elite group of instrumentalists in the fall of 2023 after being invited by WASBE the previous winter. “These students took their performance to another level, and they really felt the appreciation of the audience by receiving four curtain calls. I don’t want to overhype what happened; it was truly, truly special.”

WASBE is the world’s only international organization of wind band conductors, composers, performers, publishers, teachers, instrument makers and friends of wind music. The nonprofit organization’s mission is to enhance the quality of the wind band throughout the world by exposing its members to new worlds of repertoire, musical culture, people, and places.

Feagin described what a unique honor it was for the CWU Wind Ensemble to even be selected. After reading some of the reviews and talking to his colleagues in the international musical community, he began to realize how much his students stood out.

“Receiving an invitation to WASBE is among the highest achievements in the wind band community,” he said. “For a small university band from a rural town to be considered among the best in the world is such an amazing honor. But for us to perform as well as we did on the world stage was truly incredible. I couldn’t be more proud of what we accomplished.”

The gravity of the moment was not lost on Feagin’s students, who returned home from Korea knowing that they had risen to the occasion.

“I don’t know if I will ever do anything cooler than that,” junior flute/piccolo performer Liv Bills said. “We could never recreate it. It was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime performance.”

Senior baritone saxophonist Josh Dequiroz remembers the emotion that overcame every member of the ensemble when they were showered with thunderous applause for nearly five minutes.

“The reaction was just amazing,” he said. “They don’t give many standing ovations in Korea, and we got four. Ninety percent of us were crying, and I think everyone in the audience could tell how much this performance meant to us. It was such a warm feeling to be welcomed like that, and none of us will ever forget it.”

Two of Feagin’s CWU Music colleagues joined the wind ensemble at the conference, with Dr. Jiyoun Chung writing one of the concertos in their repertoire and Dr. Yerin Kim playing piano when they performed the piece. Department chair Mark Goodenberger, who was spending time in Europe this summer, also joined his colleagues and students in Gwangju City.

“Dr. Chung and Dr. Kim are superstars, and having them there with us made the experience all the more meaningful,” Feagin said. “We also appreciated Mark coming all that way to support us. It’s been an amazing year of music at CWU, and this was probably the highlight.”

Feagin and his students also expressed their sincere gratitude to the Ellensburg and CWU communities for their financial support. The entire trip cost upwards of $250,000, and the students recognize how vital those community contributions were to making the trip a reality.

“It never would have happened without the help of so many people,” Bills said. “To bring an entire community together to raise that much in one year is really unbelievable. We have a lot of amazing people behind us, and I think it goes to show that CWU is the best music school on the West Coast.”

Cultural Influences

The WASBE performance was the main draw for the trip to South Korea, but the CWU Wind Ensemble also had a chance to experience the local culture. Along with some tourist outings, they participated in an outdoor concert at the famous Porcelain Park in Gwangju City and performed at a farewell concert in Seoul on the final day of the festival.

Other highlights included visiting the Korean War Memorial, touring a historical palace from an ancient dynasty, and meeting the members of the U.S. Navy Band — one of the most world’s most revered musical ensembles.

“This was the trip of a lifetime,” Feagin said. “Some of our students had never been out of the state before, and many had never been to another country. The cultural connections they got to experience were really powerful, and I think everyone realized how important this opportunity was.”

Aside from scheduled activities and performances, the students had plenty of down time to explore the country on their own.

Bills said she and her travel companions learned how to use the public transit system and traveled around to various restaurants, bars, and retail shops.

“The night life there is really cool,” she said. “Lots of people speak English and they wanted to talk to us. Some of them recognized us from WASBE and asked to take pictures with us. We felt like we were famous for a couple of days, which just added to the fun.”

Dequiroz had a similar takeaway from the trip, calling it “the highlight of my life so far.”

“We really got to experience what Korea was like,” he said. “All we did at the hotel was eat and sleep. The rest of the time, we were off doing things.”

Looking Ahead

Dequiroz added that he came away with a renewed feeling of motivation as he begins his senior year. The music education and performance double major considers Feagin as one of his greatest mentors, and he hopes to use his experience in the CWU Wind Ensemble as a catalyst to becoming a jazz band director someday.

“This trip was very inspirational for me,” he said. “It made me want to get my life together a little more and strive for the same level of success that Dr. Feagin has achieved. If I keep working hard, hopefully I can take a jazz band to a foreign country someday and blow everyone away like we just did.”

Similarly, Bills came away from WASBE with a fresh outlook on her musical career, along with a heightened sense of self-confidence.

“To come from a small little town in Washington state and perform at such a high level showed us that anything is possible,” said Bills, a double major in music education and performance. “To even have the opportunity was just insanely cool. We put a lot of pressure on ourselves to put on the show of our lives, and we did it. It was the best experience of my life.”

Now that the musicians and their instruments are home safely, Feagin is enjoying some well-deserved down time before classes begin next month. He admits it will probably be a few years before he attempts to coordinate another overseas voyage for his students.

But, if this year’s WASBE International Conference ends up being the only time the CWU Wind Ensemble is ever invited, he knows he has reached the pinnacle.

“I often use the cliché that this was ‘the crowning achievement’ for our program, but it really was,” Feagin said, noting that 2024-25 marks the 99^th year for the CWU band program. “This will set the vibe and the expectations we have for the future. Considering that only four years ago, there was no music in our building, it’s thrilling to see what we can do when we work toward a common goal. We didn’t just come back; we roared back.”