Renowned hornist Wallace Easter will perform at the Thursday Morning Music Club on Thursday, March 6th at 10:30 AM at Grandin Court Baptist Church.
Easter, a western New York native, began study of the horn at age nine and received early instruction from Lowell Shaw, hornist with the Buffalo Philharmonic and noted composer of horn literature. While attending the Oberlin Conservatory of Music he studied under Robert Fries who came to Oberlin from the Philadelphia Orchestra.
Mr. Easter’s graduate work at the Catholic University of America included horn study with Joseph Singer of the New York Philharmonic. Mr. Easter began his professional performing career with the United States Marine Band , “The President’s Own” in Washington, D. C. As a member of the Marine Band, he toured the United States and performed frequently at the White House.
In 1981, Mr. Easter joined the faculty of the Department of Music at Virginia Tech and the Roanoke Symphony as principal horn. His academic duties at Tech include teaching the horn studio, the University Brass Ensemble, the Horn Ensemble and a course in music theory. Mr. Easter has been a featured soloist with many orchestras in the mid Atlantic region and has also performed in recital and at professional conferences and music festivals in the United States and in Europe. He was host for two regional horn workshops at Virginia Tech.
Other professional activities include residencies as artist/faculty for the Virginia Governor’s School for the Arts, Skyline Brass Music Festival, Roanoke Youth Symphony Summer Institute and the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp in Michigan. He frequently gives master class presentations, the most recent at the National Music Camp at Interlochen, Michigan. He has been principal horn of the Wintergreen Summer Music Festival for the past four years and has written and been interviewed for articles in the Horn Call, the official publication of the International Horn Society.
Mr. Easter is featured on the most recent CD release of the Hornists’ Nest, an album titled The Fripperies that is frequently heard on the Roanoke National Public Radio affiliate, WVTF.
The Thursday Morning Music Club was formed in 1908 and are celebrated their 106th anniversary on February 20th. Their missionis to create a broader appreciation of music, develop individual music and dance talent, and to support musical entertainment in the Roanoke Valley.
Over the years, the organization was instrumental in the creation of the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra, Opera Roanoke, and the Choral Society. The organization sponsors a series of seven concerts, from October to May, the proceeds of which are used to fund scholarships which are given to promising singers, musicians and dancers. The Thursday Morning Music Club is affiliated with the National and Virginia Federations of Music Clubs.
The club will host an All-You-Can-Eat Pancake Breakfast at the Grandin Court Baptist Church on Saturday, March 15, from 8:00 to 11:00 am. $5.00 per person.
