Alan and Steve talk with Will Talley and Chandler Wilson about current thoughts in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Access, and how they impact programming.
Links & References:
Will Talley
William Talley is the Director of Bands at Ohio University, where he directs the wind symphony and teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in conducting and wind literature. Dr. Talley received his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY, where he served as the associate director of the Eastman Wind Orchestra and the assistant director of the Eastman Wind Ensemble. In addition to his responsibilities with these ensembles at Eastman, Talley taught undergraduate conducting and served as the assistant director of the Eastman
Harmonie. He also regularly conducted for a variety of ensembles at Eastman, including OSSIA’s new music ensembles and the Graduate Composer’s Sinfonietta. While a student at Eastman, Talley was a recipient of the Frederick Fennell Conducting Fellowship, the Walter Hagen Conducting Prize, and was the first recipient of the newly established Donald and Polly Hunsberger Endowed Conducting Scholarship. While in residence at Eastman, Talley concurrently served as the wind ensemble director at Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, NY.
Prior to attending Eastman and receiving a Master of Music degree in conducting from the University of South Carolina, Talley taught for 15 years in the Asheville City Schools district in Asheville, NC. In his time as a band director Talley served as the president of the Western North Carolina Bandmasters’ Association, and he also received the Award of Excellence from that organization. He was the recipient of many awards and recognitions in teaching during his tenure at Asheville High School, including the WLOS ‘Thanks to Teachers’ award, the WYFF ‘Golden Apple’ award, and Asheville High School and Asheville City Schools Teacher of the Year for the 2013-2014 school year. Dr. Talley was National Board-certified teacher for the last 10 years of his public school teaching career, and his high school bands repeatedly earned superior ratings at NC Concert Band Music Performance Adjudication and marching band contests. In 2013, the Asheville High School Marching Band, under his direction, performed for the 57th Presidential Inauguration in Washington, D.C.
Dr. Talley has served as a clinician and adjudicator in the Carolinas, Ohio, Georgia and in New York, and he is an active arranger and transcriber of music for wind ensembles. In 2019, his transcription of Heitor Villa-Lobos’ Bachianas Brasileiras No. 7 was premiered by the Eastman Wind Ensemble, and his arrangement of “The Bond of Africa” from William Levi Dawson’s Negro Folk Symphony was premiered by the Ohio University Wind Symphony in 2021.
Links & References:
- Contact: clwilson@fsu.edu
- Chandler Wilson Website
Chandler Wilson
Chandler L. Wilson is the Assistant Director of Athletic Bands and Assistant Professor of Music Education at Florida State University. His responsibilities with athletic bands include being a part of the creative team behind the Marching Chiefs and FSU’s athletic pep band program, Seminole Sound, which primarily supports the men’s basketball program as well as the women’s basketball and volleyball programs. As a part of the wind band conducting and music education faculty, Wilson teaches courses in music education and conducts the University Concert Band.
A native of Miami, FL, Wilson attended Florida A&M University (FAMU) where he earned the Bachelor of Science in Music Education. While a student at FAMU, he served as the University Band President and section leader of the saxophones. During his time at FAMU, he was selected as the student arranger and conductor for the marching and symphonic bands and was selected as one of the first student staff members for the “Marching 100.” Wilson earned the Master of Arts in Wind Band Conducting from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and the Ph.D. in Music Education with an emphasis in Wind Band Conducting from Florida State University.
Many of Wilson’s compositions have been premiered and performed on the concert band stage with All-County/District Honor Bands and All-State Bands. His works have also been performed at the Music for All National Festival and the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic. His composition, Legends of the Galaxy (A Cosmic Fanfare), was ranked in the Top 100 band compositions in the American Band College/Band World Magazine/Western International Band Clinic Literature List for 2016 and one of his most recent works, Night Chase, was performed at the 2022 Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic by the Las Vegas Academy of the Arts Wind Ensemble.
Prior to his appointment at Florida State University, Wilson served as Associate Director of Bands and Director of Athletic Bands at Eastern Michigan University, with previous public-school experience as director of bands at Hollywood Hills High School and Cooper City High School. Wilson also served as the associate conductor of the Broward Symphonic Band under Neil Jenkins and the assistant conductor of the Music Ambassadors Europe Music Tour in the summers of 2010 and 2012. Wilson has studied conducting under the batons of Richard Clary, Jack Stamp, Julian White, Shelby Chipman, Roby George, and Raffaele Ponti.
Wilson holds professional memberships in the College Band Directors National Association, National Association for Music Educators, Florida Music Educators Association, Florida Bandmasters Association, National Band Association, Kappa Kappa Psi National Honorary Band Fraternity, Pi Kappa Lambda National Music Honor Society, and is an honorary member “Friend of the Arts” of Sigma Alpha Iota, Tau Beta Sigma, and Phi Mu Alpha. Wilson is a recipient of the Florida Bandmasters Association “Tom Bishop Award” and is also a member of ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers.) Wilson has also been recognized and honored by Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers.
He currently resides in Tallahassee, FL, with his wife Ashley, and their two children, Addisyn (Addi) and Chandler Jr. (CJ).