Conducting and Wind Music Symposium

Robert Taylor ’02 MMus, ’06 DMus is Professor of Conducting and Director of Bands at Northwestern University, where he holds the John W. Beattie Chair of Music. As the fourth person in the university’s history to hold the Director of Bands position, Taylor conducts the Symphonic Wind Ensemble, teaches graduate and undergraduate conducting, and leads all aspects of the band program. With a career in music education spanning over thirty years, previous appointments include the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, BC, University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, WA, and Eureka High School in northern California, where ensembles under his direction earned recognition by Downbeat Magazine, the Selmer Corporation, and Grammy Signature Schools.

Known for innovative and immersive concert programming, Dr. Taylor maintains an active schedule as a guest conductor. Past engagements include performances with the Vancouver Brass Orchestra, U.S. Army Field Band, Pacific Symphonic Wind Ensemble, and Chicago-based contemporary music group, the Maverick Ensemble. Collaborations span a wide range of international artists—from virtuosi performers Barbara Butler (trumpet), Jose Franch-Ballester (clarinet), Larry Knopp (trumpet), Julia Nolan (saxophone), Daniel Perantoni (tuba), Jeff Nelsen (horn), Gail Williams (horn), and Allen Vizzutti (trumpet); to composers Mason Bates, Jodie Blackshaw, Steven Bryant, Raven Chacon, Michael Colgrass, John Corigliano, David Maslanka, Cait Nishimura, Joel Puckett, Alex Shapiro, Frank Ticheli, and Dana Wilson; to jazz, pop, and crossover performers Ingrid Jensen, Shruti Ramani, Manhattan Transfer, Kenny Werner, and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy. As a passionate advocate of music in the schools, Dr. Taylor is in high demand as a festival adjudicator, rehearsal clinician, and guest conductor throughout North America and internationally. His frequent appearances with young musicians include serving as principal conductor of the Puget Sound Youth Wind Ensemble and guest conductor of numerous honor groups, such as the Honors Performance Series at Carnegie Hall, National Youth Band of Canada, AMIS Asia Honor Band, California Orchestra Directors Association Honor Symphony, and many provincial and all-state bands across Australia, Canada, and the United States.

Taylor received the Master of Music and Doctor of Music degrees in conducting from Northwestern University, where he studied with Mallory Thompson, and the Bachelor of Arts degree in Trumpet and Music Education from Humboldt State University. His research on wind literature, rehearsal techniques, integration of cutting-edge technology, and application of Ashtanga Yoga to improve body awareness and injury prevention in the training of nascent conductors and performing musicians, has been featured in presentations at regional, national, and international music conferences, including appearances at the Midwest Clinic, College Band Directors National Association, and on several popular podcasts. Among numerous contributions in leading publications, recent research focuses on diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, through contemporary, socially-conscious programming and as co-author of The Horizon Leans Forward, a book that amplifies the talent and voices of underrepresented communities in the wind band field.

Dr. Taylor is a Killam Laureate, Jacob K. Javits Fellow, and Thomas A. Davis Teaching Prize Winner, and has served as on the executive boards of the British Columbia Music Educators Association and College Band Directors National Association (Northwest Region). He is a member of the Phi Kappa Phi and Pi Kappa Lambda National Honor Societies, World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles, and National Association for Music Education.

Associate director of bands. Conductor of the Northwestern University Symphonic Band, Shawn D. Vondran teaches conducting, wind repertoire, and other courses in the music performance and education curricula. Prior to his appointment at Northwestern, he served as the assistant director of bands at Ball State University. Recognized for his excellence in teaching and dedication to students while at Ball State, Vondran received the College of Fine Arts Dean's Teaching Award in 2013. In addition, the Ball State University Symphony Band was selected to perform at the 2012 and 2014 Indiana Music Education Association Conference. Vondran also served on the faculties at Western Illinois University and Youngstown State University, respectively. He began his professional teaching career at Mentor High School in Ohio, where his concert, jazz, and marching bands consistently received superior ratings and accolades for their outstanding performances during his four-year tenure.

Vondran maintains an active schedule with engagements throughout the United States as a guest conductor, clinician, and adjudicator. In addition to performance engagements, he is an ongoing contributor to the Teaching Music Through Performance in Band series published by GIA and has appeared in the National Band Association journal. During his career as a conductor, Vondran has worked with a number of notable composers in the preparation, performance, and/or recording of their works for the wind band medium. Recent artistic collaborations include John Corigliano, Christopher Rouse, David Maslanka, Michael Daugherty, Steven Bryant, and Joel Puckett. His professional affiliations include the College Band Directors National Association, National Band Association, National Association for Music Education, and Pi Kappa Lambda.

Vondran received his doctor of musical arts degree in instrumental conducting, with an emphasis in music education, from the University of Miami (FL). Vondran completed a master of music degree in instrumental conducting at Youngstown State University and earned a bachelor of music education degree (magna cum laude) at The Ohio State University.

Gillian MacKay is Professor of Music of the University of Toronto, where she conducts the Wind Ensemble and teaches conducting. Gillian has an active professional career as a conductor, adjudicator, clinician and trumpeter. She has conducted honour ensembles throughout Canada and the United States, and is Associate Conductor of the Denis Wick Canadian Wind Orchestra. Dr. MacKay has adjudicated Canadian band festivals at local, provincial, and national levels in Canada. She has conducted honour bands and judged competitions in the US, Singapore, Thailand, and Korea.

Dr. MacKay enjoys presenting clinics and workshops at provincial and state conferences in Canada and the United States, and is known for her work on the relationship between conducting and mime. Currently, she is investigating the application of the Michael Chekhov acting technique to movement and meaning in conducting. Recognized as a conducting pedagogue, Gillian leads the University of Toronto Wind Conducting Symposium each July, and has been the guest instructor at other symposia in Canada and the United States.

Gillian holds degrees and diplomas from the University of Lethbridge, McGill University, the University of Calgary, and Northwestern University.

Gerard Morris joined University of Puget Sound School of Music faculty in fall 2009, and currently serves as director of bands and department chair for winds and percussion. In 2016, he was honored as the recipient of the President’s Excellence in Teaching Award, and in 2022 was promoted to the rank of full professor. Morris earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in music from Western Michigan University, a Master of Music Education degree from University of Colorado at Boulder, and a Doctor of Music degree in conducting from Northwestern University.

In addition to serving as the conductor and artistic director of the esteemed Tacoma Concert Band, Morris’s credits also include conducting appearances with the Southwest Washington Wind Symphony, University of Georgia JanFest, South Dakota State University Wind Symphony, British Columbia Music Educators Association Honor Band, Lower Columbia River Music Educators Association Honor Band, Midwest Clinic, College Band Directors National Association Western/Northwestern Division Conferences, Washington Music Educators Association State Conference, California Music Educators Association Bay Section Conference, Colorado Music Festival at Chautauqua, Steamboat Strings Music in the Mountains Summer Music Festival, Heartland Marimba Festival, West Valley Winds Workshop (Canmore, Alberta), Calgary Summer Band Workshop, and as featured conductor on composer Neil Thornock’s compact disc recording Between the Lines, a project that Morris also co-produced.

In addition, he has appeared as guest clinician/lecturer at the CBDNA National Conference, CBDNA Western/Northwestern Division Conference, WMEA State Conference, CMEA Bay Section Conference, South Dakota Bandmasters Conference, University of North Carolina at Greensboro New Music Festival, Northwestern University Conducting and Wind Symposium, and University of British Columbia Wind Conducting Symposium. Morris was also honored as keynote speaker for the Anchorage School District Professional Development In-Service, and guest artist in residence at American Community School (Abu Dhabi/Dubai, United Arab Emirates), Iowa State University, Xavier University, California State Polytechnic University Pomona, St. George’s School (Vancouver, British Columbia), and West Point Grey Academy (Vancouver, British Columbia).

Morris’s conducting and teaching are informed by years of professional performing experience as principal euphonium with the Boulder Brass and United States Marine Corps Band, Hawai’i. With these organizations he toured the United States, Australia, and Costa Rica as both an ensemble member and soloist.

Dr. Erica J. Neidlinger is the wind conductor at the DePaul University School of Music in Chicago. Additional responsibilities have included teaching conducting and wind history/repertoire courses as well as instrumental music education courses. Dr. Neidlinger’s conducting experiences are broad, ranging from chamber ensembles, contemporary ensembles, symphonic bands, and wind ensembles. She has worked with some of the finest musicians in Chicago as featured artists with the DePaul ensembles. In addition, Dr. Neidlinger has conducted performances nationally and internationally. She has been featured as a guest conductor/clinician in Riga, Latvia and Moscow, Russia and has traveled to Singapore and Canada as an ensemble adjudicator/clinician. International presentations include the World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles and the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic. She has conducted honor bands and presented at many conferences across the United States, while also maintaining a highly active schedule as a clinician for ensembles visiting Chicago. She is also the current President of the North Central Division of the College Band Directors National Association (CBDNA).

Before her position at DePaul, Dr. Neidlinger served on the faculty of the University of Nebraska at Omaha, where she conducted university concert ensembles and directed the marching band. During this time, she was also conductor of the Nebraska Wind Symphony. She held a similar role at The Ohio State University as assistant director of the marching band and member of the music education faculty. Dr. Neidlinger completed her doctoral degree at the University of Minnesota under the supervision of Professor Craig Kirchhoff. Her research applies Laban’s Effort Shape Theory to the expressive development of conductors.