AMERICAN MUSIC SERIES                   Interview No. 383 a,b            OHV

Keith Wilson

With Libby Van Cleve

New Haven, Connecticut

October 5, 2007

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Side a                                                                                      pp. 1-36

View of himself as primarily a clarinet player—band conducting as means to an end—band at University of Illinois—Yale band as an activity—work as wind instructor at Yale—high level of playing—Hindemith’s feeling that everyone should study a wind instrument—Yale School of Music at that time: graduate and undergraduate—requirements for Bachelor of Music—Bruce Simonds—Wilson’s students just after the war: Mel Powell, Howard Boatwright—Alvin Etler and the band—Wilson as band director—his first concerts—conducting—New Haven Symphony—his career as conductor of bands—Yale School of Music as a graduate school—Yale Band—College Band Directors National Association—commissioning Aaron Copland: Emblems—football band getting out of hand—giving up the band—conducting the Yale School of Music orchestra and the New Haven Symphony—American concert band as wind ensemble—A. A. Harding—Frederick Fennell—enlarging the wind program at the School—his master’s degree recital—his proposal for arranging—his interest in Baroque music—David Kraehenbuehl—chamber band—Fennell—1962 tour—connotations of the word “band”—using the name “Yale Wind Symphony”—tour with Peter Pastereich as manager—more on American concert band vs. wind ensemble idea—first degree in music education—playing solo clarinet at the Denver Municipal Band—building up an endurance—teaching at the University of Illinois—taking the job at Yale—why he chose to stay at Yale: opportunities to play—running his own chamber music series at Branford College—repertoire on that series—expanding the department at Yale—balancing administrative work with practicing and rehearsing—more on Branford college chamber series—Quincy Porter, Howard Boatwright, Aldo Parisot—repertoire on that series.

Continued on next page

Side b                                                                                      pp. 36-59

Robert Barker—other students: Stoltzman, Valdepenas, Paradise—changes in the school under the various deans—Bruce Simonds: insistence on history courses, kept school status quo—Luther Noss: MMA program, more academic subjects—certificate program—Nelson: desire to showcase the school.  [Track 2] Frank Tirro: jazz course, continuing the course on the business of music—Wilson, director of Norfolk for twenty-one years—Joan Panetti, next director of Norfolk—Richard Thurston as band director—Wilson resumes position as associate dean—more on Tirro—Laderman and Blocker—way school is organized: strengths and weaknesses: teachers present only a few days vs. all week—Norfolk: greatest opportunity to do chamber music—relationship with the art school—courses at Norfolk— clarinet player: Michael Borschel—role of women at the School of Music—New Haven Symphony—playing first clarinet in the symphony—Gustav Meier and the university orchestra—Benny Goodman—Frank Tirro and Harold Samuel acquire the Goodman archive.