Keith Wilson (musician)

Keith Wilson (born 1916) is an American classical musician. He is a clarinetist, teacher, and conductor.

Teaching and conducting career

Wilson was appointed to the faculty of the Yale School of Music, New Haven, Connecticut, in 1946.

Wilson taught at Yale for over 40 years before retiring in 1987 at the age of 70. He served as director of the Yale Bands until 1972. He later became associate dean of the School of Music and director of the Norfolk Summer School of Music.

On 22 February 1956 he led members of the Yale Concert Band in the first documented performance of "Set No. 1, Movement V, 'Calcium Light Night'" by composer Charles Ives.

He was selected to conduct the National Intercollegiate Band in 1967 [http://www.tbsigma.org/nationalintercollegiate.html] .

Wilson's students include
*J. Roger Cole (clarinetist)
*Malcolm Dickinson (clarinet teacher)
*Gary Ginstling (clarinetist)
*Walter Hekster (clarinetist, composer)
*David Irwin (clarinetist)
*Mitch Leigh (composer)
*Steven Lipsitt (conductor)
*Eric Mandat (clarinetist, composer)
*James McElwaine (clarinetist, saxophonist)
*Rebecca Rischin (clarinetist)
*Richard Stoltzman (clarinetist)
*Smith Toulson (clarinetist)
*Joaquin Valdepeñas (clarinetist)
*"(need names of other students here)"

Arranging for concert band

"In 1943 while teaching at Yale University, composer Paul Hindemith composed "Symphonic Metamorphoses on Themes by Carl Maria von Weber" for symphony orchestra. Believing strongly that the work should be made available in a band version, Hindemith asked his Yale colleague Keith Wilson to make the transcription. After permission was finally granted by the publisher in 1960, Wilson worked on the arrangement for 18 months. He regarded it as his largest and most significant transcription. The arrangement has become a cornerstone of the concert band repertoire." (Smith, Norman. "Program Notes for Band". pg.292)

Performing career

A well known clarinetist and clarinet teacher, Wilson performed and recorded chamber music and clarinet concertos. He received numerous honors at Yale and throughout the country.

He is now retired from performing. His last appearance as soloist was the "Concertino for Clarinet" by Carl Maria von Weber] , with the Yale Concert Band (Thomas C. Duffy, Music Director) on 6 December 1985. His last chamber music appearance was 15 July 1990 playing Bela Bartok's "Contrasts" for clarinet, violin and piano at the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival ion Norfolk, Connecticut.

Honors

In 1977 Mitch Leigh and others at the Yale School of Music established the Keith Wilson scholarship, to be awarded "to an outstanding major in wind instrument playing."

On his retirement in 1987, the Yale School of Music commissioned a piece in his honor: "Songs of Sea and Sky" by Tasmanian/Australian composer Peter Sculthorpe.

In 1999 he was awarded the Samuel Simons Sanford Medal, the Yale School of Music's highest honor, and the Gustav Stoeckel Award, which honors faculty who have contributed to the life of the School of Music. [http://www.yale.edu/opa/v28.n15/story12.html]

Robert Blocker, dean of the school, described Wilson as "one of Yale's most outstanding professors" and "the embodiment of all the Yale School of Music stands for and hopes to be."