NATCHITOCHES – The Northwestern State University Wind Symphony will perform in concert on Thursday, Nov. 14 at 7:30 p.m. in Magale Recital Hall. Admission is free and open to the public. The ensemble is conducted by Director of Bands Dr. Jeffrey Mathews.
The featured soloist is soprano D’Nissa Hester, an instructor of voice at NSU. Hester is a native of Amarillo, Texas. She holds a Bachelor of Music with a concentration in vocal performance and Master of Music with a concentration in vocal performance and choral conducting from Northwestern State. She has continued her education at the Taos Opera Institute under world renowned sopranos Mary Jane Johnson and Linda Poetschke. Hester was selected to attend the International performing Arts Institute in Kiefersfelden, Germany under the instruction of Dr. Maryann Kyle.
In 2010, she became a member of the NSU faculty teaching voice, theory and piano to music and theatre students. She was the Louisiana representative to the regional NATSA conference in 2012. She regularly performs with the Natchitoches-Northwestern Symphony, the NSU Jazz Orchestra, Wind Symphony and Percussion Ensemble and in faculty recitals and concerts. Hester also performs with the Red River Chorale, the Kisatchie Sound and with her husband in the DAT Acoustic Act, a folk/acoustic duo.
The concert program is “Shoutout” by Roshanne Etezady, “Labyrinth of Love “ by Michael Daugherty featuring Hester, “Songs for Wind Ensemble” by Yo Goto and “Picture Studies” by Adam Schoenberg.
Northwestern State’s Wind Symphony was selected to perform at the World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles conference in Buñol, Spain last summer. NSU was one of seven groups chosen to perform and was one of two selected from the United States. Ensembles from Australia, Canada, Italy, Spain and Portugal were also chosen to play at the conference.
