Tarl Knight | From Artist to Theatre Owner

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Posted on February 11, 2022 by williamt

Bird in the Wings welcomes Tarl Knight to the pod. Tarl is a musician and co-owner of a historic theatre located in the heart of Downtown Green Bay, now known as the Tarlton Theatre. Kelli & Tarl discuss his early life, his adventures as an artist, as well as how he came to co-own & run a 1920s style theatre house. Plus, they preview an exciting new partnership between The Weidner and the Tarlton.

Happy Listening.

About our Guest: Tarl Knight

Tarl Knight is a musician, director of The Shipyard District, Inc. and co-owner of a historic theatre located in the heart of downtown Green Bay, now known as the Tarlton Theatre. Visit the Tarlton Theatre’s website and follow them on Facebook to learn more about upcoming events.

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Audrey Nowak is Here for the Music

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Posted on June 3, 2021 by williamt

Bird in the Wings welcomes violinist and member of the Weidner Philharmonic to the pod to wrap up this semester. Audrey talks with Kelli about her journey to becoming a professional musician and music educator in NE Wisconsin, plus tells an inspiring story on how she became first chair Violinist.

Happy Listening!

The Weidner Philharmonic will perform Walton’s Façade: An Entertainment live in the Billie Kress Amphitheater at the Green Bay Botanical Garden Sunday, June 20, 2021 at 3:00 PM

Tickets on Sale Now: https://bit.ly/33ENdu4

Audrey Nowak, Musician, Music Educator, Weidner Philharmonic musician

About Our Guest:

Audrey Nowak is the conductor of the string ensemble at St. Norbert College. She is also the program manager of the St. Norbert College Youth Orchestra Program, as well as conductor of that organization’s string orchestra.

Ms. Nowak has taught in northeast Wisconsin since 1990. In addition to teaching courses at St. Norbert, she is currently the director of orchestras at Bay Port High School in the Howard-Suamico School District. During her tenure there Ms. Nowak has been honored with the prestigious Golden Apple Award for exceptional teaching; received the 2015 Wisconsin State Teacher of the Year award from the American String Teacher Association (ASTA); and in 2016 received a Herb Kohl Fellowship Award.

Passionate about sharing music with everyone, Ms. Nowak is the founding director of the Howard-Suamico School District Harp Choir, a multi-generational learning community utilizing the harp as a catalyst for personal growth and community service. Ms. Nowak also works as a hospital-certified master harp therapist, completing her mastery level certification in 2018 at Bedside Harps in Bensalem, Penn.

Still active as a performer, Ms. Nowak is the concertmaster of the Civic Symphony of Green Bay and has been a member of both the Fox Valley Symphony Orchestra and the Oshkosh Symphony Orchestra since 1990.

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Rissel Peguero & Matt Hillman – 50% of Pegasis

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Posted on March 12, 2021 by williamt

Kelli welcomes 2 of the 4 members of the band Pegasis to the new episode of Bird in the Wings. Rissel Peguero and Matt Hillman are musicians, songwriters and alumni of UW-Green Bay. On this episode, Rissel and Matt explain their origin, inspirations, and even creative processes put into making the amazing music they preform!

Pegasis is a band dabbling in multiple genres, including World, Latin, Ska, and Reggae. Their ability to create tight harmonies, along with skill to create new and interesting composition with engaging lyricism, is what nominated them for the best artists in their respective genres by the WAMI (Wisconsin Artistic Music Industry).

Happy Listening!

Pegasis will perform a virtual concert from Fort Howard Hall in the Weidner Center for the Performing Arts. Streaming live Thursday, March 18, 2021 at 7:00 PM on the Weidner Center’s YouTube Channel.

Stream “Sanity” the new single from Pegasis NOW.

Follow Pegasis on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Spotify to hear more music and stay up-to-date on their upcoming gigs.

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Luis Fernandez – Virtual Virtuoso

Posted on September 29, 2020 by williamt

Bird in the Wings is back for season 3. Our season premieres with Dr. Luis Fernandez, who is preparing to perform the UW-Green Bay Music’s 6:30 Concert Series first ever live streamed concert live from Fort Howard Hall in the Weidner Center for the Performing Arts Wednesday, September 30, 2020 at 6:30 PM.

Kelli sits down with Dr. Fernandez to discuss his journey to becoming a concert violinist and UW-Green Bay professor. Happy Listening!

6:30 Concert Series: Luis Fernandez in Recital is free and open to the public, streaming live on YouTube

More information on the 6:30 Concert Series HERE

About Our Guest:

Originally from Caracas, Venezuela, LUIA FERNANDEZ earned his MA from the University of Florida and his Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Miami. Fernandez has performed across the globe as part of the Nuevo Mundo Quartet. In addition, he Fernandez has also performed with orchestras across the globe including the Florida Grand Opera, Amarillo Symphony, the Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra and many others. As an instructor, Fernandez has been invited to teach in Bolivia, Cuba, Columbia, Mexico and across the United States. He joined the faculty of UW-Green Bay in the Fall of 2019 and serves as the Robert and Joanne Bauer Endowed Professor of Strings and Music Education.

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Adam Gaines & John Salerno – Jazz Fest 50

Posted on January 16, 2020 by stricklk@uwgb.edu

UW-Green Bay’s Jazz Fest is turning 50! Bird in the Wings is celebrating with a deep dive in to the world of a working jazz musician in NE Wisconsin. UWGB Music Professors, Dr. Adam Gaines and Dr. John Salerno talk with Kelli about their paths to becoming teaching and performing artists. Happy Listening!

Learn more about Jazz Fest HERE

About Our Guests:
ADAM GAINES is an Associate Professor of Music at the University of Wisconsin – Green Bay. In addition to teaching the trumpet studio, Dr. Gaines directs jazz ensembles, teaches jazz history courses and works with music technology. Dr. Gaines has performed as a soloist in his native Kentucky, throughout the U.S. and internationally. In the Green Bay area he can frequently be heard performing with Gypsy Trip and with Brass Differential. He holds degrees from the University of Louisville (Bachelor of Music, 1999) and Ball State University (Master of Music, 2001 and Doctor of Arts, 2005). Dr. Gaines frequently travels to Slovakia and the Czech Republic to perform and to spend time with his wife Ladislava’s family.

JOHN SALERNO teaches saxophone, composition, jazz ensemble and other jazz related classes. Under his direction, the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Jazz Ensemble has performed at both the Montreux and North Sea Jazz Festivals in Europe. As a saxophonist he has worked with a variety of notable groups and artists including The Spinners, The Jacksons, Engelbert Humperdinck, Roberta Flack, Joe Williams and many others. Dr. Salerno is a published composer and arranger, and has written works for a variety of styles and media. He is in demand as a clinician and adjudicator, judging at many jazz festivals throughout the country, including the prestigious University of Northern Colorado Jazz Festival. He directs the annual University of Wisconsin-Green Bay January Jazz Fest, and the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Summer Jazz Camp, two of the oldest and most popular jazz events of their kind in Wisconsin.

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Bill Sallak – The Power of Trial & Error & Success

Posted on September 11, 2019 by stricklk@uwgb.edu

Dive in, the water is deep. This episode of Bird in the Wings maybe the deepest dive into the working mind of a musician we have ever done. And that’s saying something.

This time Kelli sits down for a fascinating discussion with UW-Green Bay Music Professor, Bill Sallak. He and Kelli discuss his journey through academia as a student, performer, researcher, and educator. In addition, they also discuss the creation of the new Weidner Philharmonic at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, and the upcoming inaugural concert.

Happy Listening!

The New World Symphony for a New Symphony will take place in Cofrin Family Hall at the Weidner Center on Saturday, Sept 28 at 7:30pm. Get your tickets at WeidnerCenter.com

About Our Guest:

William Sallak is an Assistant Professor of Music at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, where he teaches percussion, recording technology, and world music. As a performer, conductor, composer, technologist, and researcher, Bill Sallak’s work has appeared in many national and international festivals and conferences. He holds degrees from SUNY-Fredonia, The University of Akron, and Arizona State University.

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Dr. Michael Alexander – A New Provost for a New Symphony (2.0)

Posted on August 19, 2019 by stricklk@uwgb.edu

UW-Green Bay’s new Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Dr. Michael Alexander, sits down with Kelli for a Bird In The Wings exclusive interview! AND this time we hit record…

In addition to being the second highest administrative, and senior academic officer on campus, Dr. Alexander will conduct the first piece at the inaugural concert of the Weidner Philharmonic at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. In this episode, he and Kelli discuss his journey to becoming provost, his experience as a conductor, his love of music, and balancing an administrative & artistic life.

Happy Listening!

The New World Symphony for a New Symphony will take place in Cofrin Family Hall at the Weidner Center on Saturday, Sept 28 at 7:30pm. Get your tickets at WeidnerCenter.com

About Our Guest:

Dr. Michael Alexander comes to UW-Green Bay from the University of Northern Colorado where he served as Director of the School of Music. A native of Grand Island NY, Alexander previously lived in Wisconsin from 1995-2004, earning his master’s degree at UW-Milwaukee, and doctorate at UW-Madison. Dr. Alexander is now the 13th provost in UW-Green Bay’s 53-year history. The provost oversees programming leadership of the four academic colleges, the Weidner Center for the Performing Arts, the Division of Continuing Education and Community Engagement, the Cofrin Library, Office of Admissions, as well as the UW -Green Bay branch campuses in Marinette, Manitowoc, and Sheboygan. For more information, visit uwgb.edu

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Jacob Beranek – Having Faith in the Creative Process

Posted on July 16, 2019 by stricklk@uwgb.edu

We’re on location in Sturgeon Bay for a special interview with Composer-In-Residence of the Midsummer’s Music Festival, Jacob Beranek. Jacob is an internationally recognized composer and pianist, whose music is rooted in melody and narrative structure.

In this episode, Kelli and Jacob discuss the creative and academic journey of a young artist pursuing their passion, while reconciling personal discipline and having faith in a force outside of yourself.

About Our Guest:

Jacob Beranek is an internationally acclaimed composer and pianist, who is the first ever Composer-In-Residence at Door County’s Midsummer’s Music Festival. His music has been performed across the country, as well as abroad including in London, and Prague. He is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Music in Composing at Vanderbilt University’s Blair School of Music. For more info and to hear some his work visit www.beranekmusic.com. And follow him on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube to keep up on his journey.

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Andrew Linskens & Cujo: Art-Hop Collective

Posted on June 24, 2019 by stricklk@uwgb.edu

Season 2 continues with Bird in the Wings’ first delve into the world of hip-hop! Yas! In this episode, Kelli chats with visual artist, Andrew Linskens, and hip-hop musician, Cujo. They discuss their respective lives as working artists and creatives, as well as their collaborations in the Art-Hop Collective. Demonstrating the power of the meeting of music and art, up-close and personal, from beginning to end.

About Our Guests:

Andrew Linskens is a local visual artist working in a variety of 2-D and 3-D mediums including painting, drawing, animation and sculpture. Visit AndrewLinskens.com and follow on Instagram to learn more and to view his work!

About Our Guests:

Cujo is a hip-hop musician and performer who has released two full length albums, Power of the Paragraph, and Rise, both available to stream and purchase HERE.

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