Fisher Center at Bard presents
West Point Band: American Influences
February 4, 2023
The U.S. Army’s oldest musical ensemble, the West Point Band, presents a performance in celebration of America’s musical heritage, featuring not only the composers who defined our national sound, but also those who drew influence from it, those whose voices were silenced in its creation, and those who continue to expand its meaning today.
Featured composers include Aaron Copland, William Grant Still, Charles Ives, Florence Price, James Reese Europe, and Caroline Shaw. The concert will include a performance of Paul Creston’s Concerto for Alto Saxophone and Band featuring the band’s world-renowned virtuoso principal saxophone, Staff Sgt. Stacy Wilson, and will conclude with Stravinsky’s iconic Firebird Suite, re-released in the year he became an American citizen.
Soloist
Staff Sergeant Stacy Wilson
Saxophone
Staff Sergeant Stacy Wilson has been hailed as a “young saxophone virtuoso,” and has won top prizes in many national and international competitions. In 2009, she became the first American saxophonist to win one of the top prizes as a saxophone and piano duo in the Gaudeamus International Interpreters Competition in Amsterdam, widely considered one of the most prestigious competitions in the world for the interpretation of contemporary music. Staff Sgt. Wilson has also won first prizes in the William Byrd International Competition and the MTNA Young Artist Competition, among others.
As a soloist and chamber musician, she has performed throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia, with recent concert appearances in Japan’s Izumi Concert Hall, Amsterdam’s Muziekgebouw, and Mahidol University in Thailand. Staff Sgt. Wilson was recently featured as a guest concerto soloist with the United States Army Band in Europe, giving concerts in Oftersheim and Eppelheim, Germany. Since joining the West Point Band in 2008, she has performed as a concerto soloist and was the logistical coordinator and organizer for the North American Saxophone Alliance Conference hosted by the band in 2011.
A dedicated chamber musician, Staff Sgt. Wilson is the soprano saxophonist of the acclaimed Zzyzx Quartet. Featured in the Saxophone Journal as an up-and-coming young saxophone quartet, ZQ was described as “a superb ensemble with impeccable musical taste.” They won second prize in the inaugural North American Saxophone Alliance Quartet Competition in 2008 and were selected as one of seven semi-finalists in the Osaka International Competition in Japan, one of the only American chamber ensembles and the first American Saxophone Quartet ever invited to compete. Zzyzx was a featured concerto soloist at the NASA Biennial Gala Concert at the Tempe Center in Arizona and at a concert featuring some of the top young saxophonists from around the world at the World Saxophone Congress in St. Andrews, Scotland. In 2012, they commissioned an original work for saxophone quartet by world-renowned American composer John Mackey, which is featured on their newest CD, Intersections, released in June 2013.
Staff Sgt. Wilson has been a jury member for the NASA Young Artist competition and has taught at Indiana University and Montclair State University. She earned degrees from Indiana University Bloomington and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
Plan Your Visit
Eat & Stay
Nearby villages and towns in the Hudson Valley boast a large selection of restaurants, as well as a variety of hotels, motels, inns, and bed & breakfasts.
Eat & StayDirections
Bard College’s main campus is located in Annandale-on-Hudson (a hamlet of Red Hook), New York, on the east bank of the Hudson River, about 90 miles north of New York City and 220 miles southwest of Boston. The Taconic State Parkway and the New York State Thruway provide the most direct routes to our campus. Click the Google map below, or get directions by entering the following address into your GPS: 60 Manor Avenue, Red Hook, NY 12571.
From the East
If you are traveling from east of the Hudson River in New York State, take the Taconic State Parkway to the Red Hook / Route 199 exit, drive west on Route 199 through the village of Red Hook to Route 9G, turn right onto Route 9G, drive north 1.9 miles, turn left onto Annandale Road, then turn right onto Manor Ave.
From the West
If you are traveling from west of the Hudson River, take the New York State Thruway (I-87) to exit 19 (Kingston), take Route 209 (changes to Route 199 at the Hudson River) over the Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge to Route 9G, turn left onto Route 9G, drive north 3.5 miles, turn left onto Annandale Road, then turn right onto Manor Ave.
About the Venue
Sosnoff Theater
Accessible Seating
Wheelchair-accessible seating is available in all seating areas for patrons in wheelchairs and their companions. There is an elevator to all levels of the Sosnoff Theater and a wheelchair lift is used to access front-row wheelchair seating.
Wheelchair-Accessible Restrooms
Restrooms at all locations are wheelchair accessible. Single-use restrooms are available at most locations.
All-Gender Restrooms
Bard College and the Fisher Center support guests of any gender identity/expression in using the restroom of their choice. Additionally, all-gender restrooms are available at all venues.
More Info
Our driving principle is to operate with a duty of care for all our community—artists, audiences, and staff alike.
In order to share performances with as many audience members as possible, we ask that you read our Health and Safety Protocols on the FAQs page and commit to participating in our community of care.
Read the FAQs and Safety Protocols
