MSU Wind Symphony Features Guest Conductor and Acclaimed Hornist
The Michigan State University College of Music’s Wind Symphony presents a concert featuring guest conductor Alfred Watkins and acclaimed hornist Johanna Yarbrough on Thursday, October 22, 2026, at 7:30 p.m. in Cobb Great Hall of the Wharton Center for Performing Arts.
The program highlights Yarbrough’s artistry in select works that feature the horn’s expressive range and distinctive voice within the wind ensemble. Recently joining the MSU College of Music as Associate Professor of Horn, she brings a distinguished career as a musician and educator, including more than a dozen years with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and most recently a faculty appointment at Louisiana State University. The concert also spotlights Yarbrough as soloist in Connection by Óscar Navarro, a contemporary work for wind and brass.
Guest conductor Alfred Watkins and acclaimed hornist Johanna Yarbrough are featured with the MSU Wind Symphony for a concert of iconic wind band repertoire.
Guest conductor Alfred Watkins joins the ensemble for the concert, bringing decades of experience as a conductor and educator. As musical director and conductor of the Cobb Wind Symphony in Georgia, Watkins has earned national recognition for his leadership of concert bands and a distinguished career guiding generations of student musicians. He will conduct The Pathfinder of Panama by John Philip Sousa and Armenian Dances by Alfred Reed. The concert also features Sandra Snow, MSU professor of choral conducting and director of choral programs, conducting Two Chorale Preludes (arr. Guenther) by Johannes Brahms, drawn from the composer’s final opus.
Completing the program are Candide Suite (arr. Grundman) by Leonard Bernstein and Circus Polka by Igor Stravinsky, two spirited works by iconic twentieth-century composers. Together, the selections span a wide range of styles, from entertaining audience favorites to vibrant contemporary works. Conductors for the evening include Kevin L. Sedatole, joined by guest conductors Alfred Watkins, Sandra Snow, and Michael Gabriel.
“This concert brings together an outstanding guest conductor, an exceptional artist-faculty colleague, and some of the most beloved works in the wind band repertoire,” said Kevin L. Sedatole, professor of music and director of bands at MSU. “From the energy of Bernstein and Sousa to the rich colors of Reed and Navarro, the program offers something for every listener. We’re excited to welcome Alfred Watkins and showcase Johanna Yarbrough in her first featured appearance with the Wind Symphony.”
Also appearing that week, MSU’s Symphony Band performs on October 20 in Cobb Great Hall, featuring MSU Woodwind Faculty as guest artists in works by Andrew Blair, Johan de Meij, Richard Strauss, and David Maslanka.
This concert is presented during the MSU College of Music’s “20 Years of Momentum” anniversary season, celebrating two decades as an independent college while building on a musical tradition at MSU that spans more than 160 years
Tickets: General admission tickets purchased at the door are $14 for adults and $12 for seniors (age 60+). Admission is free for students and those under 18 with valid ID. Tickets may also be purchased online at music.msu.edu/events or by calling (517) 353-5340; tickets purchased online or by phone include a $1.50 processing fee.
