Albuquerque Concert Band names new conductor

Conductor and saxophonist Brett Penshorn came to Albuquerque in 2022 to teach at the University of New Mexico.

Today he’s found a second job as the conductor of the Albuquerque Concert Band.

With nearly 60 years of longevity behind them, the 75-member band consists of volunteers, many of them doctors and lawyers.

Penshorn first discovered the band when he attended a concert.

“This is one of the most enthusiastic audiences I’ve ever seen,” Penshorn said. “It was definitely something I wanted to become a part of.”

A band member since he was in the sixth grade, Penshorn grew up near San Antonio, Texas, where he played in a community band.

“It was one of the most rewarding events of my career,” he said. “They didn’t play highbrow music, but they really connected with the audience.”

Now a visiting assistant professor of music at UNM, Penshorn will make his conducting debut on Sunday, Oct. 6, at the Eldorado High School George Nason Performing Arts Center.

The program ranges from “Pas Redoublé” by Camille Saint-Saëns, to an Italian march by Julius Fucík.

“I wanted to pick pieces that meant a lot to me,” Penshorn said. “ ‘Pas Redoublé’ was one of the first pieces I played at band camp.”

Johnnie Vinson’s “Echoes of the Hollow Square” is based on Appalachian shape note singing.

“They have a shape note singing chorus,” Penshorn said. “It was a way to help amateur musicians sing better.”

Penshorn has known Frank Ticheli’s “Fortress” since he was in San Antonio. The piece uses intervals of tri-tones.

“They call it the devil’s interval,” he said.

At UNM, Penshorn assists with the symphonic band and wind symphony, co-directs the Spirit Marching Band and Soundpack Basketball Band, saxophone ensemble, saxophone quartets and teaches an undergraduate course in music appreciation.

Before moving to New Mexico, he served as visiting director of bands at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, where he conducted the wind ensemble and taught undergraduate music education courses in conducting, woodwind techniques and music technology.

Penshorn is finishing the final stage of his doctorate in wind conducting at the University of North Texas.

He said he has no big changes in mind for the Albuquerque Concert Band.

“Especially this first year, I don’t want to change a lot,” he said. “It’s really just updating communication. It’s a really special group of people. I just want these people to go out into the world and be advocates for the arts.”