Wesley W. Hunter
Conductor | Educator | Violist
Wesley Hunter is a dynamic educator and multi-instrumentalist based in Tacoma, WA. He believes in using music as a force for positive change in the community, and strives to include as many voices as possible in the music making process.
ConductorWesley has conducted a variety of ensembles in a wide array of repertoire ranging from standard orchestral works, premiers of new compositions, ballet, opera, and musical theater. In 2022, he received a Master's Degree in Instrumental Conducting at Central Washington University, where he presented a graduate recital performing works by Vaughan Williams and Christopher Theofanidis. Currently, Wesley is conductor of the Prelude String Orchestra with the Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra (SYSO) organization, and conducts musical theater performances with Leavenworth Summer Theater. Wesley made his debut at the Midwest Clinic in 2021, conducting Voices Shouting Out by Nkeiru Okoye with the CWU Symphony Orchestra. Wesley has also served as assistant conductor for the Wenatchee Valley Symphony Orchestra and Yakima Symphony Orchestra.
|
ViolistWesley started his musical journey on the viola in elementary school, and has continued playing ever since. He has performed with a number of orchestras, including the Tucson Symphony, Flagstaff Symphony, Sierra Vista Symphony, West Valley Symphony (Phoenix, AZ), Olympia Symphony, and Wenatchee Valley Symphony, among others. He has traveled to Japan twice as a member of the Tucson Repertory Orchestra, and has performed in summer festivals in Arizona, New Mexico, and British Columbia. Outside of the viola world, Wesley also played fiddle and keyboard in the indie-folk band Half Windsor, and currently plays bass (when he isn't conducting) with Leavenworth Summer Theater. Wesley completed his Bachelor's Degree in Viola Performance from Northern Arizona University (Flagstaff, AZ) and a cognate in viola performance at Central Washington University (Ellensburg, WA), where he performed a recital with works by Bach, Vieuxtemps, and contemporary Scottish violist Garth Knox.
|
Educator
A public school educator with 8 years of classroom experience, Wesley has taught orchestra at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. In Tucson, AZ, he served as orchestra director at Desert View and Sunnyside High Schools, where he grew both schools' programs in size and quality while achieving high marks at both area and state festivals. He has also guest directed honors orchestras at the elementary and middle school levels, and has adjudicated festivals in both Arizona and Washington. Currently, he teaches orchestra and guitar at Stewart Middle School in Tacoma, WA.
|