Band Directors Association
2015 Honor Band Guest Conductors
Senior Honor Band
Thomas Lee
THOMAS LEE – EMERITUS Professor, Director of Bands, and
Conductor of the UCLA Wind Ensemble. Lee holds the Doctor of
Musical Arts Degree in Conducting from the College-Conservatory
of Music at the University of Cincinnati (1971), as well as two
degrees from Drake University, Des Moines, Iowa, where he was
a student of Don Marcouiller. Previous to his appointment at
UCLA, he was the Founder/Conductor of the University of Texas
Wind Ensemble in Austin and was director of the graduate
program in Band Conducting. Before his appointment at Texas,
Dr. Lee was founder/conductor of the Ohio University Wind
Ensemble where he received a research grant to develop an innovative approach to teaching conducting through non-verbal communication. (1973) Since his arrival at UCLA in 1985, the UCLA Wind Ensemble received international acclaim as well as significant prominence for performances at national and regional conferences as well as well as recordings of important composers. Dr. Lee is especially known for musical performances as well as for creative programming, balancing both traditional and contemporary literature. In addition, he has a special commitment to the commissioning of new music by American composers.
Professor Lee created several new programs within the Wind Ensemble performance venue that includes collaboration between the Society of Los Angeles Film Composers and the Wind Ensemble. This resulted in an internship program for UCLA students to work directly with the most acclaimed film composers. Currently, there are a large number of conducting students of Professor Lee that hold university high school, and middle school conducting positions throughout the USA. He is particularly proud of these conductors and their achievement.
Dr. Lee has been invited to guest conduct with All-State Bands and music festivals in all parts of the USA, Canada, Mexico, Western Europe, and Asia. In addition, Professor Lee has given innumerable workshops on all aspects of conducting and interpretation of music with special emphasis in the area of non-verbal communication skills.
The UCLA Wind Ensemble participated in the International New Music Forum in Mexico City presenting several premieres during two concerts. The UCLA Wind Ensemble was the only American university music group so honored. In 1992, Lee conducted the Wind Ensemble’s performance of student works on the CBS Evening News (New Year’s Eve) which was nominated for three Emmy Awards.
Since Professor Lee’s retirement from UCLA, he has maintained a full schedule of Guest Conducting and leading Conducting Workshops.
Junior Honor Band
Angela Woo
Angela Woo is Director of Instrumental Music at John Adams Middle School in
Santa Monica, California where over 400 students are enrolled in one of four
concert bands or four string orchestras. The John Adams ensembles have
consistently earned the highest possible ratings at performance festivals, and
in 2011, the John Adams Middle School Wind Ensemble was selected to
perform at the California All-State Music Education Convention as the only
middle school concert band in the state to be so honored. An alumna of the
University of California, Los Angeles, Ms. Woo holds the degrees Bachelor of
Arts in Music Education and Piano Performance, the Master of Education,
and the Master of Fine Arts in Conducting. She also holds the Master of Arts in
Educational Administration from California State University, Northridge. Prior
to her appointment to John Adams in 1995, Ms. Woo was Director of Music
at Corona del Mar High School and served as Director of Bands at Santa Monica College.
Ms. Woo first earned international acclaim as a conductor in Mexico City, where she
was the first woman conductor to present premiere performances of the music of Karel Husa and Vincent Persichetti as well as being associate conductor for the music of George Crumb and William Schuman at the XIV New Music Forum, directed by Manuel Enriquez, Mexico’s leading composer at the time. Ms. Woo has been invited to be the guest conductor, clinician, and adjudicator with numerous honor groups and conducting symposia throughout the country. She was invited to conduct the 2004 Kentucky All-State High School Concert Band, the 2007 Oregon All-State Middle School Band, and most recently, Ms. Woo conducted the 2014 California All-State Jr. High Concert Band. In 2005, Ms. Woo was honored with the special invitation to be the inaugural conductor of the University of Colorado’s first Middle School Honor Band. In addition, she served as a conducting clinician with the Florida International University Conducting Symposium from 2003 – 2007. She recently presented a workshop at Ball State University in Indiana, and is frequently invited to lead similar professional development workshops for educators at both the middle school and high school levels. In 2005, Ms. Woo was recognized by the Santa Monica Rotary Club as the Santa Monica-Malibu District Teacher of the Year. She was honored at the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic as a 2012 Legion of Honor Laureate by the John Philip Sousa National Foundation.
