User:Thosstone/sandbox

Thomas Stone (b. October 3, 1957) was born at Mercy Hospital in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. His Father, Leslie Harris Stone, was a General Surgeon. His Mother, nee Marian Elizabeth Wearing was trained as a Registered Nurse but served as wife and mother to the family. Brother John Edward Stone was born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1953 and Marcia Ann came in 1955. The family lived at 1849 Mt. Vernon St. in Oshkosh until 1966, at which time they moved into a newly constructed home on Lake Butte des Morts at 1835 Lake Breeze Rd. He first attended Rose C. Swart Campus School at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh where he began playing the trombone in the fifth grade. His first trombone teacher was James Luedtke, an undergraduate student at the University. Stone transferred to Perry Tipler Junior High in Oshkosh in his eighth grade year owing to the closure the following year of Campus School. There he played under Robert Boisen in the band and pursued private instruction with Stewart Ross. As Stone approached his tenth grade year, thereby transferring to Oshkosh High School, Conductor James Croft accepted a position at the University of South Florida after a legendary eighteen year tenure in Oshkosh. Peter Schmalz assumed the high school position and mentored the young trombonist during the following three years. It was for Schmalz's band that Stone began composing. He was inspired by the literature he learned in band, including works by Percy Grainger, George Rochberg, Leonard Bernstein, Vincent Persichetti, John Barnes Chance, Alfred Reed and Clifton Williams. During his Senior year he composed a work (juvenilia) entitled "The Day," which was awarded first place in the high school contest division of the Wisconsin Junior Academy of Arts. The Day was premiered on May 21, 1975 at Oshkosh West High School. Stone entered the Lawrence University Conservatory of Music in September of 1975. Immediately he began study with James Ming, a student of Darius Milhaud and Nadia Boulanger. Of more import, he was schooled in theory by Marjory Irvin, whom the composer credits with solidifying his knowledge of music theory. While at Lawrence, Stone performed in the Symphony Band under Prof. Fred Schroeder, the Symphony Orchestra under David Becker, and the Jazz Ensemble under Fred Sturm, who later headed the Jazz Studies Department at the Eastman School of Music before returning to Lawrence until the time of his death. During his senior year, Stone took compositional instruction from Steven Stucky, a one year replacement during Prof. Ming's sabbatical year. Stucky later taught composition at Cornell and won the Pulitzer Prize in music. Stone received his Bachelor’s degree in music education from Lawrence University in June of 1979 and was soon thereafter hired as Director of Bands at Cambria-Friesland High School. After two years teaching, he enrolled in the Music School at DePaul University in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago. There he was a student of Joseph Casey and Donald DeRoche and performed on Euphonium and Trombone in the Wind Ensemble, Tuba in the Symphonic Band. He has extensive experience as a conductor and teacher in both private and public schools in Wisconsin, Illinois, Florida, and Louisiana. He earned a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Wind Conducting at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, where he was a student of Eugene Migliaro Corporon. His many published works for band, string orchestra, and chamber ensembles have been performed by many of the world’s leading organizations, including the Cincinnati Wind Symphony, the University of North Texas Wind Symphony, the Philadelphia Wind Symphony, the Dallas Wind Symphony, the Longy Club of Boston, and the United States Marine Band. He is a pioneer in PDF music publishing and founded Maestro & Fox Music (www.maestroandfox.com) in 2007, where he serves as proprietor and editor-in-chief. Dr. Stone has provided CD liner notes for Klavier Records and GIA Publications that pertain to recordings by the Cincinnati Wind Symphony, the University of North Texas Wind Symphony, the Keystone Winds, and the United States Air Force Band. Several of his compositions have been selected for inclusion in the Teaching Music Through Performance in Band series, for which he has himself authored numerous contributions. Dr. Stone has served as Associate Producer on recordings by the DePauw University Band, The University of Kansas Wind Ensemble, The University of Georgia Wind Ensemble, and the University of North Texas Wind Symphony. Thomas Stone is currently Emeritus Professor of Music at Centenary College in Shreveport, Louisiana. He is Founder and Conductor of the Red River Wind Orchestra (www.redriverwindorchestra.org), an all-volunteer professional-level ensemble devoted to the experience of rehearsal and performance of quality symphonic band literature communicated to modern audiences. Dr. Stone has conducted regional and All-State ensembles throughout the United States and Canada and remains in demand as a clinician and guest-conductor. He is listed in Who's Who Among America's Teachers, and Who's Who In America. He is married to Soprano Jennifer Dowd (www.jenniferdowd.com).