Pacific Wind Bands
2024-25 Conservatory Performance Competition Winner: Hasina Torres, cello
Vu Nguyen, conductor
Giovanni Santos, guest conductor
Jonathan Latta, guest conductor
Jacquéline Hairston, graduate assistant conductor
Thursday, April 10, 2025
6:30 pm
Faye Spanos Concert Hall
The Last Flight Out (2025) (Consortium Premiere)
Catherine Likhuta (b. 1981)
La Última Llamada (2025) (Consortium Premiere)
Giovanni Santos, conductor
Elements: Petite Symphony (2010)
Jacquéline Hairston, conductor
Concerto for Cello and Wind Orchestra (1989) Ouverture
Hasina Torres, cello
One Life Beautiful (2010)
Run to the Light (2022)
Jonathan Latta, conductor
Giovanni Santos (b. 1980)
Brian Balmages (b. 1975)
Friedrich Gulda (1930–2000)
1961)
1983)
Julie Giroux (b.
Ivan Trevino (b.
Vu Nguyen is an associate professor of music and director of bands at University of the Pacific. He conducts the Pacific Wind Bands, and he teaches courses in conducting and music education. Nguyen maintains an active schedule as a clinician and has served as guest conductor with military bands as well as honor bands across the country. Ensembles under his direction have performed at state music educator conferences, at the Midwest Clinic, and at the College Band Directors National Association Conference.
A native of the San Francisco Bay Area, Nguyen holds degrees in conducting from the University of Washington and the University of Oregon, and he earned a Bachelor of Music degree in music education from University of the Pacific. Prior to his appointment at Pacific, he served in similar roles at the University of Connecticut, University of Indianapolis, and Washington University in St. Louis. He began his teaching career in the San Ramon Valley Unified School District. In addition to his academic career, Nguyen recently retired as an officer in the Air National Guard (ANG) where he was the commander and conductor of the ANG Band of the West Coast.
Giovanni Santos serves as director of bands and associate professor of music at La Sierra University where he teaches courses in conducting, composition, music education, popular music, and coordinates the graduate music program. Santos maintains a busy performance schedule as a guest conductor and composer and as a presenter for major conferences (CBDNA, Midwest, CASMEC, WASBE, and many more). His music is performed and commissioned by ensembles across the world and at venues such as Carnegie Hall, Disney Hall, and the Seiji Ozawa Hall. Premieres of his work have been performed across the world, most recently in Carnegie Hall, Tanglewood Music Festival, and Interlochen. Santos has been recognized for his work as a music educator and composer by the Minority Band Director's National Association (Midwest Clinic), a Pulitzer Prize nomination by the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley for his symphony, Dolores: AmeriCan, and 3 Grammy Music Educator nominations. Santos earned graduate degrees from the University of Southern California and Florida State University.
Jacquéline Hairston is the director of bands at Franklin High School and currently in her twelfth year as a music educator and her eighth year at Franklin High School. She received her degree in music education and clarinet performance from California State University, East Bay (formerly California State University, Hayward), and is currently pursuing a Master of Music in music education at University of the Pacific.
An active performer, Hairston performs with the Stockton Concert Band on clarinet and bass clarinet and continues her musical connection in the Bay Area by performing as a pit musician for children’s musical theatre companies during the winter and summer months.
Hairston is also a member of the California Band Directors Association, the Northern California Band Association, the Association of Black Women Band Directors, and the Minority Band Directors National Association.
Hasina Torres is a winner of the 2024-25 Conservatory Performance Competition. A versatile cellist, she is proud of her commitment to her musical community and she has been performing for nearly two decades. Torres is currently pursuing two majors at University of the Pacific: in music performance and in music therapy.
Torres has had the privilege of performing across the globe, in master classes with multiple cello masters, and as a section leader in multiple orchestras. Beyond the classical music, Torres is equally passionate about new/popular music. She has performed with Disturbed, Johnny Mathis, Dionne Warwick, and the Trans-Siberian Orchestra.
Following graduation, Torres will be pursuing an internship with the Louis Armstrong Department of Music Therapy at Mount Sinai Beth Israel, New York.
Jonathan Latta is an associate professor of practice in percussion and program director of ensembles at University of the Pacific. He has also maintained an active performing career as a percussionist, having performed with the Stockton Symphony, Modesto Symphony, and Sacramento Philharmonic and serving as principal for the Music in the Mountains Festival Orchestra in Durango, Colorado. Prior to moving to California in 2014, Latta was director of percussion studies for six years at Fort Lewis College in Durango, teaching applied percussion, percussion ensemble, non-Western music, orchestration, and jazz. Latta was chair of the University Pedagogy Committee for the Percussive Arts Society (PAS) for six years as well as a member of the PAS Education Committee.
From 2002 to 2006, Latta was a member of the United States Air Force Band of the Golden West, performing in over three hundred performances on percussion/timpani for the concert band, drum set for the Commanders Jazz Ensemble, marching percussion for the ceremonial band, and drum set for the Golden West Dixie Ramblers. These performances included the 2003 Tournament of Roses Parade, the 2004 Sacramento Jazz Jubilee, and the interment of former President Ronald W. Reagan.
Latta has performed as a chamber musician in the Durango Chamber Music Festival, the Animas Music Festival, and at the Percussive Arts Society International Conference. In 2019 Latta performed as a soloist at Carnegie Hall with University of the Pacific’s Symphonic Wind Ensemble. Most recently, Latta has been heard as a soloist and helped produce the Pacific Wind Bands’ recording, From a Deep Blue Sky (2024).
PACIFIC WIND BANDS
Pacific Wind Bands at University of the Pacific include students who represent music majors, minors, and non-majors from across Pacific. The ensemble performs at least four concerts each academic year. It provides students the opportunity to play a broad range of music for winds, brass, percussion, and keyboards drawn from a repertoire that honors the rich history of the past and looks to the future, ranging from chamber to full wind band instrumentation. Recent premieres and collaborations with composers include Kevin Bobo, Viet Cuong, Kevin Day, Catherine Likhuta, Giovanni Santos, and Alex Shapiro.
Flutes
Grace Coon
Riko Hirata
Emiko Nishimura-Simmons
Anshini Parikh
Arianna Pereyra
Ethan Williams
Oboes
Gabriel Jarata
Emily Zamudio
Clarinets
Mitchell Amos
Edmund Bascon
Audrey Ewing
Kaitlyn Ferreira
Justice Freeman
Tommy Galvin
Jacquéline Hairston
Vanessa Lopez
Joseph Schwarz
Andrew Seaver
Leah Troutt
Bassoons
Nadege Tenorio
Jess Vreeland
Saxophones
Ivan Barajas
Tristan McMichael
Marcus Rudes
Ves Turk
Horns
Marcelo Contreras
Jas Lopez
Don Parker
Skylar Warren
Trumpets
Parker Deems
Keagan Low
Alayna Ontai
Kamron Qasimi
Trombones
Bronson Burfield
Jayden Laumeister
Miguel Palma
Radley Rutledge
Euphonium
William Giancaterino
Tubas
Seth Morris
Alejandro Villalobos
Guitar
Don Parker
Double Bass
Kyle Saelee
Percussion
Hunter Campbell
Ryan Eads
Maddie Karzin
Casey Kim
Matthew Kulm
Jay Leandado
Jinling Li
Robert McCarl
Peter Norman
Keyboard
Judy Kim
Pacific Faculty Coaches
Brittany Trotter, flute
Kyle Bruckmann, oboe
Patricia Shands, clarinet
Ricardo Martinez, saxophone
Nicolasa Kuster, bassoon
Leonard Ott, trumpet
Sadie Glass, horn
Bruce Chrisp, low brass
Jonathan Latta, percussion
Sonia Leong, piano
Guy Powell, guitar
Kathryn Schulmeister, double bass
Jonathan Latta, ensembles program director
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