Greg Yasinitsky, emeritus professor, music, released two versions of his new holiday song, “It’s Santa!,” on Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube, Amazon, Deezer, and other platforms. One version features emeritus faculty Yasinitsky on saxophone, Horace Alexander Young as vocalist, and David Jarvis on drums, along with current music faculty A.J. Miller and Sarah Miller on trombones, and alumnus David Larsen on saxophone.
Yoon Wha “Yuna” Roh, assistant professor, career track, music, won Grand Prize in the London International Music Competition.
WSU Jazz Big Band, led by Greg Yasinitsky, Regents professor, music, won DownBeat magazine’s 2022 Graduate College Large Jazz Ensemble Award recognizing the quality of the band’s asynchronous virtual recordings included on the group’s latest CD, “Jazz During Lockdown.”
Gregory Yasinitsky, Regents professor, and Danh Pham, associate professor, music, premiered Yasinitsky’s composition “On the Air,” commissioned by Northwest Public Broadcasting to celebrate the broadcaster’s 100th anniversary and performed by the WSU Symphony Orchestra with Pham conducting. Yasinitsky also orchestrated themes from “On the Air” for solo piano and WSU faculty and student ensembles recorded them in the WSU Recording Studio.
In addition, the McCall (Idaho) SummerFest Orchestra commissioned Yasinitsky to compose a new work to celebrate the festival’s 10th anniversary; it is set to premiere in July.
Gregory Yasinitsky, Regents professor, music, participated in the premiere of his commissioned composition “Sioux Center Shuffle” in Sioux Center, Iowa. He wrote the work especially for the Sioux Center High School Jazz Band. While there, Yasinitsky presented clinics and performed in concert as a guest artist with the Sioux Center ensemble.
Yasinitsky also performed recently as a guest artist at the Coeur d’Alene Charter Academy in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. The program included Yasinitsky’s compositions “Flatten That Curve” and “Best of Friends.”
Yasinitsky recently also served as guest artist and commissioned composer at the Peaks Jazz Festival in Highland, Utah. The program included Yasinitsky’s new composition “Original Ray.”
In addition, Yasinitsky signed an agreement with iJazz Publications to internationally release several of his compositions, including: “Best of Friends,” “Lone Stars,” “Conspiracy Theory,” and “Flatten That Curve.”
Greg Yasinitsky, Regents professor, music, was a featured saxophonist with Cassio Vianna’s Jazz Orchestra at the international conference of the Jazz Education Network in Dallas, Texas. Yasinitsky also recently received an ASCAP Plus Award from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. He has received ASCAP Plus awards every year since 1986.
Chris Dickey, assistant professor, music, released their fourth solo tuba album, Panorama, available on Apple Music, iTunes, and Spotify.
Scott Blasco, associate professor, music, published his composition One Day as a Thousand Years, performed by R. Andrew Lee on piano and released through Irritable Hedgehog Music.
A.J. Miller, assistant professor, career track, music, received a Global Music Awards Silver Medal for Instrumental Music for his compact disc Scenes, released by Washington State University Recordings, with Yoon-Wha Roh, assistant professor of music, career track, featured on piano.
Greg Yasinitsky, Regents professor, music, released a new CD, YAZZ Band: New Normal on Origin Records. Recorded partially in the WSU Recording Studio, it features Yasinitsky’s compositions and saxophone playing, and music faculty members Horace Alexander Young, Gabe Condon, Jake Svendsen, F. David Snider, and David Jarvis, professor emeritus. Other recent releases from Yasinitsky include String Theory, featuring his compositions for saxophone and strings with WSU faculty, including music’s Meredith Arksey and Ruth Boden; and “Gregory W. Yasinitsky | Jazz Concerto | Version for Piano and Wind Ensemble.”