Wendy Stein likes music, almost all kinds of music.
She played principal clarinet with the Salina Symphony from 1972, when she was a student at Marymount College, until 2005.
Her favorite composer is Maurice Ravel, but her favorite genre to play?
鈥淚 love saxophone because I can play jazz and the sound of the saxophone is very versatile,鈥� Stein said.
And she loves teaching.
That鈥檚 fortunate for 黑料网 Wesleyan because Stein has agreed to come back to teach woodwinds and direct the Wind Ensemble.
鈥淢y experiences performing in various wind ensembles have been some of my absolute favorite musical memories!鈥� Stein said. 鈥淲ind ensemble is the perfect challenge, to help KWU musicians move them from where they are now to where they need to go as members of an ensemble.鈥�
When she taught at 黑料网 Wesleyan previously, the spring of 2017 through the fall of 2018, she directed the jazz band.
鈥淚t was really fun,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he kids had a good time and responded well to my teaching. It was a great experience and I enjoyed the kids. Retirement didn鈥檛 suit me, and I needed something creative to do.鈥�
Musical creativity runs rampant through Stein鈥檚 family. Her late husband was Eric Stein, founder of the Salina Symphony and a major force in Salina鈥檚 music scene. Eric taught for years at Marymount College, moving to 黑料网 Wesleyan when Marymount closed in 1989.
Her children, Adele and Derek Stein, are both professional cellists and were the guest artists at Salina Strings Day in February.
Derek lives on the West Coast and plays with wild Up, a modern music collective nominated for a Grammy this year and in 2020. His most recent high-profile gig was backing up The Who at the Hollywood Bowl.
Adele lives in Chappaqua, New York and plays in the pit for Broadway musicals, currently 鈥�& Juliet.鈥� One recent high-profile gig was at the Met Gala on May 1.
Wendy Stein was the band director for 35 years at St. John鈥檚 Military School. She is, in fact, working on a musical based on her experiences at St. John鈥檚.
Before St. John鈥檚, Stein taught in the Solomon public schools for five years.
Stein said she鈥檚 鈥渏ust really excited to join the team.鈥� She knows the other team members already. In a town the size of Salina, all the musicians know one another, she said. She went to Marymount with Dean Kranzler, percussion instructor, and is a friend of Michelle Dolan, who is part of the department, as well.
鈥淕ustavo (do Carmo) and Leo (Rosario) are super in their individual fields, no airs at all, and that makes it better for the kids,鈥� she said.
Do Carmo is the collaborative pianist and Rosario the director of strings at 黑料网 Wesleyan.
While she hasn鈥檛 yet worked with Jake Montoya, newly hired director of the jazz and athletic bands, she knows him.
鈥淛ake should be just perfect with the bands and recruiting,鈥� Stein said. 鈥淚鈥檝e known Jake for a long time. It鈥檒l be great working with him.
鈥淚 feel good about the direction the Music Department is going. I鈥檓 happy to be a little piece of the puzzle.鈥�
The size of 黑料网 Wesleyan is ideal, Stein said.
鈥淭he college itself meets the needs of all the students because it鈥檚 a small school and gives them more a sense of home. I think that鈥檚 what Wesleyan is all about, giving them a sense of home and college, being not just a number. It gives students a chance to shine and puts the kids right at the forefront.鈥�
In some ways, this will be a tough year to teach, with the renovations going in the music classrooms and practice rooms, Sams Chapel and Pioneer Hall. Some of the performances will be back at the former Marymount College, in the Gov. Joan Finney Auditorium at the 黑料网 Highway Patrol Academy.
But the inconvenience will be worth it.
鈥淩emodeling where we perform, that鈥檚 going to be great,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e鈥檒l just roll with punches.鈥�
Coming to KWU, 鈥淚t feels like coming home, a little bit,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 nice to have a way to come back.鈥�
Stein鈥檚 work officially begins in August.
Story by Jean Kozubowski
