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Robert Wendel
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Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut
Bridgeport, Connecticut
Bridgeport is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. Located in Fairfield County, the city had an estimated population of 144,229 at the 2010 United States Census and is the core of the Greater Bridgeport area...

 in 1951, Robert Wendel showed an early talent for music as a piano student, however, small hands and a broken left wrist redirected his musical interests towards conducting and composing/arranging when he attended the University of Connecticut
University of Connecticut
The admission rate to the University of Connecticut is about 50% and has been steadily decreasing, with about 28,000 prospective students applying for admission to the freshman class in recent years. Approximately 40,000 prospective students tour the main campus in Storrs annually...

 double majoring in chemistry and music. While at the university, Robert studied with Hale Smith
Hale Smith
Hale Smith was an American composer, pianist, educator, arranger, and editor. He was one of the most notable African American composers of the 20th century....

 and privately with Leroy Anderson
Leroy Anderson
Leroy Anderson was an American composer of short, light concert pieces, many of which were introduced by the Boston Pops Orchestra under the direction of Arthur Fiedler...

. He also served as assistant conductor of both the University Of Connecticut Symphony and the New Britain Symphony. After receiving his Master of Arts degree, Robert immersed himself in musical theater for several years before he moved to New York City and became an orchestra member and stand-by conductor at Radio City Music Hall
Radio City Music Hall
Radio City Music Hall is an entertainment venue located in New York City's Rockefeller Center. Its nickname is the Showplace of the Nation, and it was for a time the leading tourist destination in the city...

 under Don Pippin, and conductor/arranger for Carol Channing
Carol Channing
Carol Elaine Channing is an American singer, actress, and comedienne. She is the recipient of three Tony Awards , a Golden Globe and an Oscar nomination...

 and touring with "The Pirates Of Penzance" and "Evita".

In 1990 he started his own publishing/musical rental business, "Robert Wendel Music" while still touring with stars and shows, ending up with an international tour and VH-1 telecast as conductor for Harry Connick, Jr.
Harry Connick, Jr.
Joseph Harry Fowler Connick, Jr. is an American singer, big-band leader/conductor, pianist, actor, and composer. He has sold over 25 million albums worldwide. Connick is ranked among the top 60 best-selling male artists in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America, with...

 His first major arrangement was "A Classical Christmas Suite" and a steady stream of arrangements and new pops works, as well as lighter and more accessible classical works followed and continues to this day. He has been performed in eleven countries, has had multiple broadcasts, and his work appears on several albums for Telarc, Naxos
Naxos Records
Naxos Records is a record label specializing in classical music. Through a number of imprints, Naxos also releases genres including Chinese music, jazz, world music, and early rock & roll. The company was founded in 1987 by Klaus Heymann, a German-born resident of Hong Kong.Naxos is the largest...

, ABC Classics
ABC Classics
ABC Classics is the classical music record label within the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. It is internationally recognised as Australia's premier classical music label, with a catalogue of more than 500 titles...

, and others. Live performances and broadcasts have included the Cincinnati Pops, New York Pops, Atlanta, Houston, Baltimore, Cleveland, St. Louis, Dallas, Seattle, Flint, National, BBC, Royal Scottish National, Tasmanian, Bochum, Toronto, Edmonton, and many other orchestras, under conductors Erich Kunzel
Erich Kunzel
Erich Kunzel, Jr. was an American orchestra conductor. Called the "Prince of Pops" by the Chicago Tribune, he performed with a number of leading pops and symphony orchestras, especially the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra , which he led for over 44 years.-Early life and career:Kunzel was born to...

, Steven Reineke
Steven Reineke
Steven Reineke is a conductor, composer, and arranger from Cincinnati, Ohio. He is the Music Director of The New York Pops. He currently resides in New York City.-Biography:...

, Michael Krajewski, Sean O'Boyle, Carol Topilow, and many others.

His work has been featured every December since 2001 on the annual "Flint Symphony Orchestra Holiday Pops" telecast on WJRT-TV
WJRT-TV
WJRT-TV, channel 12, is the ABC-affiliated station for the Flint/Tri-Cities television market, owned by SJL Broadcasting. Its studios are located in Flint, Michigan, with offices and a second newsroom for the Tri-Cities located in Saginaw...

 12, at a memorial concert for the Challenger astronauts at The Kennedy Space Center
Kennedy Space Center
The John F. Kennedy Space Center is the NASA installation that has been the launch site for every United States human space flight since 1968. Although such flights are currently on hiatus, KSC continues to manage and operate unmanned rocket launch facilities for America's civilian space program...

, at a concert to honor the Tuskegee Airmen
Tuskegee Airmen
The Tuskegee Airmen is the popular name of a group of African American pilots who fought in World War II. Formally, they were the 332nd Fighter Group and the 477th Bombardment Group of the U.S. Army Air Corps....

, on the 2006 National Memorial Day Concert
National Memorial Day Concert
The National Memorial Day Concert is a free annual concert performed on the west lawn of the United States Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., in celebration of Memorial Day since 1989...

 to honor the opening of the National World War II Memorial
National World War II Memorial
The U.S. National World War II Memorial is a National Memorial dedicated to Americans who served in the armed forces and as civilians during World War II...

 telecast live nation-wide on PBS, and in 2009 as part of the Abraham Lincoln tribute, and again in 2011 for Gen. Colin Powell's welcome home to our troops on the National Mall.

As publisher "Robert Wendel Music" represents works by Sean O'Boyle (composer)
Sean O'Boyle (composer)
Sean O'Boyle is an Australian composer and conductor.His River Symphony was performed by the Queensland Orchestra and released on ABC Classics in 2007 on a CD that also included Concerto for Didgeridoo composed with and recorded by William Barton...

, Michael Gilbertson, Tracey Rush, Nancy Bloomer Deussen, William P. Perry
William P. Perry
William P. Perry is an American composer and television producer.-Life and career:Born in Elmira, New York in 1930, he attended Harvard University and studied with Paul Hindemith, Walter Piston, and Randall Thompson...

, Leroy Anderson
Leroy Anderson
Leroy Anderson was an American composer of short, light concert pieces, many of which were introduced by the Boston Pops Orchestra under the direction of Arthur Fiedler...

, Jerry Herman
Jerry Herman
Jerry Herman is an American composer and lyricist, known for his work in Broadway musical theater. He composed the scores for the hit Broadway musicals Hello, Dolly!, Mame, and La Cage aux Folles. He has been nominated for the Tony Award five times, and won twice, for Hello, Dolly! and La Cage...

, and others.

Work

Wendel's music is firmly rooted in tonality, melody, and the more classic pops sound of Leroy Anderson
Leroy Anderson
Leroy Anderson was an American composer of short, light concert pieces, many of which were introduced by the Boston Pops Orchestra under the direction of Arthur Fiedler...

, Robert Russell Bennett
Robert Russell Bennett
Robert Russell Bennett was an American composer and arranger, best known for his orchestration of many well-known Broadway and Hollywood musicals by other composers such as Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, Jerome Kern, Cole Porter, and Richard Rodgers. In 1957 and 2008, Bennett received Tony Awards...

, Richard Hayman
Richard Hayman
Richard Hayman is an American arranger, harmonica player, and conductor.Hayman started out as a player and arranger for the Borrah Minnevitch Harmonica Rascals before becoming an arranger for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios during the early 1940s. He did arrangements for the MGM films Girl Crazy,...

, and Jack Mason, with influences from Vaughan Williams and Alan Hovhaness
Alan Hovhaness
Alan Hovhaness was an Armenian-American composer.His music is accessible to the lay listener and often evokes a mood of mystery or contemplation...

. His output is focused on holidays, Americana/patriotic, comedy, and works for children and educational concerts. He has also written for "Cirque de la Symphonie" and for television.

Among his most notable and frequently performed works are his "Classical Christmas Suite" which revisits 5 Christmas Carols as if they were written by 4 classical composers, "Coventry Carol" as if it were written by Vaughan Williams, "Christmas a la Valse", and his originals: "Fanfare For Freedom, " "Commemoration, " and "Ride Of The Headless Horseman." "Fanfare For Freedom" has had the distinction of being the opening selections at the Atlanta Symphony's July 4 concerts for 7 years in a row, and "Commemoration" was featured on a 7 city tour by Erich Kunzel
Erich Kunzel
Erich Kunzel, Jr. was an American orchestra conductor. Called the "Prince of Pops" by the Chicago Tribune, he performed with a number of leading pops and symphony orchestras, especially the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra , which he led for over 44 years.-Early life and career:Kunzel was born to...

 and the Cincinnati Pops following the 9-11 tragedy.

Orchestral

  • "Fanfare For Freedom" (1994)
    • Premiered by the Atlanta Symphony
  • "The Tall Ships" (1999)
    • Premiered by the Tasmanian Symphony
  • "Commemoration" (2000)
    • Broadcast premiere by the National Symphony
  • "Parade Of The Percussionists" (2000)
    • Premiered by the Hilo Philharmonic
  • "Ride Of The Headless Horseman" (2001) - from "A Halloween Trilogy"
    • Premiered by The Queensland Symphony
  • "Take Flight" (2003)
    • Premiered by the Columbus Symphony
  • "The Pit And The Pendulum" (2004) - from "A Halloween Trilogy"
    • Premiered by the Chicago Civic Symphony
  • "Towers Of Light" (2006)
    • Premiered by The Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra
    • Named a finalist in the first "American Prize" in Orchestral Composition
  • "Trick Or Treat" (2006) - from "A Halloween Trilogy"
    • Premiered by the Hilton Head Orchestra
  • "Meditation" (2008)
    • Premiered by the University Of Wyoming Symphony
  • "Fanfare: Welcome Home" (2010)
    • Premiered by the Gulf Coast Symphony
  • "Caribbean Sleigh Ride" (2010)
    • Premiered by The Orlando Philharmonic
  • "The Wolf Was Framed!" (2011)
    • Premiered by the Cherokee Symphony, Lee Thorson conductor.
  • "The Poltergeist Polka" (2011)
    • Premiered by the Dayton Philharmonic

Vocal

  • "Christmas Through Children's Eyes" (2001)
    • Lyrics by Vince Trani
  • "Santa Dear" (2002)
    • Lyrics by Vince Trani and Robert Wendel
  • "The Bells Of Christmas" (2003)
    • Lyrics by Vince Trani
  • "Virginia, 1861" (2011) - For the sesquicentennial of the Civil War.
    • for S.A.T.B. choir, boys choir and orchestra from texts by Melville, and Joyce.
  • "It Wouldn't Be Christmas Without you" (2011)
    • Lyrics by Vince Trani
    • Premiered by the Arkansas Symphony

Arrangements

  • "The Armed Forces March" (1998)
  • "April Fool Concerto" (1994/2002)
  • "Back To The Fifties" (1999)
  • "Bali il Tarantella" (2009)
  • "Baroque Festival Overture" (2007)
  • "Carol Of The Bells" (1998)
  • "Chanukah Overture" (1995)
  • "Coventry Carol" (1995)
  • "An Evergreen Christmas" (2000)
  • "Fiesta Mexicana" (1991)
  • "The Flintstones Meets The Jetsons" (1994)
  • "From Sea To Shining Sea" (1993/1995)
  • "A George M. Cohan Overture." (1994)
  • "In The Manger" (1998)
  • "An Irish Trilogy" (1998)
  • "Jingle Fourth" (1990) - From "A Classical Christmas Suite"
  • "Jonny Quest March" (2005)
  • "Little Bolero Boy" (1990) - From "A Classical Christmas Suite" Also known as The Little Drummer Boy (Bolero)
  • "Meditation" (2006)
  • "An Old Fashioned Summer" (1998)
  • "The Orange Blossom Special" (1996)
  • "Orfeo's Rockatta" (2001)
  • "The Original Ragtime Band" (1995)
  • "Overture To A Merry Christmas" (1990) - From "A Classical Christmas Suite"
  • "Protest And Hope" (1997)
  • "Raymond Scott Music" (1993–1997)
    • Includes "Powerhouse, Dinner Music For A Pack Of Hungry Cannibals, Huckleberry Duck, The Penguin, The Toy Trumpet, Twilight In Turkey." Available through G. Schirmer
      G. Schirmer
      G. Schirmer Inc. is an American classical music publishing company based in New York City, founded in 1861. It publishes sheet music for sale and rental, and represents some well-known European music publishers in North America, such as the Italian Ricordi, Music Sales Affiliates ChesterNovello,...

  • "Rock Around The Clock" (1995)
  • "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" (2000)
  • "Saint Bailey's Rag" (1991)
  • "The Saint Louis Blues" (1994)
  • "The Smurf's March" (2005)
  • "A Stephen Foster Overture" (1992)
  • "Still, Still, Still" (2010)
  • "Surf's Up!" (1993)
  • "Swing Ludwig, Swing!" (1999)
  • "That's It, That's All... The End!" (2004)
  • "Under The Big Top" (2006)
  • "Viva Puccini" (1997)
  • "We Three Kings..." (1990) - From "A Classical Christmas Suite"
  • "When TV Was Young" (1999)

Edited Symphonic Performing Editions

  • "Overture from Goldilocks" by Leroy Anderson
    Leroy Anderson
    Leroy Anderson was an American composer of short, light concert pieces, many of which were introduced by the Boston Pops Orchestra under the direction of Arthur Fiedler...

  • "Overture from Hello Dolly" by Jerry Herman
    Jerry Herman
    Jerry Herman is an American composer and lyricist, known for his work in Broadway musical theater. He composed the scores for the hit Broadway musicals Hello, Dolly!, Mame, and La Cage aux Folles. He has been nominated for the Tony Award five times, and won twice, for Hello, Dolly! and La Cage...

  • "Overture from La Cage Aux Folles" by Jerry Herman
  • "Overture from Mack And Mabel" by Jerry Herman
  • "Overture from Mame" by Jerry Herman
  • "Overture from Milk And Honey" by Jerry Herman
  • "Overture from Gypsy" by Jule Stein
  • "Overture from Take Me Along" by Bob Merrill
    Bob Merrill
    Bob Merrill was an American songwriter, theatrical composer, lyricist, and screenwriter.Merrill was born Henry Merrill Levan in Atlantic City, New Jersey and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Following a stint with the Army during World War II, he moved to Hollywood, where he worked as a...

  • "This Lovely World" from "Gone With The Wind" by Leroy Anderson and Ogden Nash
    Ogden Nash
    Frederic Ogden Nash was an American poet well known for his light verse. At the time of his death in 1971, the New York Times said his "droll verse with its unconventional rhymes made him the country's best-known producer of humorous poetry".-Early life:Nash was born in Rye, New York...


Discography


External links


Listening

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