Andrew Sherman
Audio By Carbonatix
For classical music lovers in North Texas, there have been few more reliable staples for local entertainment over the last two decades than The Lone Star Wind Orchestra. Founded in April 2006, the organization has remained steadfast in its mission to focus on music education and community engagement.
Throughout those 20 years, the Lone Star Wind Orchestra has accomplished some pretty notable feats. Just two years into its productions, the organization released its first CD on the NAXOS Records label. High-profile concerts have included performances of music from The Lord of the Rings, a special performance with lauded Dallas opera singer Alfrelynn J. Roberts and various genres and sounds in between.
Now, to wrap a bow on two decades of music, the group is celebrating with a 20th Anniversary Season Celebration on Sunday, Feb. 22, at 3 p.m. at the Meyerson Symphony Center.
Led by director Eugene Migliaro Corporon, the celebration will begin with a performance of “American Overture” by Joseph Wilcon Jenkins, followed by other compositions, like Kevin Poelking’s “Green Whispers.” The Lone Star Youth Winds will also be on hand to perform pieces such as Tyler Grant’s “All the Earth and Air.”
The penultimate piece in this celebration will be Michael Daugherty’s “Last Dance at the Surf,” a relatively new creation with extremely expansive sonic sensibilities. The work is a 15-minute odyssey through musical sounds that range from “jaunty” to “propulsive.” This celebratory showcase’s deployment of a more contemporary piece like “Surf” is already an exciting sign for what the group plans to bring to the stage. It won’t just be standard, run-of-the-mill orchestral concert tunes.
“La Chancla” by Dennis Llinas and the Clifton Williams piece titled “The Sinfonians” will wrap up this grand musical outing. The latter track is an incredibly bombastic, powerfully stirring composition, leaning heavily on soaring horns and crashing cymbals, evoking a bit of Igor Stravinsky’s “The Firebird.”
Among the night’s performers is Dallas-born pianist Aaron Kurz. For this show, Kurz will be performing composer Nancy Galbraith’s “Concerts for Piano and Winds,” an endeavor Kurz has found to be exhilarating.
“[Gailbraith] gives artists a lot of leeway in their interpretation of her works,” Kurz says. “Which is really appreciated as a performer, since you feel like you can truly put your own spin on it.”
If there’s anyone who could be trusted to take a composition in bold new directions, it’s someone like Kurz. His musical experiences have taken him around the world, including Carnegie Hall. The Lone Star Wind Orchestra securing his talents for this 20th Anniversary Season Celebration speaks highly to the talent this institution can now attract. In his time preparing for this event, Kurz has been impressed with the level of creative symmetry the Lone Star Wind Orchestra members have developed.
“What has stuck out to me during my work with the group is the quality of the people there,” Kurz tells us. “Sometimes, there can be friction with putting performances together; that, however, hasn’t remotely been the case with Lone Star. Everyone I’ve interacted with has been a wonderful person, and it’s just such a lovely experience to work with them on a personal level. Clicking with people personally makes the music-making that much easier.”
Such musical harmony bodes well for this audacious concert, and for the positive social experiences this institution has fostered over two decades. This celebration is an opportunity to relish the distinctive connections the Lone Star Wind Orchestra has built. It’s also a chance to once again appreciate Dallas’ immense standing in the wider fine arts landscape. Something like the Lone Star Wind Orchestra couldn’t endure for two decades in just any city. Dallas, meanwhile, has nurtured and let this program flourish.
“Dallas is an incredible center for classical music, and it was a privilege to have my formative years in the area,” Kurz says. “World-class artists are constantly coming through town, both for orchestra performances and solo recitals.”
Tickets for the Lone Star Wind Orchestra’s 20th Anniversary Season Celebration on Sunday, February 22, 2026, at 3 p.m. are available now.