‘Pulsing Onward,’ Dr. Gary Gilroy’s farewell season

May 28, 2025.Reading time 19 minutes.

Dr. Gary Gilroy directs the Fresno State Wind Orchestra for the last time in the Concert Hall.

Surrounded by family and friends, in the shadow of the Sierra Nevada peaks, Gary Gilroy was presented with an original musical score, “Pulsing Onward – A California Pastorale,” by James M. David, in honor of his life in music.

Graduating senior becomes Fresno State’s first Presser Scholar Award recipient

May 20, 2025.Reading time 4 minutes.

Shakira Delgado in her graduation regalia holds her 2025 Presser Foundation Award

Shakira Delgado, a graduating senior clarinetist at California State University, Fresno, has been named an Undergraduate Presser Foundation Music Scholar.

Jazz Orchestra earns ‘outstanding performance’ from DownBeat Magazine

May 14, 2025.Reading time 2 minutes.

The 2025 Fresno State Jazz Orchestra in front of the music building with their instruments. Director, Richard Giddens squats in the front.

The Fresno State Jazz Orchestra was recognized in DownBeat Magazine for its “Undergraduate College Outstanding Performance” in its 48th annual Student Music Awards.

In Memoriam: William “Ritchie” Clendenin

May 1, 2025.Reading time 6 minutes.

Ritchie Clendenin with his mother, June.

Dr. William “Ritchie” Clendenin, United States Marine Band veteran and professor emeritus of trumpet at California State University, Fresno, died on April 3, 2025. He was 82.

Annual ‘Walk in Peace’ concert celebrates Black History Month and MLK

February 4, 2025.Reading time 1 minute.

Black and white photos of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

“It’s just such a special night. There’s an atmosphere that is created within this concert. It’s a night full of hope and peace. It’s a night for the community.” ~Dr. Cari Earnhart

‘The Wild Called Maxx’ combines pop, jazz and art to reimagine classic story

February 4, 2025.Reading time 2 minutes.

Illustration of a young woman named Maxx with her back to the view and her hands stretched up while monsters appear to happily party.

Inspired by Maurice Sendak’s “Where the Wild Things Are,” assistant professor of trombone Dr. Russ Zokaites reimagines and modernizes the classic story with a twist.

Fresno State School of Music presents Puccini’s ‘La bohème’

January 23, 2025.Reading time 2 minutes.

Illustration of a couple kissing while the snow falls in Paris and the Eiffel Tower in the background.

First performed in 1896, this timeless opera follows a group of young, impoverished artists navigating young love, friendship, poverty and sacrifice in the Latin Quarter of Paris.

Alumni Voices – Kirstyn Olsen: trading the spotlight for a brighter purpose

December 12, 2024.Reading time 6 minutes.

“It’s about seeing the light in my students’ eyes when they accomplish something they didn’t think possible. That joy—theirs, not mine—became my spark.” ~ Kirstyn Olsen

Bulldog Marching Band: Road to the Rose Parade

November 14, 2024.Reading time 14 minutes.

The Bulldog Marching Band at the Veterans Day Parade in Downtown Fresno.

The Bulldog Marching Band is one of 20 bands that will perform at the 136th Rose Parade on January 1, 2025.

FOOSA Philharmonic enters Grammy race with Mahler 5 consideration for ‘Best Orchestral Performance’

October 30, 2024.Reading time 3 minutes.

FOOSA Philharmonic Orchestra performs at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Downtown Los Angeles.

FOOSA Philharmonic, a collaboration between the Youth Orchestras of Fresno (YOOF) and California State University, Fresno, announced their recording of Mahler’s Symphony No. 5, released by Tonsehen, has been made Grammy-eligible and is currently awaiting First Round Voting for a potential nomination in the “Best Orchestral Performance” category.