Music Director

DR. CHRISTIAN WILHJELM

Dr. Christian Wilhjelm, Music Director of the Ridgewood Concert Band since its founding in 1983, has been praised by critics “for his classical conducting technique." In 1998, he took the band on a critically acclaimed tour of Central Europe and again, in 2003, to the French Riviera. With the RCB he has produced two compact discs (an online review may be found here). These recordings, “Organic Band” with organist David Fedor, and “Celebrations” featuring the music of composer Michael Valenti have been broadcast throughout North America and Europe. An additional cd featuring pianist Ron Levy and the music of Stravinsky, Milhaud, and Poulenc is currently in production.

From 2000-2005 Dr. Wilhjelm was the Music Director of the legendary Goldman Band in New York where he was credited with revitalizing the band and restoring its artistic standard. Dr. Wilhjelm served as the director of the New York University Wind Ensemble during the 2006-2007 school year presenting three premiere performances. His other conducting appearances have included the Norwalk Symphony (Connecticut), the Adelphi Chamber Orchestra, The Allentown Band, the Virginia Wind Symphony and student honor bands in several states. He also served as the interim director of bands at Montclair State University from 1994-1996. Since December 2000 he has conducted the annual Tuba Christmas with host Harvey Phillips in Rockefeller Center. This event, which features up to 500 tuba and euphonium players, is the second longest running holiday event in Rockefeller Center (second only to the annual tree lighting) and draws a crowd of tens of thousands. Dr. Wilhjelm has also enjoyed a 31 year career as a public school music teacher. For the past 24 years, he has been the band director at Pascack Hills High School in Montvale.

As a professional musician, Dr. Wilhjelm has performed the French horn with the Boston Symphony, the Boston Pops and, as a principal, with the Boston Ballet Orchestra, the Boston Opera Orchestra and the Richmond Symphony. He spent three summers performing in the Fellowship Orchestra at Tanglewood where he received the distinction of being named a Leonard Bernstein Fellow. Dr. Wilhjelm has performed with great conductors including Leonard Bernstein, Sir Colin Davis, Arthur Fiedler, William Steinberg, and Sejii Ozawa. He has also performed with many leading jazz and popular musicians including: Benny Carter, Art Farmer, Isaac Hayes, Rufus Reid, Sonny Rollins, Henry Mancini and Dionne Warwick.

Dr. Wilhjelm is proud to feature the music of contemporaries Patrick Burns, David Gillingham, John Mackey, David Sampson, Joan Tower, Joseph Turrin, Michael Valenti, Johan de Meij, and Eric Whitacre as well as the great composers long associated with the Goldman Band including Percy Grainger, Erik Leidzen, Robert Russell Bennett, John Philip Sousa, and Edwin Franko Goldman. In addition to his busy conducting schedule in the New York metropolitan area, he travels extensively promoting wind bands and band music.

Dr. Wilhjelm graduated from the New England Conservatory where he studied with Harry Shapiro of the Boston Symphony. He was the principal hornist with the Conservatory Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Gunther Schuller and the Conservatory Wind Ensemble under the direction of Frank Battisti. He received a Master of Music degree from The College of New Jersey and a Doctor of Education degree from Teachers' College, Columbia University. Dr. Wilhjelm continues to perform professionally as a hornist with the Colonial Symphony Orchestra, the New Philharmonic of New Jersey, and with the brass quintet in residence at the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark, NJ.

Dr. Wilhjelm resides in New Jersey with his wife, Jacqueline Sarracco, Director of Bands at Ramapo High School in Franklin Lakes, NJ and their four children.

Dr. Wilhjelm may be reached at cwilhjelm@msn.com.

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