The Wellston Winds is a community band made of musicians from the Middle Georgia area. Formed in 2011, the Wellston Winds seek to provide enjoyable, interesting, and engaging musical performances for Warner Robins and the surrounding areas. The group’s membership includes local music educators, professional musicians, and advanced high school students. Under the direction of  Lloyd McDonald, the Wellston Winds is looking forward to kicking off a great season for the Warner Robins Community Concert Association.

Classical guitarist Luther Enloe possesses a distinctively resonant sound quality, lyrical phrasing, and technical finesse. John Sutherland, his teacher at the University of Georgia, has said, “His performances are wonderful. His sound is one of the best I have ever heard, and his knowledge and musicianship I pay attention to.” The expressive command of his live performances has received acclaim from concert presenters and audience members alike:

“His sense of line is both lyrical and nuanced and his tone impeccable. His performance was a study in orchestration for students of the guitar as he expertly exploited the wide range of color so many modern guitarists have seemed to have forgotten. Enloe is a Romantic in the best sense of the word and he left this audience wanting more"

--Terry Cantwell, Concert Presenter and Guitar Instructor, Mercer University

“Luther captivates his audience through the beauty and intensity of his performance, while he engages even audience members who are less than fans of classical guitar.”

--David A. Brose, Folklorist/Concert Presenter, John C. Campbell Folk School

“Our ‘Live! at the Library’ concert goers thoroughly enjoyed his masterful performance and his informative introductions to pieces. Attendees sung his praises as they exited, exclaiming: ‘What a gifted musician!’ and ‘Invite him back soon!’”

-Clare Auwarter, Asst. Director for Grants and Programming, Athens Regional Library System

An active recitalist, recording artist, and clinician, Dr. Enloe has recorded for Sonic Grapefruit Records and has appeared in the southeastern and northwestern United States. Recent solo recital engagements include performances at the University of Alaska, Anchorage, Fickling Hall, in Macon, Georgia, Ramsey Concert Hall in Athens, Georgia, Frost Chapel in Mount Berry, Georgia, the Susan B. Harris Chapel in Young Harris, Georgia, Hoag Auditorium in Dahlonega, Georgia, Max Noah Recital Hall in Milledgeville, Georgia, John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, North Carolina, the Ursuline Centre in Great Falls, Montana, and the Emerson Center for Arts and Culture in Bozeman, Montana. He has appeared as a guitar soloist and chamber musician with numerous ensembles, including Joaquin Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez with the Atlanta Philharmonic Orchestra, the U.S. premiere of Enjott Schneider’s oratorio Klange des Lichts in collaboration with the Vega String Quartet and the Glenn Chancel Choir at Emory University; as well as performances with the Berry Singers, the Montana State University Chorale, the Dekalb Choral Guild, and the Peachtree Symphonic Winds.

In 2011, he earned the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Georgia under the guidance of John Sutherland and David Starkweather. His dissertation, The Technique and Artistry of Melodic Phrasing in the Spanish Classical Guitar Tradition, elucidates four hundred years of melodic aesthetics and techniques found in the writings and music of Spain’s most prominent guitar composers.

A dedicated teacher, Dr. Enloe holds the positions of Part-Time Instructor of Guitar at Georgia State University and Artist Affiliate in Guitar at Emory University.

His students have performed in master classes with Christopher Parkening, Sharon Isbin, Pepe Romero, Angel Romero, David Tanenbaum, John Sutherland, Dieter Hennings, and Rovshan Mamedkuliev. Additionally, students from Luther Enloe’s studio were finalists in the 2013 International Home of the Legends Thumbpicking Competition in Muhlenberg, Kentucky, and the Finger-Style Guitar Division of the 2013 Georgia State Fair Fiddlers’ Convention Competition. In 2010, Luther Enloe was an advisor in the development of performance standards for middle and high school guitar classes for the Georgia Department of Education and Georgia Music Educators Association. In 2012, he was appointed the first Guitar Chair for the Georgia Music Educators Association and in 2014 Luther Enloe was appointed as a board member to the ASTA Guitar-in-the-Schools Task force. He lives in Lawrenceville, Georgia with his wife, Victoria, and their son, Cole.

Joe Gransden Public Relations Information Trumpeter/vocalist moves forward in his promising career At 42 Years old, Joe Gransden has already performed worldwide and released eight CDs under his own name. Renowned first for the hard bop approach of his trumpet, Gransden’s singing voice has been compared to that of Chet Baker and Frank Sinatra. “When I first heard Joe nine years ago, I immediately thought of Chet,” says Jazziz magazine critic James Rozzi, “but lately his voice has taken on its own style with a deeper resonance. His trumpet has always alternated lyricism with an aggressive, angular approach. He has the ability to cover the gamut of emotions.” Joe is from just north of Manhattan, New York. Coming from a family full of musicians, Joe’s introduction to music came early on through his father, a gifted singer and pianist. His grandfather was a trumpeter of merit, playing professionally his whole life throughout New York. On his mother’s side of the family was the piano virtuoso Carmen Cavallero. “Music has been a part of my life as far back as I can remember,” says the unassuming Joe Gransden. “I can remember practicing with my father, and eventually him taking me along to sit in at jam sessions. Early on I developed a respect for individuals like my father whose lives revolved around music. While still in high school, I knew that music was the life I would choose.” Not long after high school, Joe was on the road as a sideman with the big bands of Tommy Dorsey and Glenn Miller. A number of A.F.M. contracted sideman gigs include Barry White, The Moody Blues, Kenny Rogers, The Temptations, Aretha Franklin, The Whispers, etc. Eventually moving to New York City, he performed with numerous groups, including sub work with Toshiko Akiyoshi and Chico O’Farrill at the famous Birdland Jazz Club. Meanwhile, Joe formed his own group, which performed in Brooklyn each week and included the venerable guitarist Joe Cohn and ex-Betty Carter bassist, Matt Hughes. “Having my own group and being fortunate enough to travel, play, and record has been a dream come true,” says Joe. (Over) “Exploring the music with a steady group of great players has enabled me to continually grow.” Joe Gransden growing legion of fans around the country have obviously taken note. In Atlanta, where Joe plays steadily 5-6 nights a week in as many venues, his loyal following includes an array of people from blue-collar workers to upper crust businessmen and businesswomen who all share a love of good music. Like many developing jazzmen, Gransden’s early influences, which include Kenny Dorham and Miles Davis, were easily recognizable in his playing throughout his formative years. “Emulating the jazz greats is always the very first step,” says the historically-rooted Gransden. “But obviously, in order to be true to myself—who I am, what I believe in, my family background—I need to have a sound that’s my own. It’s taken me until recently to hone in on that voice and explore its potential. One of the truly enjoyable things about my career has been finding that my audience appreciates my individual talents.” A widening schedule has found Joe performing the 1st and 3rd Mondays of every month at Café 290 in Atlanta w/his 16 Piece Big Band , The Jazz Corner in Hilton Head, South Carolina, The Ritz-Carlton at Reynolds Plantation W/Michael Fienstein, The Museum of Art and Design in midtown Manhattan, Spivey Hall in Atlanta, Ga and Tehema Golf Club in Carmel, California (where Joe regularly plays events for Clint Eastwood). Joe also just released his brand new cd “Close To My Heart” produced by Saxophone great Kenny G. The cd is a collection of smooth jazz covers and originals written by Joe and Kenny. Joe has been performing w/Kenny G and his band around the country for the past year or so. His brand new project entitled “Live At Cafe 290, It’s A Beautiful Thing” features Joe singing and playing w/his 16 piece Big Band! The CD and LP have been getting great reviews and lots of airplay around the country. Pick your copy up today on Joe’s website, ITUNES, CDBABY etc…. www.joegransden.com

Formed by some of the top professional musicians in the Southeast, members of the Midtown Brass Quintet have performed with the Atlanta Symphony, Atlanta Opera, and numerous other regional groups.The group is made up of Paul Poovey and Jonathan Swygert on trumpet, Alan Brown on French horn, Hollie Lawing on trombone, and Bill Pritchard on tuba. The quintet plays an array of musical styles, including classical, jazz, pop, and commercial music.

​

http://midtownbrassquintet.com/

As an avid performer of the music of J. S. Bach and Leoš Janáček, Misuzu Tanaka has established herself as an artist of remarkable individuality with a rare combination of poetic sensitivity and breathtaking virtuosity. Recently hailed by critics as a pianist “…who dispatched everything with both dizzying speed and sensitivity”, she is the winner of many prestigious competitions including First Prize at the Poland Music Festival Competition and Second prize at the Joan and Daniel Rutenberg Chamber Music Competition.

Ms. Tanaka presented highly acclaimed recitals at Alice Tully Hall in New York, Gewandhaus in Leipzig, Germany, Villa Bertramka, Mozart Museum in Prague and Mest’anská Beseda in Pilsen, Czech Republic. She was invited as a special guest artist to perform for former U.S. Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, as well as former Ambassador of the Slovak Republic, Ronald Weiser.

An advocate of modern music, she collaborated with many prominent living composers and gave the World Premieres of works by Paul Moravec (Pulitzer Prize Winner), Alberto E. Colla, and Ivan Božičević. As an avid chamber musician, Ms. Tanaka has also collaborated with prominent artists including James Dunham (Cleveland Quartet), Robert Merfeld, Richard Faria, and members of the National Symphony Orchestra.

Misuzu Tanaka was invited to prestigious summer music festivals in the United States and Czech Republic such as Bowdoin International Music Festival, Prague International Piano Masterclasses, and International Music Academy in Pilsen where she studied with famed Czech pianist Ivan Moravec.

Ms. Tanaka studied piano at the Juilliard School with Martin Canin and Chamber music with Jacob Lateiner, Seymour Lipkin, and Robert Mann. She holds a Masters in Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees from the University of Michigan where she was full scholarship recipient studying with Dr. Logan Skelton.

Nadine Cheek, mezzo-soprano, is a native of Georgia, where she completed a BM at Wesleyan College (’79), studying with Norman McLean. She earned a Masters degree in Vocal Performance at the College Conservatory of Music in Cincinnati.Edward Eikner attended Baylor on a Van Cliburn scholarship and did all his graduate work at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York. Ms. Cheek is heard frequently in concert and recital across the United States and in Europe. Mr. Eikner has performed on five continents and is constantly invited for return engagements including dozens of tours of Europe, Asia, and South America.

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​