The Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District will present the 64th Annual Stairway of the Starsin

Barnum Hall, on the Santa Monica High School campus in Santa Monica, early next month.

This event remains one of the most popular annual events in both the

cities of Santa Monica and Malibu, as it spotlights the talents of the

district's music students, teachers, and music curriculum.

This year, 26 bands, orchestras, and choirs will dazzle the audience at the

Stairway of the Stars concerts. 

In previous years, Stairway was held

at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium on Thursday and Friday evenings,

but due to the Civic’s recent closure, Stairway will be held at Barnum

Hall over three nights: Wednesday, March 6 (Orchestra only), Thursday

March 7 (Band only), and Friday March 8 (Choir only).

This

year’s Stairway concert will focus on the Choir program, and the guest

conductor for the 2013 Stairway will be Dr. Chris Peterson.

2013 Stairway Guest Conductor: Dr. Chris Peterson, Professor of Music at California State University, Fullerton

Peterson is Professor of Music at California State University, Fullerton where he directs the CSUF Concert Choir, the Titan Men’s Chorus,

and teaches classes in choral music education.

In spring 2011 he was

named the 2010-2011 Cal State Fullerton ASI Outstanding Educator of the

Year. From 2001–2007 he was Assistant Professor of Music at the

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Dr. Peterson taught music in the

public schools of Maine for nine years, including elementary, middle,

and high school music instruction.

He is the author of articles

published in the Music Educators Journal, is a contributing author for the textbook series Experiencing Choral Music, published in the United States by Glencoe, and is Series Editor, composer, and choral arranger for Hal Leonard’s Close Harmony Series for Men and the Close Harmony Collection.

Recently he held the position of State Choral Representative for the

California Music Educators Association (CMEA), and is currently the CMEA

Southern Section President.

Peterson was the Western Division

Technology Chair for the 2012 Reno Convention of the American Choral

Director’s Association (ACDA), and is currently the Southern Regional

Representative for the California Chapter of ACDA.

For six years Chris

conducted the Milwaukee Youth Chorale, a mixed honor choir for high school students affiliated with the Milwaukee Children's Choir.

Dr. Peterson maintains an active schedule as a choral clinician, guest

conductor, and judge for festivals and choral performance events across

the United States and internationally.

Recent engagements have taken him

to England, Sweden, Japan, and New Zealand. In his spare time, Chris

sings bass with the Masters of Harmony, eight-time International

Men’s Chorus Champions of the Barbershop Harmony Society.

He earned the

Bachelor of Science in Music Education from the University of Southern

Maine, and the Master of Music in Choral Conducting from the University

of Maine.

He earned the Doctor of Philosophy in Choral Music Education

and Conducting from Florida State University where he studied with

Rodney Eichenberger, Andre Thomas, and Clifford Madsen.

2013 Stairway Honor Award Recipient: Santa Monica Kiwanis Club

Each

year, the district’s 23 music teachers nominate and vote on the

“Stairway Honor Award Recipient.”

This award is presented to a former

student, teacher or organization that has contributed enormously to the

advancement of music and arts education in the Santa Monica-Malibu

Unified School district.

This year, the 2013 Stairway Honor Award

recipient will be the Kiwanis Club of Santa Monica.

This year, the ensembles that will perform at Stairway of the Stars are the All-District Elementary Honor

Orchestra

and Middle and High School Orchestras (Wednesday, 3/6): Elementary,

Middle, and High School Bands (Thursday, 3/7); and Middle and High

School Choir (Friday, 3/8). 

Overall, there are approximately 1,000

student performers involved in the event. 

Make A Donation

Make a donation to support the extraordinary quality of the SMMUSD Music Program.

This

year, you can include a donation when you pay for your tickets.

General ticket sales are open to the public.Remaining tickets are for sale at $15 per ticketat Barnum Hall Box Office on the night of each performance starting at 5:30 p.m.

On Wed., March 6, tickets will be sold for the March 6 concert only;

on Thurs., March 7, tickets will be sold for the March 7 concert only;

and on Friday, March 8, tickets will be sold for the March 8 concert

only.