Clarence Padilla, professor of music and chair of the music department at Drake, will lead the Des Moines Metro Concert Band and the Metro Big Band at Music Under the Stars, one of central Iowa’s longest running performing arts series. The series features six performances starting June 17.
Padilla has been at Drake since 1993 and is very active in the music and arts community at Drake and in Des Moines. He has performed, conducted, and presented master classes across the United States and internationally. He is a member of the Des Moines Symphony and has frequently performed as a woodwind musician for Broadway touring shows including Wicked, Mary Poppins, South Pacific and 42nd Street. He has released two solo albums and has played alongside many talented musicians.
Music Under the Stars will take place at the West Capitol Grounds every Sunday from June 17– to July 22. Two Drake faculty members will also perform as guest soloists: James Romain, assistant professor of saxophone and jazz studies, on June 24, and Andrew Classen, Fred and Patty Turner Professor in Jazz Studies and director of jazz studies, on July 8.