Dwayne Corbin
Dwayne Corbin is an experienced conductor of many genres, commended for his clear and expressive conducting and his practical and approachable rehearsal style. He serves as Professor of Instrumental Music at George Fox University, where he conducts the Chehalem Symphony and the George Fox Wind Ensemble. In the recent past, Corbin has served as Music Director of the Tilikum Chamber Orchestra, Assistant Conductor of the Juneau Symphony, and recently led concerts with Beaverton Symphony and the University of Portland Symphony.
Prior to this, Dwayne served as Music Director of the Shasta Symphony Orchestra for eight seasons, where he led inspiring traditional orchestral concerts, as well as pops shows, chamber music concerts, choral/orchestra events, and three years of “Symphony on the Beach” shows in partnership with the National Park Service. He also served for five years as the Resident Conductor of the North State Symphony, where he conducted the annual Youth Concert Series for nearly 4,000 students a year, among other duties.
Dwayne is also an accomplished classical percussionist and drum kit performer, is the principal percussionist of the Juneau Symphony, is a finalist for Principal Percussion for Newport Symphony, and previously held the position of Principal Percussionist in the North State Symphony for a dozen years. He has performed recently with many Portland area orchestras, including Newport, Vancouver, Portland-Columbia, Portland Chamber Orchestra, and the Salem Symphony. His composition Cage for One won first place in the 2009 Percussive Arts Society composition contest and is published by C. F. Peters.
Corbin earned a doctorate in conducting from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, has been a conducting Fellow for Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival, and has participated in conducting trainings at The Cabrillo Festival, New England Conservatory, and Northwestern University, among other locations. He also holds a master’s degree in percussion performance from Central Washington University and earned a bachelor’s degree in music education from Wheaton College Conservatory of Music. He has also previously served in other academic positions, including at Simpson University, Wheaton College, Shasta College, and as a public-school music teacher in the Seattle and Chicago suburbs. He resides in Newberg, Oregon, with his wife Caryn, and their two sons, Andrew and Peter.
Get to Know Dwayne
Q&A
What do you love most about conducting?
It is so thrilling to be able to work with talented musicians to bring a beautiful piece of art to life. Conducting is about collaboration—the same music is never the same event when I’m working with different performers, and furthermore, that music only exists in a specific moment in time. Finding the unique voice of the group I am working with and connecting with the local audience and performers are what excite and motivate me as a conductor!
What are some memorable experiences you have had as you’ve shared in community engagement/education?
When I was working with the North State Symphony in Redding & Chico, CA, I led an exciting series of concerts in four neighboring cities, and often had over 4,000 students attend, overall. Over the four years I led these, these shows were a true delight, where we could feature youth soloists from the region, and bring classical music to an audience that rarely had the opportunity to do hear it live. It also allowed us to collaborate with actors, narrators, vocalists, and video artists in ways that were different from traditional classical concerts. It was amazing to bring music to so many new audience members.
Can you tell us how you go about developing programs?
I begin by defining what the large keystone events of the season will be: these might be a choral collaboration, a tour, a guest artist, or even a “hardship” such as an unusual venue or date that we’ve been assigned. From there, I branch out to ensure that each concert has a masterwork that serves as the primary anchor for each concert: this often will define the personnel, and thus the budget, of that concert, as well as the mood and theme.
Once this skeletal form of the season has taken shape, I seek input and suggestions from orchestra members, especially the concertmaster and key principle players, to make sure they’re excited about what we’re performing, and to hear about repertoire I may not be familiar with. While considering these additional pieces, I look for ways to bring variety to each concert, both in terms of diverse composer voices, and also to ensure that the musical mood of each concert is multi-dimensional.
At this point, I have each performance drafted with a mix of core repertoire and multiple possible variations of companion pieces (such as overtures, chamber music, alternate symphonies, etc.). I take a step back to examine how the full season is balanced. By this point, my collaborators and I have a better idea of what our actual annual budget and marketing plan might be, and we have likely heard back on rental prices, so I adjust repertoire to fit these constraints, and then move to finalize the season or the stand-alone concert.
What excites you most about the Juneau Symphony?
Juneau has a rich history of artistic performance and community investment. I’ve been involved with the JS for 15 years now, primarily as a percussionist, but this will be my third concert on the podium. These experiences have been immensely rewarding, and the people who support the Symphony are such a joy! It’s clear that this city knows how unique the Symphony is, and is willing to support it through service, participation, and financial support. This enables us to make beautiful music as a gift back to this community, which gives our music such lovely authenticity.