The Manitowoc Symphony Orchestra, joined by Garth Neustadter, delighted a big house at the Capitol Civic Centre Saturday night with Broadway show tunes. It marked the last MSO show of the season and the final time as conductor for Wayne Wildman after 29 years. Wayne called it a “…wonderful night, of course so special for me.” We asked Wildman about the feelings flowing through him as he put the baton down for the final time, and he called it a “very bittersweet moment for me. A wonderful performance with this wonderful Manitowoc Symphony, but of course all things must come to an end, and this too.”
Wayne expressed his gratitude to Garth for joining him on his final night at the helm. Neustadter, a Manitowoc native and Emmy winning composer in Los Angeles, tells SeehaferNews.com it was a privilege to be part of the show. “It was really an honor for me to share part of it with him,” he told us. “This orchestra…has really had a lot of musical memories for me growing up, and we are gonna miss Wayne.”
Neustadter primarily focuses on composing commercial music for film, television and the advertising industry, but also just completed a big 6 part series for TNT, called “I Am the Night.” We asked him about some commercials people might recognize, and he mentioned Progressive and Geico as companies he comped for. He acknowledged that most people probably change the channel or turn it down when they come on, but since he gets paid every time they air he said they are “music to my ears.”
MSO Board executive director, Peggy Pitz, said a search committee has been formed to find a successor to Wayne Wildman & they’ve received more than 50-applications. She stated their hope is to have a new director by mid-June.
