Conductor

CONDUCTOR
DR. EDWARD HIGGINS

Pacific Crest Wind Symphony is proud to perform under the direction of Dr. Edward Higgins. Dr. Higgins is currently the Director of Bands at Portland State University, where he has taught and conducted since 2005. Prior to joining the faculty at PSU, Dr. Higgins served as Associate Director of Bands at Washburn University. During his five year tenure, he co-directed the Washburn Symphonic Wind Ensemble to four appearances at the Kansas Music Educators Conference and one appearance at the College Band Directors National Association Regional Conference. An accomplished performer and conductor with over two decades of professional experience, Dr. Higgins began his musical career on high brass, receiving a bachelor’s degree in trumpet from California Institute of the Arts. While completing bachelors and master’s degrees in trumpet performance at the Juilliard School, he was a regular performer with the Lincoln Center Outreach Program. He earned his Doctor of Musical Arts Degree in conducting from the University of Missouri - Kansas City. His professional career began with two seasons as principal trumpet for the Spoleto Festival wind symphony (Spoleto Italy) during which time he appeared on a Grammy-award winning recording of Samuel Barber’s Anthony and Cleopatra.

Dr. Higgins went on to become the Principal Trumpet of the Sacramento Symphony from 1983 - 1987. While in California, he earned a reputation as one of the state’s leading brass educators, serving on artist faculties at the University of California-Davis, California State University at Sacramento, and Delta College. Dr. Higgins now performs exclusively on tuba and is a Yamaha Clinician. He currently serves as the principal tubist with the La Crosse (Wisconsin) Symphony and the St. Joseph (Missouri) Symphony wind symphonys and formerly held the tuba post with the Missouri Brass. He has also appeared with the Kansas City and Topeka Symphonies.

His other conducting activities includes appearances with the La Crosse (WI) Symphony wind symphony Winds, Lawrence (KS) Chamber wind symphony and the La Crosse (WI) Municipal Band. He has studied conducting with Robert Halseth, Allan McMurry Tim Hankewich and Gary W. Hill and been a conducting symposium participant under Frederick Fennell, Alan McMurry, John Whitwell, and H. Robert Reynolds.

Dr. Higgins' edition of Robert Russell Bennett’s 'Suite of Old American Dances' is published by Hal Leonard Publishing and currently serves as the model for a new line of re-issued master works.