This week’s Cal Band Spotlight: meet Stefano Flavoni, a 2nd year Mellophone. He’s been deeply immersing himself in his newly-declared Music major by participating in a variety of musical activities, and combined with Cal Band, it’s sounds like a very fun and well-rounded musical experience!

“I’m currently enrolled in advanced instrumental conducting this semester, taught by UC Symphony conductor and music professor David Milnes. In class, we’re stuck on an obscenely tall podium when conducting the class orchestra, which is told to follow whatever our hands and gestures tell them to do – even when we’re completely wrong. In addition, we are thrown into the musical deep end by playing different scores every week on the piano (most recently, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, the Act I finale of Die Zauberflote, and Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto). 
To bolster my conducting regimen, Cal Band director Bob Calonico has me lead the University Wind Ensemble, for which I am making my conducting premiere May 2nd at San Mateo College! It has been an amazing experience, and it has given me a chance to explore the exclusively musical side of band.
Also, if you’ve been in the Cesar Chavez basement in the past few decades, you will have heard of BareStage, Cal’s oldest student-run theatre group. This semester, I was given the role of Music Director for a fantastically hysterical show "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” featuring several Cal Band members in the pit orchestra. With all the opportunities I’ve been given, it just makes playing brass for Cal Band even more of an amazing stepping stone towards my future in music. Go Bears!“ ~ Stefano Flavoni