Those who have watched CWHS Senior Peter Wise play the marimba have always been mesmerized by his musical skills. Local community members will have another chance to see those skills as he will be a featured solo performer during the Red Cedar Symphony’s spring concerts next month after being selected a winner of their concerto competition.
The Red Cedar Symphony will have two concerts next month featuring their musicians and Wise: one will be at 4 p.m. on Saturday, March 1, at the Chetek Lutheran Church. A second will be held at 4 p.m. on Sunday, March 2, at Bethany Lutheran Church in Rice Lake. A member of the symphony’s percussion section, Wise will perform the fourth movement of Ney Rosauro’s Concerto for Marimba and Orchestra, Despidida (Farewell). The honor comes after being selected as a winner of the organization’s biennial concerto competition.
Wise has played percussion since the sixth grade at CWMS, taking a special interest in the marimba in eighth grade. He joined the Red Cedar Symphony as a sophomore. At CWHS, Wise is a member of the CWHS band and choir, and has performed in the pit orchestra and onstage for the CWHS drama club’s productions. Over the years he has also been selected to play in a variety of area honor bands and has competed in Wisconsin School Music Association solo-ensemble festivals.
In addition to his music instruction at CW, Wise has studied percussion with local musician Jim Hurst. It was Hurst who introduced him to Ney Rosauro’s marimba concerto, the piece he will be playing during the symphony’s concert next month. Hurst actually won the concerto competition years ago with the same piece and encouraged Wise to take it on as well. With music and performance in his blood, Wise thought it would also be a worthwhile challenge. Wise started working on the piece in 2023 and performed it for the CW Variety Show last spring. To prepare for the concerto competition, he worked on perfecting it again this fall.
“I wanted to do the concerto competition because I heard what the piece sounded like with the string accompaniment, and it sounded cool,” says Wise. “I wanted to be able to play it with the symphony. The groove of this piece is so cool, and it’s a very fast piece, which I like as well.”
After auditioning this winter, Wise was informed he was selected as a winner along with Ashley Springer, a junior at UW-Stevens Point who was selected for a violin performance.
“I was very happy, very excited,” notes Wise. “I knew the other people auditioning were also really good. I had strong competition, so knowing that I was still chosen was a very fulfilling and exciting moment.”
This will certainly not be Wise’s final time performing. In the fall, Wise intends to attend UW-Eau Claire where he anticipates studying music and hopes to be part of the Blugold Marching Band. There are sure to be many more accolades coming his way, but until then, community members can continue to enjoy his musicianship at the upcoming concerts.
