· San José Wind Symphony
We're almost finished editing, and we're excited to finally share a look back at our recording day at Skywalker Sound!
On Saturday, May 16, 2026, about 60 San José Wind Symphony musicians made the trip to Skywalker Ranch in Marin County to record an album on one of the world's most celebrated scoring stages. It was the culmination of months of preparation, planning, and a whole lot of work from musicians and volunteers behind the scenes.
The work at Skywalker started a day early. David Sandwisch, our recording engineer, and his team arrived Friday to set up microphones and prepare the room. Dr. Vickerman was there helping get everything ready, while Dave Brown handled the equipment truck and made sure everything arrived safely. By Saturday morning, the stage was ready for us.
And then it was time to play!
We spent six hours recording, split into two sessions with a lunch break in between. Recording on a professional scoring stage is very different from a typical concert or rehearsal. Every little sound matters. Musicians came prepared with small towels to put under their mutes, water bottles, and even boomwhackers for David's arrangement of Escaramuza. We wore quiet shoes, kept our movements to a minimum, and tried very hard not to tap our feet!
Afterward, musicians shared how amazing, memorable, and even a little nerve-racking the experience had been. It's not every day you get to make music in a place like Skywalker Sound, and it was an experience we'll remember for a long time.
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Photographs by Raymond Chin.
The Music
The album will feature seven works, in the following order:
- Illumination by David Maslanka
- Elegy by John Barnes Chance
- Escaramuza by Gabriela Lena Frank, arranged by David Vickerman
- Deciduous by Viet Cuong
- Summerland by William Grant Still
- Tuttarana by Reena Esmail
- Aurora Awakes by John Mackey
What's Next?
We're getting close! The recordings are almost fully edited, and we're partnering with Pac Ave Records, the record label at the University of the Pacific, to bring the album to life. We're also planning a CD release party this spring once everything is ready.
If you'd like to be among the first to hear when the album is available, sign up for our concert alerts email list at the bottom of any page on our website.
A Big Thank You
An undertaking like this takes a lot of people, and we couldn't have done it without them.
Thank you to the entire Skywalker Sound team for welcoming us and making us feel at home in such an incredible space. Thank you to David Sandwisch and his team for their expertise, patience, and countless hours recording and mixing. Thank you to Dave Brown for getting all our equipment to the ranch and back. And thank you to Caroline, our president, for handling the paperwork and coordinating with the Skywalker team to make the recording session happen.
A special thank you to Dr. David Vickerman for the vision, the music, his arrangement of Escaramuza, and all the additional hours spent mixing and helping bring this album to release.
Most importantly, thank you to every musician who gave their time, talent, and a Saturday to make this album happen.
We can't wait for you to hear it!
Photographs by Raymond Chin.