Many people use their retirement to dive fully into their passion. Such is the case with our guest, Wilbur Lewis, consummate musician and vocalist, a retired music educator, who has taught all levels from pre-school to college and senior/adult schools.  He was a member of the Master Teacher Cooperative, sponsored by the New Jersey Symphony.  He is a trained vocalist with a hefty repertoire of Opera, Oratorio, Operetta and Art Songs.  He is the co-author of RESEACHING THE SONG: A LEXICON (OUP, 2005). He has appeared widely as a bass-baritone in much of the Gilbert & Sullivan repertoire, has stage directed many operas; been Music Director for several churches; and conducted large and small instrumental ensembles and choirs.

His education includes Luther College of the Bible and Liberal Arts , a BA from Montclair State College and Mason Gross School of Arts, an MM from Rutgers University of New Jersey and private voice and guitar lessons from highly prestigious instructors. In addition to the guitar, he plays mandolin, mandola, mandocello, and liuto cantabile, tenor banjo, 5-string banjo, ukulele-banjo, and mandolin-banjo, soprano, tenor, and baritone ukulele and ukulele bass, lute, vihuela, baroque guitar, and baroque mandolin, tenor guitar, baritone guitar, lap dulcimer, laud and others.  He tries to add a new instrument every year.

As a duo, Wilbur performs with wife and pianist Annette Mulholland-Lewis in a variety of programs featuring piano, voice, and assorted string instruments.  He plays second mandolin and serves as second VP  in the Munier Mandolin and Guitar Ensemble, and also first mandolin in the Philadelphia Mandolin and Guitar Ensemble.  Continuing his passion for sharing music with kids, he’s active in the Mandolin for Kids Program based out of Baltimore, Maryland, and also plays with the East Coast Mandolin Orchestra.  Currently, he is starting a small mandolin ensemble based In North Brunswick, NJ.

When you hear the joy in his voice and see the passion in his countenance, you’ll see a man fully living his Bloom since his re-firement!

Thanks for listening.
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