Faces in the Orchestra: Wayne Asbury

Wayne Asbury has played oboe and English horn in the Symphony since the 1975-76 Season, joining for the January concert. In the fall of 1975 he played for West Side Story at P.C.P.A. He had heard about (but never met) a great clarinetist in the San Luis Obispo Symphony named Virginia Wright, and she happened to be playing for the same job. Not long after that, Wayne got a call from Clif Swanson, asking if he would like to play in the SLO Symphony. Clif had learned of Wayne through Virginia, and he had also heard Wayne perform in the Santa Maria Symphony, with which Clif also played.

So Wayne began his drives from Lompoc to San Luis Obispo to play with the orchestra. There he met Alice McGonigal, Virginia Wright (again), and Diana Sheridan. Diana had also just been recruited to the orchestra and Alice had joined at the beginning of that season. They have been the core of the woodwind section ever since.

Wayne’s favorite memories of the symphony include the trips to Spain and Carnegie Hall: “What great trips!” Most memorable was the Carnegie Hall concert. As Wayne says, “I will treasure that experience for a lifetime.”

On his time with the Symphony, Wayne says, “The Symphony has been a part of my life for thirty-four years. The people of the orchestra are my second family. We share our music and our stories. I hope the ride will continue. I am sure we will continue to play great music with great soloists!”