Art Barnes possesses a bachelor's degree in music education, a master's in theory and composition, and a doctorate in orchestral conducting. He entered Stanford University's doctoral program while on a ave of absence from Fresno State. At the completion of the deree he was hired by Stanford, where he remained for 35 years.
There he taught and conducted a wide variety of classes and ensembles; these included the wind ensemble, sports activity bands, jazz band, and chamber orchestra, as well as classes in theory, orchestration, ear training, and piano. His successor at Stanford is funded by the Arthur P. Barnes Band Directorship Endowment, which was established by friends and former students.
For four summers Dr. Barnes served as a conducting fellow of the American Symphony League, where his mentor was Richard Lert. He also worked in New York with conductor Eric Leinsdorf. His composition mentor and personal friend was composer Roy Harris. He has appeared as a guest conductor, clinician, and adjudicator throughout the U.S. and in Australia, Japan, England, and the Philippines.
His experience as an instrumentalist includes work as an accompanist, a jazz pianistancl trombonist, as well as symphony experience on both trombone and bas- soon. During his Stanford tenure he wrote over 300 arrangements for the Stanford Band. Conductor in Livermore since 1964, the Symphony's library contains several works for-full orchestra written by Dr. Barnes, plus about 60 arrangements he wrote for the POPS concerts.
