Stephen Lytle
An active music arranger with nearly 300 titles and arrangements for marching bands across the country will assume the role as associate director of bands at West Virginia University, the College of Creative Arts announced today (March 14).
With his appointment effective August 1, Stephen Lytle will become the 12th director of the beloved Pride of West Virginia Mountaineer Marching Band. Lytle is currently the associate director of bands at Miami University in Ohio.
“Dr. Lytle brings tremendous skill and a total understanding of the importance of a band program to a university,” said Dean Keith Jackson. “I have total confidence that the next chapter in the history of the Mountaineer Marching Band will be successful under his guidance.”
In addition to directing the Pride, Lytle will conduct the Symphonic Band and other athletic pep bands and teach courses in the School of Music. He will also assist Director of Bands Scott Tobias in the administration of the WVU Bands program.
“We look forward to having Dr. Lytle join the WVU Bands staff,” Tobias said. “He brings a breadth of experience in the areas of both athletic bands and concert bands that will greatly benefit our program.”
In his current role at Miami University, Lytle oversees all aspects of the athletic bands program, and serves as conductor of the Symphony Band. Additionally, he teaches courses in the instrumental music education curriculum.
"I'm excited for the opportunity to join such a storied program as the Pride of West Virginia,” Lytle said. “Bands have been vital part of my life since picking up a trumpet forty years ago and the thrill of performance is still as exhilarating as it's ever been. I hope to share in that passion with my new students as they, in turn, teach me what it means to be a part of the Pride.
“One thing that has made a strong impression on me in my short time is the level of connection to and ownership that people feel for the WVU band. It seems that the Pride is not just for the members and the university but extends so much further than that. That is a powerful testament to the work of a lot of people before me.”
Lytle holds degrees from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, Northwestern University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He also serves as the associate conductor of the Fillmore Wind Band, music director of the Fillmore Philharmonic Brass and the state collegiate chair for the Ohio Music Educators Association.
Under Lytle’s direction, the Miami Band has performed with jazz legend, Benny Golson, appeared in the 2010 Frozen Four, the 2010 GoDaddy.com Bowl, the 2011 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, the 2013 Presidential Inaugural Parade, the 2016 St. Petersburg Bowl and appeared in exhibition at the 2017 Bands of America Grand Nationals Finals in Indianapolis.
Lytle’s professional associations include College Band Directors National Association and The National Association for Music Education. He is also a member of Phi Mu Alpha (Alpha Rho) and is an honorary member of Kappa Kappa Psi and Tau Beta Sigma.
-WVU-
bmd/03/14/18
CONTACT: Bernadette Dombrowski, College of Creative Arts304.293.3397, Bernadette.Dombrowski@mail.wvu.edu