Gardner-Webb Orchestra Concert Honors Alumnus Peter Strickland

Event Features World Premiere of Commissioned Work and Piano Solo by Freshman Arturo Ayla

BOILING SPRINGS, N.C.—The Gardner-Webb University Orchestra concert on Nov. 24 is dedicated to 1997 alumnus Peter Strickland, director of the Crest High School Chamber Orchestra. For over two decades, the two orchestras have collaborated on 30 programs of classical and contemporary works. Strickland is retiring in May 2026 from Cleveland County Schools.

A special feature of the concert will be the world premiere of a commissioned work in Strickland’s honor. Composed by award-winning musician, R. Christopher Teichler, the piece is called “Harmina Cordium,” “The Harmony of Hearts.” The program begins at 7 p.m. in Dover Theatre. Tickets are $15 for general admission, and free for all students, GWU faculty, and staff.

Another highlight of the evening is piano soloist, Arturo Ayla, a Gardner-Webb freshman who is currently studying piano with Dr. Bruce Moser. He has taken piano lessons for 10 years and organ lessons for three. Ayla participated in the North Carolina Federation of Music Clubs (NCFMC) Music Festival from 2018-2025 and the NCFMC Concerto Competition from 2020-2024.

In 2024, Ayla participated in the International Piano Professionals Association (IPPA) Concerto Piano Competition and won a gold medal in the national round. He also plays organ for various churches in the Charlotte area. He is currently studying organ performance with Dr. Gianfranco Deluca. Ayla is the pianist with the GWU Orchestra, and sings in the Gardner Singers.

To honor Strickland’s support of the GWU orchestra program, Director of Orchestral Activities and Professor of Music Dr. Patricia Sparti contacted some of his students to send in photos and comments to include in a memory book and video. “They all said about the same thing that Mr. Strickland was the best teacher they have ever had, they loved every minute of orchestra,” Sparti acknowledged. “They said that he taught them great music, how to read music and how to play, but even more importantly taught them to be good people, kind and compassionate people and taught them how to treat others. He is one of our most distinguished Alumni—class of 1997!”

Sparti continued, “For me, Mr. Strickland has always been the best of the best, both as a person and as a musician and educator. I love him and his family immensely. There are no amount of words I could say, so I will say he is a huge blessing from God, and I could have had no greater collaborator and friend by my side. He has sent us more GWU music students over the years than any other educator out there.”

Strickland has been an educator in the Cleveland County School System since graduating from Gardner-Webb. He began his career as the founding director of the Burns and Crest Middle School Orchestra programs and later established the Crest High Orchestra program in 1999, followed by the Electronic Music/Recording program in 2006. In 2024, Strickland was appointed as the manager of the newly opened Crest High School Auditorium, overseeing daily operations, event coordination, and the management of the facility.

Crest students have participated in events such as All-County, Western Regional, and All-State Orchestra, with many alumni pursuing careers in music education, performance, composition, and production. The Crest Chamber Orchestra has also contributed to the local community, performing at notable events such as the opening of the Vietnam Memorial Moving Wall Exhibition and collaborating with the GWU Orchestra, the Rutherford Symphony, the Carolina Brass, as well as acclaimed fiddlers Mark and Maggie O’Connor.

Strickland graduated from Gardner-Webb with degrees in music education and composition. He remains an active composer and arranger. In 2010, he arranged Earl Scruggs’ bluegrass classic, “Flint Hill Special,” for bluegrass band and orchestra as part of the Smithsonian’s American Roots concert series. Additionally, he has served as the clinician and conductor for all-county orchestra events across the state.

He has been recognized for his excellence in teaching, receiving the Hoyt & Anne Dover Bailey Teaching Excellence Award three times, and achieved certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards in 2007, renewed in 2017. He was selected as N.C. Western Regional Orchestra Teacher of the Year in 2017, and Crest High School Teacher of the Year in 2025.

Auxiliary aids will be made available to persons with disabilities upon request 10 working days prior to the event.  Please call 704-406-4270 or email [email protected] with your request.

Gardner-Webb University is North Carolina’s recognized leader in private, Christian higher education. A Carnegie-Classified Doctoral/Professional University, GWU is home to nine colleges and schools, more than 80 undergraduate and graduate majors, and a world-class faculty. Located on a beautiful 225-acre campus in Boiling Springs, N.C., Gardner-Webb prepares graduates to impact their chosen professions, equips them with the skills to advance the frontiers of knowledge, and inspires them to make a positive and lasting difference in the lives of others. Learn more at gardner-webb.edu.