Celebrating 25 years with Wiley A. Sykes

In celebration of her 25th anniversary, Wiley authored the following passage, which is also included in the 2026 summer program book.

Wiley A. Sykes
Percussion

It’s hard to believe that I’ve been at GTMF for 25 years, but funnily enough, until recently, I was still the new guy in the percussion section among the usual crew (Richard Brown, Brian Prechtl and John Kinzie) during my weeks here. And, like many of the musicians at GTMF, it began with meeting our late and beloved ambassador, Richard Brown. We were both playing in the percussion section of the Houston Symphony one week in 1987, and, a year or so later, there was an opening and he asked me to come to Jackson. My wife Jeannie and I had just had Bette, our first, and I couldn’t go, but fortunately, he called again shortly after our second daughter, Anna, was born. Since then, Walk Festival Hall, the town, the trails and the lakes have been my family’s favorite summer destination. We’ve built memories of the scenic awe and joy we experience being here with the distantly located lifelong friends and musicians that rendezvous every summer.

I have a deep appreciation of the people who have shaped GTMF through the years — the founders, staff, donors, volunteers and musicians — who have built the foundation that has given us this incredible stage and created an atmosphere that allows this amazing thing to happen the way it does. And at this time, we couldn’t be in more capable and supportive hands than those of Maestro Runnicles and Emma Kail as Season 65 begins and the renovation of Walk Festival Hall is underway.

It is a joy to be on stage with these musicians because of the magic that happens time after time. Two standout performances come to mind: our semi-staged production of West Side Story in 2018 and last season, the ocean’s dream of itself by Alex Turley, a premiere that Donald brought us. The Bernstein is incredible — I’ve played it many times — yet I was still floored by the electricity on stage; and in the Turley, the orchestra discovered the score together, revealing a new, beautifully distinctive jewel.

Every summer in the greater valley, we hike, cycle, swim and enjoy Jackson Hole’s beauty. Most years, I am able to log a number of miles on my bike and try a couple of challenging hikes, and, in the summer of my 60th birthday, Bette nudged me into climbing the Grand with her. I’m happy to say that I survived, as I have several harrowing mountain bike and trail outings with adventurous musician friends. Yet another reason to keep coming back. I feel blessed to have been a part of the GTMF family these 25 years.