Wind Ensemble

Since 1998, the Columbia University Wind Ensemble has grown in membership, audience, musical ability, organization, and has come to be one of the top providers of music performance in the Columbia community. The ensemble strives to play the best of the wind ensemble literature and also performs some marches and orchestral transcriptions for band. They give two themed concerts per semester, culminating in a spring concert which is chosen by and pays tribute to the members of the graduating senior class. The musicians are very involved, suggesting concert repertoire and taking opportunities to compose and guest-conduct. Comprised mainly of undergraduate students from all schools and academic disciplines, the Columbia University Wind Ensemble strives to provide an outlet for musicians to perform the best of the wind ensemble repertoire and to meet other musicians in a social environment. Recently, the CU Wind Ensemble has developed a music program at P.S. 125 called Making Music Matter which is mainly funded through the annual Columbia Festival of Winds, an all-day concert celebrating wind music and music education.

History

Founded in the 1930s as the Columbia University Concert Band, the Columbia University Wind Ensemble was first directed by Harwood Simmons, then the conductor of the Columbia University Orchestra. After a long hiatus, former president Kenneth Cho revived the Columbia University Wind Ensemble in 1998 under the direction of conductor T.J. Perlick- Molinari after finding that the former group had dissolved, leaving the university community with no outlet for serious wind music. Soon, the ensemble grew from a core membership of fifteen players to a full wind ensemble of almost forty musicians performing the standard wind ensemble repertoire.

Then in 2002, Andrew Pease entered as conductor and music director. Because of his dedicated work, Mr. Pease has increased the group's recognition throughout Columbia and New York City, and has allowed the ensemble to perform some of the most challenging wind ensemble repertoire. In addition, the Executive Board, comprised of all undergraduate students, continues to works hard completing the ensemble's administrative tasks and advancing the musical and social environment of the ensemble.

Recently, the Columbia University Wind Ensemble has grown to a full wind ensemble of almost sixty brass, woodwind, and percussion musicians. In 2006, the ensemble began the Teachers College Conducting Partnership, allowing a qualified TC student to serve as a guest conductor for one concert. The group has played at Merkin Hall, St. Paul's Chapel, Miller Theatre, Philosophy Hall, Roone Arledge Auditorium, and Yale's Woolsey Hall, and performed in joint concerts with other University ensembles such as the Yale Concert Band, MIT Concert Band, the Queens College Wind Ensemble, the Harvard Wind Ensemble, and the Dartmouth Wind Symphony.

Notable Alumni and Guest Conductors

Notable alumni include [Maxine Woods], former principal bassoonist with the [Toronto Symphony], and [Armando Ghitalla], former principal trumpeter with the [Boston Symphony Orchestra]. Notable guest conductors have included [Edwin Franko Goldman] and [Karel Husa]. The ensemble performed joint concerts with other University musical ensembles such as the MIT Concert Band, Queens College Wind Ensemble, Yale Concert Band and the Harvard Wind Ensemble, which was a sold-out performance at Carnegie Hall in 1965.

Comissioned Pieces

In the past, the CU Wind Ensemble has comissioned many pieces including Michael DiGiacinto’s Soundscape (2006), Erik Jorgen Jorgensen's Chaconne (2007), and Oliver Caplan’s Reason for Hope in a Complex World (2008).

The ensemble also had the honor of the NYC premiere of Frank Ticheli’s Nitro in March 2007 and the world premiere of Dr. Edward Green's Overture in Eb, arranged by Andrew Pease in April 2010.