Western University Wind Ensemble
Music Director
Auditions
Audition required. Open to all Western University students.
Rehearsals
Mondays & Wednesdays
3:30 - 5:30pm
Complete Rehearsal Information
Repertoire
Download Cumulative Repertoire (PDF)
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Evolving from the Symphonic Band, the Western University Wind Ensemble was established by Jerome Summers in the 1980s. Acknowledged as one of the finest wind bands in Canada, the Wind Ensemble is indebted to the leadership of past conductors: Donald McKellar, James Ford, Charles Dalkert, Wayne Jeffrey, Jerome Summers, David McKinney, and Gary McCumber. With the appointment of Dr. Colleen Richardson, in 2006, the Wind Ensemble continues its journey towards excellence in performance and wind band education.
The Wind Ensemble is open to all Western Students. An audition is required for participation. Repertoire is selected from standard wind ensemble literature, works for chamber ensembles, transcriptions, concerti, and contemporary works. Although core repertoire is the largest programming component, ensemble members will periodically be exposed to iconic wind chamber music, ranging from the antiphonal music of Gabrieli or Classical Period Harmonie music, to the masterpieces of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Transcriptions are an important part of the history of the band, especially within the military and professional band traditions, and these are honoured through the performance of selected works. Concerti feature faculty, guests, or students. Students are selected through a competitive process.
2021-22 Performances
Joining us on campus for an in-person event? For always-up-to-date health and safety protocols, check our Audience Information webpage before you leave home.
All concerts are approximately 1 hour in length.
Friday, October 22 | 7:30pm
Paul Davenport Theatre
“Poems of Life; The Breaths of Souls”
Planned repertoire includes “Shortcut Home” (Dana Wilson), “American Hymnsong Suite” (Dwayne Milburn), “Waking Angels” (David Gillingham), “Shepherd’s Hey” (Percy Aldridge Grainger), and “Machu Picchu” (Satoshi Yagisawa)
Friday, December 3 | 7:30pm
Paul Davenport Theatre
“Para Orquesta de Instrumentos de Viento”
Planned repertoire includes “Early Light” (Carolyn Bremer), “Adagio Para Orquesta de Instrumentos de Viento" (Joaquin Rodrigo), "Suite Français" (Darius Milhaud), and "Festival Variations" (Claude T. Smith)
Friday, February 11 | 7:30pm
Paul Davenport Theatre
“Our New Day Begun”
Planned repertoire includes “Dance of the Jesters” (Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky/Cramer), “Clouds in Collage” (Tetsunosuke Kushida), “Our New Day Begun” (Omar Thomas), “Conga Del Fuego Nuevo” (Arturo Márquez/Nickel), and a selection TBD featuring the 2021-22 Winds, Brass and Percussion Concerto Competition Winner, Emily Carmichael, trumpet
Friday, March 25 | 7:30pm
Paul Davenport Theatre
“Oh, The Humanity”
Planned repertoire includes “Nobles of the Mystic Shrine” (John Philip Sousa), “Elegy for a Young American” (Ronald LoPresti), “Capriccio” (Frigyes Hidas), “Diferencias on an Old Spanish Song” (Yasuhide Ito), and “Come Sunday” (Omar Thomas)
Performance Excerpts
“Polytechnique”, Jonathan Dagenais
Conductor, Dr. Richardson
2017-18
“Tabula Rasa”, Don Macdonald, Mark Hopkins
Conductor, Dr. Richardson
Canada 150 Concert
Excerpt from “Sit de Plata”, José Rafael Pascual-Vilaplana
Excerpt from “Give Us This Day”, David Maslanka
Excerpt from “Metallëphônic Remix”, Daniel Nelson/Arr. Anders Högstedt
Conductor, Dr. Richardson
2018-19
Excerpt from “Pershing”, Gregory Fritze
Excerpt from “One Life Beautiful”, Julie Giroux
Conductor, Dr. Richardson
2018-19
Recordings
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