The Houghton Symphonic Winds is a sixty-member wind band which seeks to expose its students and its audiences to the highest quality music written for wind and percussion instruments. The group rehearses Monday, Wednesday, and some Friday afternoons in the Instrumental Rehearsal Hall of the Center for the Arts; rehearsals are always open for observation. Prayer times and shared devotional thoughts are regular features of rehearsals, as well.

Made up of approximately 60% music majors and 40% non-majors, this outstanding ensemble performs four major campus concerts per year, in addition to other performances. Seating assignments are made based on brief, low-pressure auditions. The ensemble also tours annually in the spring semester and released its most recent, full-length CD on the Mark Records label during the spring of 2009.

Nationally and regionally renowned guest conductors and performing artists are featured annually with Symphonic Winds. In recent years, these have included composer/conductors Frank L. Battisti, Lowell Liebermann, Edward Lisk, Stephen Shewan, Gregory Rudgers, Alfred “Corky” Fabrizio, and Mark Hijleh, as well as performing artists Nina Assimakopoulos (flute), Marc Wooldridge (marimba), Paul DeBoer (trumpet), Shirley Close (soprano), Chisato Eda (saxophone), and Harry Watters, trombonist with the U.S. Army Brass Quintet. Students have also regularly been featured as soloists.

The recent history of the Symphonic Winds has been strongly, ably established by Gary Stith. Effective with the 2010-11 academic year, Stith is moving full-time into coordinating the Music Education program, and the Symphonic Winds will be conducted by Dr. Brian Casey.

Repertoire and plans for the upcoming season include the following:

Monday, October 11: Bandances, a concert themed around various styles of dance music, including music of Ron Nelson, Jack Stamp, Michael Gandolfi, Clifton Williams, Wallingford Riegger, and Malcolm Arnold

Friday, November 12: EraMeisters, in a Music Opportunities Weekend joint concert with College Choir, including music of Felix Mendelssohn, Walter Piston, and Frank Ticheli

Friday and Saturday, December 3 and 4: 4th Annual Christmas Prism

Friday, February 18: February in France, a joint concert with the Philharmonia featuring music of Norman Dello Joio, Martin Ellerby, François-Joseph Gossec, and Darius Milhaud

Friday, April 8: Sun, Sea, and Sky, centered on music for an Easter Break tour, including works by David Bedford, Mark Camphouse, Tim Mahr, and J. S. Bach, arranged by Alfred Reed.

Email the Music Director, Brian Casey

Dr. Casey’s Bio

Extended Professional Info Page

Sym Winds News

The Houghton College Symphonic Winds performed at the 28th annual New York State Band Directors Association Symposium on March 7th, 2009. The audience was made up primarily of collegiate and public school band directors, as well as the statewide high school and middle school honor band students. The program included works by Percy Grainger, Philip Rothman, Vittorio Giannini, Henry Fillmore, and David Gillingham. In addition, internationally acclaimed conductor/author Frank L. Battisti guest conducted the Symphonic Winds in Gustav Holst’s landmark work First Suite in Eb. The ensuing performance at the beginning of the second half of the program resulted in an instant standing ovation.

Mark Recording Services recorded this performance, and CD’s are now available. The recording also includes “bonus tracks” of performances by the ensemble from recent years. Recordings are selling for $15 in the Houghton Campus Store or may be ordered by calling the Houghton College Symphonic Winds office at (585) 567-9404.

Houghton Wind and Percussion Invitational Festival

Colonel (Retired) Lowell E. Graham, Commander and Conductor of the United States Air Force Band in Washington, D.C., was the featured clinician at the 2nd Annual Houghton College Wind and Percussion Invitational on Monday, March 8, 2010. Col. Graham spoke to the undergraduate instrumental conducting class and rehearsed the Symphonic Winds. He also worked with two outstanding area high school bands—the Lancaster High School Wind Ensemble under the direction of Richard Goss, and the Williamsville South High School Wind Ensemble directed by Matthew Cool.

Plans are now underway for the 3rd annual Invitational, to be held in early March of 2011. Area public and private school band directors are welcome to sit in on any of the rehearsals or the conducting master class.

Houghton to Host MUSIC OPPORTUNITIES WEEKEND

The Greatbatch School of Music at Houghton College will be hosting its annual Music Opportunities Weekend on November 12-13, 2010. Prospective students will be afforded the opportunity to enjoy the experience of being a music student at the Greatbatch School of Music at Houghton College by attending music classes, open rehearsals, prospective student information forums, meeting other music majors, eating meals in our beautiful Campus Center, attending a student Chapel service, and staying overnight in a college dormitory with another music major.

In addition, wind and percussion students will be invited to rehearse with the Houghton College Symphonic Winds under the baton of Dr. Brian Casey during their Friday afternoon rehearsal, and then join the ensemble that evening on one piece during the Music Opportunities Weekend joint concert program to be held on the stage of the recently remodeled Wesley Chapel. This will be a very unique opportunity students will cherish for many years to come!

To register, contact the music department office during regular business hours at (585) 567-9400 or by e-mail.

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Houghton College Symphonic Winds Commissioning Project

In 2002, the Houghton College Symphonic Winds inaugurated an ambitious ongoing composer commissioning program. The goal of the project is to commission and premiere one new work for wind ensemble/wind band each year. This impressive project has resulted in the following new works:

2003 - Suite for Marice by Stephen Shewan
(published by Jubal Press)

2004 - A Quickening Ray by Mark Hijleh
(based upon the Charles Wesley hymn “And Can It Be”)

2005 - The Life of King David: Concerto for Marimba and Concert Band by Russell Peterson (premiere performance featured guest marimba soloist, Marc Wooldridge)

2006 - Variations on a Theme of Schubert, Op. 92 by Lowell Liebermann
(published by Theodore Presser)

2007- Pax Vobis by Joshua Mills (Winner of the Houghton College Symphonic Winds Composition Contest)
2007 - Were You There by Alfred “Corky” Fabrizio

2008 - A Higher Ground Fanfare by Carl Irwin
2008 - Espana by Robert Summers Potterton III (2nd Place Winner
of the Houghton College Symphonic Winds Composition Contest)

2010 - Second Suite for Band by Christopher Aitken (graduate choral conductor, euphonium player, composer)