Conducted by Russel Mikkelson, The Ohio State University Wind Symphony is widely recognized as one of the country’s elite wind bands. Committed to the creation of new music for winds, this ensemble has commissioned music by composers including William Bolcom, Aaron Jay Kernis, Eric Stokes, Dan Welcher, David Gillingham, John Stevens, Donald Crockett, Carter Pann, James Beckel, Daniel Godfrey, David Maslanka and Charles Rochester Young. Visitors have included such notable musicians as John Corigliano, Lukas Foss, Krzysztof Penderecki, John Stevens, Jennifer Higdon, David Gillingham, Frank Ticheli, Gunther Schuller, John Mackey, Jonathan Newman, Steven Bryant, Roger Cichy, Andrew Boysen Jr., and Percy Grainger biographer John Bird. Graduates of the Wind Symphony hold positions as professional orchestral musicians, soloists, conductors, members of the Washington-based military bands, university professors, and some of the world’s leading music educators. Since 1998 the Wind Symphony has recorded three compact discs including Winds of Nagual (Naxos 8.570244, 2006), Jubilare! (Mark Records, 2003) and Sounds, Shapes and Symbols (Mark Records, 2000). The Wind Symphony has performed at the 2003 College Band Directors National Association in Minneapolis, the Ohio Music Educators Association Conference four times (2001, 2004, 2006, 2008), with BalletMet Columbus (2003), and presents numerous on-campus performances annually.

Please go to http://bands.osu.edu/Ens-WindSymphony.html for more information.