UMD Music: Ensembles

The Concert Band is a group comprised primarily of non-music majors and performs the finest in band literature. The group gives a campus concert every quarter. No audition is required for participation in Concert Band, but to facilitate selection of appropriate music for the ensemble and chair placement, the directors request members come in for a voluntary "hearing." The Concert Band is directed by Dr. Daniel Eaton.
Both auditions and hearings involve playing a prepared solo or etude which represents one's best playing, selected scales (and/or arpeggios for auditions) and sight-reading. These are intended to be low pressure events and are primarily designed to hear each individual perform at his/her best.

The Symphonic Wind Ensemble is a select unit of approximately 50 music and non-music majors and is one of the premier ensembles in the UMD Department of Music. The ensemble regularly performs new compositions for the wind medium and programs the most outstanding literature currently available. The group tours frequently, and has appeared at the Minnesota Music Educators Association Conference and the College Band Directors National Association National Conference. Most recently the UMD Symphonic Wind Ensemble toured Brazil and performed at the Conservatory of Music in Tatui, Brazil. Recent guest
conductors and clinicians have been, Frank Ticheli, Eric Whitacre, David Gillingham, Mark Camphouse, Philip Sparke and Myron Welch.

The Twin Ports Wind Orchestra (TPWO) was founded as the Twin Ports Wind Ensemble in the spring of 1990 by Timothy Mahr, former Director of Bands at the University Minnesota Duluth. The membership is comprised of the finest wind and percussion players in the northland and is part of the UMD Music Outreach Program. The ensemble is dedicated to the performance of the finest literature for the wind band, both old and new. The group is currently directed by Dr. Mark Whitlock.

The group includes music educators, members of the Duluth-Superior Symphony Orchestra and the Lake Superior Chamber Orchestra, some area college and university students and many talented community members who make their living in a wide variety of other career fields. The group usually has four to five rehearsals to prepare for each concert.