 Concordia Wind Orchestra
Jeff Held, music director
The New Dimension Fund
The Concordia Wind Orchestra rehearses on Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 3:30-5:15. Most members of the ensemble take private lessons with one of Concordia's excellent studio teachers. CWO members are eligible for music scholarships. The Wind Orchestra represents a diverse population of Concordia's student body, encompassing non-music majors as well as music majors, undergraduate students as well as graduate students.
Recent activities of the Concordia Wind Orchestra:
- A 2007 tour with Richard Gehrke, German organist, where we played an incredibly moving work composed by Brendan Anderson for us: The Gift and the Wise Men. This tour took us to fabulous cathedrals, including Trinity Cathedral in Phoenix and the world-famous St. Mary's Cathedral in San Francisco.
- An annual family concert. A themed-concert (past themes: Cartoon Capers, Dragon Fight, SuperMusic for Superheroes), this event is very popular with young children and has been very fun to produce in conjunction with Concordia's drama students. The 2010 concert is themed "Gold Medal Music."
- Performances with tremendous guest artists. In 2007, we played the neoclassical work, Concerto Grosso (Fisher Tull) with the Concordia Faculty Brass Quintet. Later that year, our saxophone instructor, Jay Mason performed music from the film Catch Me If You Can and a very impressive suite for solo flute, clarinet, and saxophone, all of which were played by Jay (who plays in the Gordon Goodwin Big Phat Band and is one of the first-call woodwind players in Southern California). In 2008, we collaborated with trumpeter Steve Charpie on several keyed-bugle solos by early 19th century American composer Francis Johnson.
- Concordia Christmas Concerts. The CWO is a featured ensemble in one of Orange County's most beloved traditions, the Concordia Christmas concert. Each year, we play five sold-out concerts in the CU Center.
- Music ministry in worship. The CWO is a leader in the creation and implementation of music for symphonic winds in worship settings. Each year, we commission new hymn arrangements, and bring our music to a number of congregations. Each time, the experience is unforgettable and a tremendously effective ministry.
- Educational events. The CWO promotes the enjoyment of music for children of all ages through school performances and special learning experiences with grade school bands.
- Scholarship. In a 2008 concert, we shared the stage with trumpeter and band historian, Steve Charpie, in a tribute to an unheralded pioneer of music in America, Francis Johnson. Johnson played a critical role in the cultivation of our nation in the years after it won its independence. The concert included a multimedia lecture about Johnson's life, led by Steve Charpie. In 2009, the CWO presented a cross-curricular concert full of music based on the visual arts.
- Great repertoire. The CWO presents challenging repertoire for collegiate symphonic winds, combining a focus on classics by composers like Holst, Grainger, and Reed, and groundbreaking new works by composers like Gillingham, Whitacre, Sparke, and Stucky.
CWO Musician Resource Page
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