The Eastern Wind Symphony, founded in the spring of 1996, is a professional-level ensemble for musicians dedicated to performing the best wind and percussion literature. Silvester, the ensemble experienced exceptional growth and developed a national reputation. The EWS has presented critically acclaimed performances at Carnegie Hall, John F. Kennedy Center, New Jersey Performing Arts Center, and P
atriots Theater at the War Memorial. In 2015, the EWS had the honor of being the first adult band in the state of New Jersey to be selected to perform at the prestigious Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic in Chicago. The EWS is honored to have been invited to perform at the Midwest Clinic for a second time in 2021. In addition, the EWS has accepted invitations to perform at the 2019 Northeast Horn Conference, 2019 Association for Concert Bands National Convention, 2017 International Trumpet Guild Conference, and multiple NaFME Eastern Division Conferences. Artistic Director Todd Nichols and Assistant Conductor Adam Warshafsky currently guide the EWS to achieve its artistic goals, revitalize the community it supports, and bring unique and challenging musical experiences to both its members and audiences. In addition to establishing a highly successful concert series at Richardson Auditorium in Princeton, New Jersey, the EWS has instituted a summer concert series in other local New Jersey communities. The EWS has been invited to provide guest performances at local music festivals, including the Music for All Metropolitan Wind Band Invitational. Recent years have brought new opportunities and success for the EWS. Through a guest artist program instituted in 2009, acclaimed New York Philharmonic musicians Stanley Drucker, Phil Smith, Joe Alessi, and Alan Baer, as well as marimba soloist Greg Giannascoli and internationally acclaimed trumpet soloist Allen Vizzutti, have performed with the ensemble. Through an annual Visiting Distinguished Conductor Program established in 2014, the EWS has had the opportunity to play under the batons of renowned conductors such as Ray Cramer, James Keene, William Berz, and Richard Crain. The EWS is proud to be active in the creation of new wind band pieces from today’s leading composers, having commissioned seven new works from composers Julie Giroux, Joseph Spaniola, Bruce Yurko, Kevin Bobo, William Ryden, Bruce Broughton, and Allison Loggins-Hull. In order to fulfill the mission of giving back to the community and supporting young musicians, EWS Youth! was established in 2012 and is conducted by Mr. Ron Heller (Jazz Band). The EWS has produced numerous commercial CDs of exceptional quality on the prestigious Klavier, Curnow Music Press, and MASTERS labels. Resurgence was released in 2014, and Julie Giroux’s Symphony No. 5 Elements featured on the latest recording in 2019. Elements received multiple nominations of eligibility from the Grammy Foundation. The EWS membership consists of professional-level musicians from the New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania areas. More than half of the members are music educators who teach in the New Jersey public school system. Additionally, many members are freelance musicians, manage businesses, work in the sciences, or raise families. Whatever their vocation, all members of the EWS are accomplished and talented musicians who volunteer their time and enjoy performing the most highly-regarded wind symphony repertoire in a high-caliber ensemble. Their reward is musical enjoyment at its highest level: music for music’s sake! The EWS is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. All members perform for the love of music, and no member is compensated for their participation. For more information about the symphony, including audition information for open positions or to support the EWS through charitable tax-deductible donations, please see the website at www.easternwindsymphony.org.
