The Wind Symphony at St. Petersburg College

Overview

The Wind Symphony is the premier level community wind ensemble in residence at St. Petersburg College. The 44 person group is highly selective, consisting of accomplished volunteer musicians. The ensemble is dedicated to providing a positive environment committed to Empowered Musicians, Excellent Music, and Enhancing the Community. The Wind Symphony partners with community causes while promoting the values of continual improvement and the life-balance of individual members, the ensemble, and our audience. The ensemble performs an average of 6 to 8 performances throughout the year at the SPC Music Center, the Palladium, and various venues throughout the St. Pete/Tampa area. Concerts consistently feature guest soloists, conductors, and composers. Rehearsals take place Thursday evenings from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. on the SPC St. Pete/Gibbs campus. The ensemble can be taken for credit if desired.

History and Development

The Wind Symphony is part of a restructuring of the bands program at St. Petersburg College. Based on a model established by the highly successful music program at Sinclair Community College in Dayton, Ohio, The Wind Symphony and Community Concert Band at St. Petersburg College will grow and sustain the music making in our area while complimenting already established ensembles. SPC music faculty have consulted with local musicians, the music directors of Sinclair Community College, as well as the Philadelphia Wind Symphony, in regards to the creation of this new ensemble.

The first rehearsal of The Wind Symphony took place on January 16, 2014, and the debut performance was February 6, 2014 at The Palladium of St. Petersburg College.

Resources and Support

The Wind Symphony has the full resources and support of St. Petersburg College. This includes rehearsal and performance space at the St. Petersburg/Gibbs campus, the acoustically perfected SPC Music Center, and the Palladium in Downtown St. Petersburg. Multiple sets of timpani, chimes, concert bass drums, marimbas, xylophones, crotales, and vibraphones fill out our healthy set of percussion equipment. Over 800 pieces in our music library feature such masterworks as the Dahl Sinfonietta, the Hindemith Symphony for Band, Holst’s Hammersmith, Grainger’s Lincolnshire Posy, Stravinsky’s L’Histoire du Soldat, Ticheli’s Blue Shades, de Meij’s complete Symphony No. 1 “The Lord of the Rings,” Yo Goto’s arrangement of Puccini's Turandot, and much more. The Music Industry/Recording Arts program (MIRA) at SPC provides access to state of the art equipment and experienced engineers for recording projects. Most importantly, dedicated faculty and administrators work together to ensure the success of the program.

Instrumentation

The Wind Symphony will have a set instrumentation of 44 musicians, expanding to as many as 57 depending on repertoire requirements. This small number provides for a highly selective ensemble with premium levels of artistic expression.

Standard Instrumentation

Flute/Piccolo - 4

Oboe - 2

Clarinet - 7

Bass Clarinet - 1

Alto Saxophone - 2

Tenor Saxophone - 1

Baritone Saxophone - 1

Bassoon - 2

Horn - 4

Trumpet - 5

Trombone - 4