Band

Montclair State University Symphonic Band

‌‌The Montclair State University Symphonic Band, directed by Thomas McCauley, is an ensemble of nearly 60 musicians that performs at least four concerts each year. Symphonic Band members are all Montclair State students; the majority are instrumental music majors, but non-instrumental and non-music majors are welcome to audition. The repertoire for these concerts includes important works from all periods of the band literature. The ensemble supports contemporary composers by premiering new works, offering students opportunities to rehearse with their composers. The band has performed works by Aldridge, Brahms, Bukvich, Burns, Rachmaninov, Grainger, Mennin, Ticheli, Arnold, Vaughn Williams, Holst, Delibes and Orff. They have collaborated with distinguished guest artists, including pianists David Witten and Ruth Rendleman, saxophonist Paul Cohen and the New Hudson Saxophone Quartet; celebrated the works of American masters Bernstein, Gershwin and Copland; performed Dello Joio’s Scenes from “The Louvre” and premiered Beckel’s Symphony for Band; and explored the jazz influence in the 20th and 21st century with a concert featuring the Manhattan Brass Quintet, New Hudson Saxophone Quartet and guest artist Warren Vaché. Recent repertoire has included Vaughan Williams’s English Folk Song Suite, Daniel Bukvich’s The Dream of Abraham and Karl Orff’s Carmina Burana.

Montclair State University Wind Symphony

‌The Montclair State University Wind Symphony, directed by Thomas McCauley, is a 60 member auditioned ensemble of undergraduate and graduate students who are experienced instrumentalists. Students from all schools in the university who are in good academic standing are welcome to audition. It performs a wide variety of works from the standard band repertoire, commissioned pieces and chamber works. The Wind Symphony has appeared with such notable soloists as Donald Batchelder, Principal Trumpet of the New York City Opera, and James Markey, principal trombone of the New York Philharmonic. In 2007, the group presented the world premiere of David Gillingham’s Symphony No. 2 (“Genesis”). In spring 2010, they performed the premieres of Transformed Spring by composer and faculty member Patrick J. Burns, and Harriet by O’Neal Douglas. Recent performances have included works by Chagrin, Bernstein, Harbison, Higdon, Verdi, Colgrass and Mozart.‌ The Wind Symphony has performed Stravinsky’s Symphonies of Wind Instruments (1947), Haydn’s Concerto for Trumpet in E-flat featuring the winner of the annual Montclair State University Wind Symphony Concerto Competition, Maslanka’s Symphony No. 4, Stravinsky’s Concerto for Piano and Wind Instruments with pianist Ronald Levy, Hindemith’s Konzertmusik für Blasorchester, and the world premiere of Elizabeth Brown’s Zeppelin.