Wind Orchestra
The Fresno State Wind Orchestra auditions the most proficient wind and percussion students on campus and is open to music majors and non-music majors alike. The ensemble is conducted by Director of Bands, Dr. Gary P. Gilroy. Auditions are held the first week of each semester. Wind Orchestra is offered as a 1 unit course each semester. The ensemble has a history of excellence and maintains an impressive performance resume to year after year.
Course Information
Music 103WO
Course ID#: 32346
Meeting Times: Tu/Thur. 4:00 - 5:50pm
History
The Fresno State Wind Orchestra made their Carnegie Hall debut in 1996. They were invited to perform for the American Bandmasters' Association Conference in Las Vegas in 2001. The Wind Orchestra was featured on a CD of the wind works of the English composer Philip Wilby on Doyen Records. The group performed in Beijing and Shanghai in June of 2000 and also returned to Beijing in 2008 in celebration of the Summer Olympics. In 2004 the group traveled to New Orleans. In 2006 it went to England. In 2009, the Wind Orchestra was a featured ensemble at the California Band Directors Association All-State Conference. In April of 2010 it was the premier performing ensemble at the Percy Grainger International Wind Festival in Chicago. In the summer of 2013, the Wind Orchestra performed at the Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. The ensemble most recently attended the 26th Australian International Music Festival summer 2015 which included a performance at the Sydney Opera House.
The University Wind Ensemble, as it was originally called, has premiered original compositions by world renowned composers such as Kenneth Froelich, Philip Wilby and James Sochinski. This performing ensemble has been featured on many recordings available throughout the US and Europe. On June 2, 1996, under the baton Director of Bands Dr. Lawrence R. Sutherland, the Wind Ensemble made its Carnegie Hall debut, sharing the stage with the University of Rochester University Choir and the McCallum High School Band. The program included three works written for the Wind Ensemble by Phillip Wilby and James Sochinski. In June of 2000, the Wind Orchestra traveled to the People’s Republic of China for a landmark two week tour. In June of 2006 the Wind Ensemble performed in concerts throughout England for Dr. Sutherland’s retirement tour.
Yosemite Wind Orchestra in Sydney, June 2015
Dr. Gary P. Gilroy became Director of Bands in 2006 after thirteen years as Associate Director of Bands and Director of the Bulldog Marching Band. He changed the name of the band from Wind Ensemble to Wind Orchestra at that time. Chicago’s Orchestra Hall was the venue for the First Annual Percy Grainger Festival in 2006, where the Fresno State Wind Orchestra was featured. In March of 2012 the Wind Orchestra was honored to perform at the College Band Directors National Association Western and Northwestern Division Conference in Reno. In June of 2013, the Wind Orchestra performed at the Los Angeles International Music Festival held in the Disney Concert Hall. In the summer of 2015, members of the Wind Orchestra performed under the alias of the Yosemite Wind Orchestra in junction with Fresno City College and College of the Sequoias (Visalia, California) at the 26th Australian International Music Festival in Sydney.