Woodwind Ensemble

The woodwind ensemble, which of course is comprised of the reed instruments and flutes, fills a particular niche in the performance opportunities of the fine arts department. Our repertoire comes mainly from three genres. Since there is no symphony orchestra here, we frequently perform transcriptions of various classical masterpieces. Recently performed works include transcriptions of the second movement of Dvorak's New World Symphony, the finale of the 5th Symphony of Schubert, and the famous Air from Bach's Suite in D.

The woodwind ensemble also performs transcriptions of classic band works, such as Ye Banks and Braes O' Bonnie Doon and Horkstow Grange by Percy Grainger as well as Folk Songs from Somerset by Ralph Vaughan Williams. Finally, the ensemble sometimes performs arrangements of pop or folk tunes; examples include tunes originally written by Lennon/McCartney, Bob Dylan, and Freddie Mercury.

Occasionally, smaller groups are formed from within our ranks. For example, a saxophone quartet performed at an alumni function in Parkersburg in late 2011.

The woodwind ensemble strives for excellence in musicianship. Member ship in the ensemble is open to any of our students; it is not limited to music majors. Alumni and community members are also welcomed.