The tradition of concert bands at Iowa State University goes back over 100 years!
There are four concert bands - the Wind Ensemble, the Symphonic Band, the Concert Band, and the Campus Band. All students, regardless of major, can participate in these ensembles.
An audition is required for members of the Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Band. There is no audition required for the Concert Band or the Campus Band.
Auditions for the 2024-2025 Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Band will be held Monday, August 26, 2024 (brass), Monday evening (percussion), and Tuesday, August 27, 2024 (woodwinds). A sign-up sheet for these 7-minute auditions (winds and brass) will be posted on the band bulletin board in Simon Estes Music Hall on Wednesday, August 21, 2024. Please sign up for the earliest time possible.
Winds and Brass – please prepare one or more solo works or etudes that display both your slow, lyrical playing and your faster, more technical playing. Please prepare about 4 minutes of your finest playing. There is no “required” music. There will also be sight-reading.
Percussion auditions are 8 minutes long, and the sign-up sheet for these auditions will be posted outside room 124 on August 21, 2024. Please sign up for the earliest time possible and be ready in case we get ahead of schedule. Once Percussion audition music is available, you can access it at the following link: Percussion Audition Music for FALL 2024.
The concert bands perform on campus in both the intimate 309-seat Martha-Ellen Tye Recital Hall in Simon Estes Music Hall and the 2,600-seat Stephens Auditorium, recognized as one of the finest performance halls in the world. The concert bands also perform at Ames City Auditorium, located at 515 Clark Ave.
For additional information, please get in touch with Dr. Michael Golemo, Director of Bands, at mgolemo@iastate.edu.
Wind Ensemble
Course #111
Rehearsal Schedule: M, W,Th, F 12:10-1:00 pm
The Wind Ensemble is recognized as the top concert band at Iowa State. Striving for perfection and playing for the love of music, the sixty members of the Wind Ensemble perform the finest quality literature composed for winds, including music from the 16th century through the most contemporary works available for winds. The Wind Ensemble performs works for smaller chamber ensembles to the full ensemble.
Members of the Wind Ensemble have exceptional opportunities to work with some of the world's greatest composers, conductors, and soloists. In recent years, these have included John Corigliano, Frank Ticheli, Timothy Reynish, Michael Daugherty, Andrew Ardizzoia, David Waybright, John Whitwell, Simon Estes, the Dallas Brass, Leigh Howard Stevens, John Philip Sousa IV, Joseph Hermann, Pat Sheridan, and the Boston Brass. The group regularly commissions and premieres new compositions.
On campus, the Wind Ensemble presents approximately six concerts each year, performing in Martha-Ellen Tye Recital Hall and Stephens Auditorium, one of the finest performance halls in the world.
Off campus, the Wind Ensemble has performed in Minneapolis' Orchestra Hall and in Chicago's Orchestra Hall at Symphony Center. The Wind Ensemble tours Europe every 2-4 years and routinely visits London, Amsterdam, Bruges, Vienna, Prague, Salzburg, Paris, Ulm, Rothenburg, Brussels, Munich, and Stuttgart.
The Wind Ensemble performed for the 2016 College Band Directors National Association North Central Division convention which was held at Iowa State. Under the direction of Michael Golemo, they have performed four times at the Iowa Bandmasters Association convention, most recently in 2014.
The Wind Ensemble is conducted by Michael Golemo, Director of Bands.
Photos from an ISU Wind Ensemble trip to Rome, Florence, Vencie, Salzburg, and Rothenburg.
Symphonic Band
Course #115
Rehearsal Schedule: M W F 11:00 - 11:50 am
The Symphonic Band is an 80-member ensemble that explores traditional as well as contemporary works by composers such as Percy Grainger, Malcolm Arnold, Gustav Holst, Ralph Vaughan Williams, and Leonard Bernstein.
Concert Band
Course #112A
Rehearsal Schedule: Fall: T Th 9:30-10:45 am Spring: T Th 4:10-5:25 pm
The Concert Band performs a variety of rich literature. Approximately 100 students take part in this group, enjoying continued musical involvement at the college level without excessive performance pressures or rehearsal time.
The Concert Band is conducted by Javan Shields, Assistant Director of Bands.
Campus Band
Course #112B
Rehearsal Schedule: Spring: Th 7:10-9:00 pm
The Campus Band performs a variety of rich literature. Approximately 120 students take part in this group, enjoying continued musical involvement at the college level without excessive performance pressures or rehearsal time.