Wind Band Literature

A Conductor's Perspective by Andy Pease

Season Recaps

The front page of this site rotates with every season, highlighting the repertoire of the ensembles that I’m involved with, as well as other projects. These are published as seasonal recap posts, preserving each season in virtual posterity. There are a lot – they go back to Fall 2010! See below for links to each recap, and a summary of the activities included in each one.

Fall 2024 – I’m a composer again! I premiere a piece each with the Hartwick Wind Ensemble and the Catskill Valley Wind Ensemble. Guests at Hartwick include The Gabriel Alegria Afro-Peruvian Sextet and organist Fideliz Sta. Brigida, plus our Honor Band. The Oneonta Community Concert Band does its Veterans Day concert, and I do some guesting.

Summer 2024 – Two absolutely extraordinary conferences on opposite sides of the world.

Spring 2024 – Hartwick goes all in on In C, followed by a Worlds Beyond concert in honor of our seniors. The Catskill Valley Wind Ensemble misses a winter pops concert, but explores all kinds of places in the spring. I go to more conferences and honor bands than I can shake a stick at (though they will attest, I certainly tried).

Fall 2023 – Dreamscapes and Veterans with the Oneonta Community Concert Band, a Children’s Concert and something All Natural at Hartwick, plus the 7th annual Honor Band, a guest spot in the Connecticut River Shoreline, Desert Sage with the Catskill Valley Wind Ensemble. Plus an epic band trip across all of New York State!

Summer 2023 – The Oneonta Community Concert Band Seizes the Day, Columbia Summer Winds lets me crash its 20th anniversary concert in NYC’s Battery Park, and I lead a diversity reading session for NYSBDA at the NYSSMA summer conference in Albany.

Spring 2023 – Hartwick WE goes to foothills and plays an epic Senior Choice show. Catskill Valley Wind Ensemble fights Godzilla. I visit with CBDNA, NYSBDA, and NAfME. I conduct two All Counties and return for a very special Band Day at my alma mater: Coginchaug Regional High School.

Fall 2022 – A basically normal season (!!) with the Hartwick Wind Ensemble and Honor Band, Oneonta Community Concert Band, and Catskill Valley Wind Ensemble, plus a busy trip to the NYSSMA winter conference.

Summer 2022 – A full concert with the Oneonta Community Concert Band and a fabulous guest appearance with Columbia Summer Winds.

Spring 2022 – Martha Mooke and Senior Choice at Hartwick (plus the Faculty Wind Octet), Catskill Wind Ensemble Conductor Fest, NYSBDA and CBDNA-E conferences, the return of high school visits.

Fall 2021 – Despite lingering COVID concerns, indoor concerts return in earnest. Hartwick sees two Wind Ensemble concerts (“WE’RE BACK” and “Dispatches from the Anthropocene”) and the Honor Band. The Oneonta Community Concert Band plays outdoors on Labor Day and inside on Veterans Day. And the Catskill Valley Wind Ensemble returns.

Summer 2021 – The Oneonta Community Concert Band has some successful outdoor concerts as COVID recedes, but then comes back as the Delta variant.

Spring 2021 – Hartwick Wind Ensemble is in person, still doing flex music, but ending with a full band, outdoor concert. The Catskill Valley Wind Ensemble remains virtual. The Oneonta Community Concert Band performs its first indoor concert since November 2019.

Fall 2020 – Hartwick Wind Ensemble is in person, but doing flex music. Hartwick Honor Band and Catskill Valley Wind Ensemble are virtual.

Summer 2020 – COVID continues, and the Backyard Flex Band of Upstate New York experiments in some of the newly-composed adaptable instrumentation music.

Spring 2020 – Dominated by the coronavirus pandemic. Managed to squeeze in two concerts in Oneonta, as well as visits with the City Wind Orchestra in London and conferences in Philadelphia (CBDNA-E) and Syracuse (NYSBDA) before everything was shut down.

Fall 2019 – Recording the Stravinsky Octet and companion pieces at Hartwick College, as well as the Hartwick Wind Ensemble season; concerts with the Catskill Valley Wind Ensemble, Oneonta Community Concert Band, and UMass Wind Ensemble; presenting at the Midwest Clinic.

Summer 2019 – Guest conducting with Juventas New Music Ensemble, Columbia Summer Winds, and Oneonta Community Concert Band, and the NYSBDA Directors Band.

Spring 2019 – Hartwick College “We Got a Five Octave Marimba!” concert with SUNY Broome and “Audible Images” concert, Catskill Valley Wind Ensemble spring concert, All County Bands in Chenango and Delaware counties in New York, CBDNA in Tempe, AZ, and some guest conducting.

Fall 2018 – Hartwick College Honor Band concert (“Out of This World” theme) and “Remember Me” concert, two Catskill Valley Wind Ensemble concerts, two NYSSMA Area All States (Zones 7 and 11), Oneonta Community Concert Band Veteran’s Day concert, NYSSMA Winter Conference, including “The Magic of Singing with your Band.”

Summer 2018 – Oneonta Community Concert Band “Wilbur Park World Tour,” IGEB Conference, New York State Summer Music Conference, including NYSBDA Director’s Band and Small Band Reading Session.

Spring 2018 – Otsego and Montgomery, NY All County Bands; guest conducting at Purdue; NYSBDA Symposium; CBDNA Eastern Division Conference; Hartwick College Wind Ensemble “Windsongs”, at Carnegie Hall, and “Godzilla Eats Las Vegas!;” Catskill Valley Wind Ensemble Winter and Spring concerts.

Fall 2017 – First Annual Hartwick Honor Band, Hartwick Wind Ensemble “World Tour” and “Healing and Understanding” concerts, Catskill Valley Wind Ensemble Fall concerts.

Summer 2017 – WASBE Utrecht, Columbia Summer Winds season, New York State Summer Music Conference, including NYSBDA Director’s Band, Oneonta Community Concert Band “Teddy Bear’s Picnic” concert.

Spring 2017 – Hartwick College “Dreams and Fantasies” and “Go Outside!” concerts, Columbia Wind Ensemble at Carnegie Hall, Catskill Valley Wind Ensemble Spring concert.

Fall 2016 – Hartwick College “Visions” and “Love” concerts, Catskill Valley Wind Ensemble Fall concert.

Summer 2016 – Columbia Summer Winds season.

Spring 2016 – Ironwood High School concert band season; South Mountain Community College April and May concerts; Sun Valley Chamber Winds “Bach: Rearranged,” outreach at Ironwood High School, and “Stravinsky: Alone No More” concerts.

Fall 2015 – South Mountain Community College October and December concerts, Sun Valley Chamber Winds “Concert Zero” and “Mozart and Drama” concerts, Midwest Clinic.

Summer 2015 – Columbia Summer Winds season, WASBE San Jose, Twisted Skyscape review.

Spring 2015 – Arizona State University Concerto Concert, Wind Ensemble, Wind Orchestra, Concert Band, and Chamber Players; Rockland, NY All County Band.

Fall 2014 – Arizona State University Wind Orchestra, Wind Ensemble, Concert Band; my Doctoral Conducting Recital at ASU.

Summer 2014 – Visit to Grand Street Campus High School and a Brooklyn Wind Symphony recording session, conducting workshops at the University of North Texas and the University of Texas at Austin, Columbia Summer Winds season.

Spring 2014 – Arizona State University Wind Orchestra, Wind Ensemble, Concert Band, including performances at two conferences and visits from several composers.

Fall 2013 – Arizona State University Concert Band, Wind Orchestra, and Wind Ensemble.

Summer 2013 – Columbia Summer Winds season, Young Musicians Summer Academy Bands in Caroline County, MD.

Spring 2013 – Columbia Wind Ensemble “Epic” concert and 5th annual Columbia Festival of Winds, Westchester (NY) Elementary All County Band.

Fall 2012 – Columbia Wind Ensemble “Scenes” and “Symphony” concerts.

Summer 2012 – Columbia Summer Winds season, several conducting workshops.

Spring 2012 – Columbia Wind Ensemble “Perspectives” concert and 4th annual Columbia Festival of Winds, plus concerts at St. Paul’s Chapel and Riverside Park.

Fall 2011 – Columbia Wind Ensemble “Light” and “Traveling East” concerts, with a runout to Providence to play alongside the Brown University Wind Symphony. Columbus State University conducting workshop.

Summer 2011 – Columbia Summer Winds season, 2 conducting workshops.

Spring 2011 – Columbia Wind Ensemble “Best of All Possible Concerts” and 3rd annual Columbia Festival of Winds, featuring the introduction of the Columbia Festival Band.

Fall 2010 – Columbia Wind Ensemble “Magic and Mystery” and “Transformations” concerts, Westchester County Arts Leadership Association band reading session.