Wind Ensemble
Ever since its modest beginnings in 1852, the Naval Academy Band has been providing entertainment to the Brigade of Midshipmen and the surrounding community. In the early days of the Naval Academy, midshipmen would gather on the lawn in front of the bandstand, as the band performed popular music of the day. The current version of the Wind Ensemble is a far cry from the thirteen men who reported to Annapolis over 150 years ago, but the tradition of musical excellence and service to America has endured.
Today, the Wind Ensemble is comprised of some of the nation’s finest musicians. The ensemble performs a year-round public concert series featuring varied programs of marches, orchestral transcriptions, patriotic music, and classic wind band repertoire. Performances take place on the grounds of the Naval Academy and at venues throughout the mid-Atlantic region.
Special events the Wind Ensemble performs throughout the year include the “Summer Serenade” concert series at the Annapolis City Dock, an annual Veterans Day Concert in the fall, the acclaimed “Holiday by the Bay” concert and live radio broadcast in the winter, and the “Side-By-Side” concert in the spring, which highlights the talents of local high school musicians. At the Naval Academy, the Wind Ensemble lends musical support to the Brigade of Midshipmen for Induction Day and for the Graduation and Commissioning Ceremony.
Collaborating with prominent musicians is an important part of the Wind Ensemble’s tradition. In recent years, the band has welcomed renowned conductors Gunther Schuller, Leonard Slatkin, Eugene Corporon, and Anthony Maiello to the podium, and has commissioned new works for the medium by James Barnes, Francis McBeth, and Greg Pascuzzi.
Wind Ensemble Roster (click to show/hide)
DIRECTORS/CONDUCTORS
LCDR Bruce A. McDonald - Rapid City, South Dakota
ENS Patrick Hill - Chillicothe, Illinois
ENLISTED CONDUCTORS
MUC Tony Asero - Bowie, Maryland
MUC Devona Schiller - Baltimore, Maryland
UNIT LEADER
MUC Jarrod Williams - Republic, Missouri
LEADING PETTY OFFICER
MU1 Carl Lindquist - Sandusky, Ohio
FLUTE
MUC Devona Schiller - Baltimore, Maryland*
MU1 Erin Ostrowski - Topeka, Kansas
MU1 Courtney Morton - San Jose, California
PICCOLO
MU1 Erin Ostrowski - Topeka, Kansas
OBOE
MU1 Emily Madsen - Reston, Virginia*
MU1 Sarah Blecker - Fairbanks, Alaska
ENGLISH HORN
MU1 Sarah Blecker - Fairbanks, Alaska
CLARINET
MUCS Ray Ascione - Annapolis, Maryland
MUCS Amy Jarjoura - Marietta, Georgia
MUC Lynda Dembowski - Waynesboro, Virginia*
MUC Dawn Henry - Quarryville, Pennsylvania
MU1 Benjamin Bokor - Downers Grove, Illinois
MU1 Sam Chin - Ann Arbor, Michigan
MU1 Sheila Cullen- Marietta, Georgia
MU1 Jim Hurd - East Meadow, New York
MU1 Ben Redwine - Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
MU1 Paul Skinner - Norfolk, Virginia
E-FLAT CLARINET
MU1 Ben Redwine - Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
BASS CLARINET
MU1 Jim Hurd - East Meadow, New York
ALTO SAXOPHONE
MU1 Colin Renick - Belmont, Massachusetts*
MU1 Doug O'Connor - Potomac, Maryland
TENOR SAXOPHONE
MU1 Matt Stuver - Virginia Beach, Virginia
BARITONE SAXOPHONE
MUCM James Rodak - Orlando, Florida
TRUMPET
MUC John Babcock - Baltimore, Maryland
MUC Pasquale Sarracco - Bethel, Connecticut
MU1 Christopher Buchanan - Fairfax, Virginia
MU1 Davy DeArmond - Lenoir City, Tennessee
MU1 Matt Harriman - Bexley, Ohio
MU1 Carl Lindquist - Sandusky, Ohio*
MU1 Matthew Shea - Ellington, Conncecticut
FRENCH HORN
MUCS Adam Tillett - Norfolk, Virginia*
MUC Anthony Valerio - Annapolis, Maryland
MU1 Jessica Privler - Sterling, Virginia
MU1 Nathaniel Willson - Lake Ann, Michigan
TENOR TROMBONE
MU1 Russell Sharp - Oklahoma City, Oklahoma*
MU1 Steve Tomlinson - Dayton, Ohio
MU1 Clint Woltering - Richmond, Kentucky
BASS TROMBONE
MU1 Zac Hollister - Palm Springs, California
EUPHONIUM
MUCS Karl Schultz - Wellsboro, Pennsylvania*
MU1 Gregory Battista - Plano, Texas
TUBA
MUC Todd Nix - Grants Pass, Oregon
MUC Jarrod Williams - Republic, Missouri*
MU1 Travis Siehndel - Topeka, Kansas
TIMPANI
MUCS Nicholas Pastelak - Bel Air, Maryland
PERCUSSION
MUCM Bruce Smith - El Reno, Oklahoma
MUCS Blake Cramer - Davidsonville, Maryland
MUCS Nicholas Pastelak - Bel Air, Maryland
MUC Tony Asero - Bowie, Maryland*
MUC Joe McCarthy - Meriden, Connecticut
MU1 Kevin Meyer - Sioux Falls, South Dakota
STRING BASS/ ELECTRIC BASS
MUC James Fowler - Ponca City, Oklahoma*
MUC Thomas Pitta - Eldersburg, Maryland
ELECTRIC GUITAR
MU1 Shawn Purcell - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
KEYBOARD
MU1 Todd Simon - Dover, Delaware
VOCALIST
MUCS Nicholas Pastelak - Bel Air, Maryland
NARRATOR
MUCS Nicholas Pastelak - Bel Air, Maryland
SOUND ENGINEER
MUC Ritchie Smith - Erin, New York
* = Principal
