" 'NorthWinds' - an ensemble of exceptional musicians, assembled to rehearse and perform high quality and entertaining music to a wide variety of audiences."
The NorthWinds Symphonic Band originated during the spring of 2004, when a few Kansas City area band directors met to discuss the formation of a group that would first and foremost be a performing outlet for area music educators. The initial response was very positive, and after beginning rehearsals in September the first concert season opened with a performance at Oak Park High School on October 24th, 2004.
From its inception, NorthWinds has welcomed music educators from the entire Kansas City metro area. St. Joseph & Maryville (north), Warrensburg (east), Belton (south), and Lawrence, Kansas (west), are just a few cities from which some of our musicians have travelled to attend rehearsals and performances. Our membership includes current and retired music educators, excellent musical members of the community at large, and a few current college/university students.
NorthWinds programs are eclectic in nature, combining recognized standards, marches and new works written for wind band. The Fall of 2010 marked NorthWinds' first collaboration, with the St. Joseph Community Chorus in a presentation of patriotic selections for chorus and band including works by Aaron Copland, Randall Thompson, and Cecil Effinger. In January of 2011, the ensemble was invited to perform at the Missouri Music Educators Association's conference and once again in 2017. NorthWinds has also had the honor to perform at the Missouri Bandmasters Association Convention twice, once in June of 2006, and again in June of 2014. In 2015 NorthWinds played a concert on the steps of the Liberty Memorial in downtown Kansas City, in conjunction with Kansas City’s Memorial Day festivities. The band has been privileged to share concerts with the Fountain City Brass Band, the Missouri Western State University Symphonic Winds, the Kansas City Wind Symphony, the St. Louis Wind Symphony, the Platte County Community Band, the Kansas City Metro Men's Chorus, and takes pride in supporting music in the schools by performing joint concerts with various high schools bands.
During the 2009-2010 concert season the NorthWinds Symphonic Band hosted the first annual solo competition for talented young band students. The winner of the competition receives a grant to be applied to the college of their choice upon graduation, and performs as a soloist with the band on the last concert of the season. The competition is open to woodwind, brass or percussion students enrolled in their school's band during the current school year. After a preliminary round of recorded submissions, finalists participate in a live audition and a winner is announced. Applicants are encouraged to select literature from an extensive list available on the NorthWinds website; all application guidelines can be found there as well.
The 2017-2018 concert season marked the beginning of a partnership with the North Kansas City School District. NorthWinds is honored to have had the use of the Winnetonka High School Instrumental Music Room for regular rehearsals in the recent past and will now be moving to Staley High School for rehearsals and performances. In return, various members of the ensemble make themselves available for rehearsals and sectionals with band programs throughout the North Kansas City school district.