The University of Texas Wind Ensemble is one of America’s elite wind bands. Commissioning new music since 1988, the group has offered world premiere performances of works by composers such as John Corigliano, Michael Daugherty, Donald Grantham, David Maslanka, and Omar Thomas.
The Wind Ensemble made its international debut in 1991 at the Fifth Conference of the World Association of Symphonic Bands and Ensembles in Manchester, England, and its national debut in 1998 at Carnegie Hall in New York.
In addition to serving as noted educators and conductors, graduates of The University of Texas Wind Ensemble hold major positions in each of the Washington D.C.-based military bands as well as major symphony orchestras throughout the world.
Join
Wind Ensemble is made up primarily of elite performers from the Butler School but is open to students university-wide by audition. Students must audition each semester. Auditions for Fall take place at the beginning of that Fall semester. Auditions for Spring take place at the end of the preceding Fall semester.
Audition Information
Requirements and Schedule
All auditions will take place in the Orchestra Room 2.118.
Click on your instrument below for repertoire requirements. Students should prepare one movement of a concerto or a solo work of equal difficulty in addition to all of the excerpts for your instrument.
Students should show up at least 10 minutes before scheduled audition time with music prepared and instrument tuned.
Cello
Sunday, August 24
Double Bass
Sunday, August 24
Violin
Saturday, August 23
Viola
Saturday, August 23
Sign-Up
Register for an audition and sign up for an audition slot by August 15. Please note that we reserve the right to adjust the schedule as needed so students should monitor their email in case a change is made.
Any questions about the audition process should be directed to the Graduate TAs at utorchestras@utexas.edu and Prof. Khudyev at Farkhad.Khudyev@austin.utexas.edu. Please contact us if there are no audition slots remaining for your instrument.
Watch
Concerto for Soprano Sax and Wind Ensemble
by John Mackey
Jerry F. Junkin, conductor
Stephen Page, soprano sax
excerpt
Bates Recital Hall
Austin, TX
Upcoming Performances

Jerry Junkin, conductor
Jonathan Gunn, clarinet
Richard Strauss
Festival Intrada
W.A. Mozart, arr. Rumbelow
Clarinet Concerto in A Major, K. 622
Michael Martin
Lontano: Symphony for Wind Ensemble

Jimmy Santos-Rivera, guest conductor
Page Stephens, mezzo soprano
Gustav Mahler, arr. Bowlin
Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen
David Maslanka
Symphony No. 8

More Music of John Williams
Alec Rodriguez, guest conductor
Caleb Hudson, trumpet
Brian Lewis, violin
Theme from Jurassic Park
Selections from Harry Potter
Of Grit and Glory
The March from 1941
Theme from Schindler’s List
Selections from Indiana Jones
With Malice Toward None from Lincoln
Selections from Star Wars

Doug Henderson, guest conductor
Gao Hong, pipa
Gao Hong
Musical Journey for Pipa and Band (world premiere)
John Mackey
Symphony No. 2 (U.S. premiere)

Emily Warren and T.j. Anderson, guest conductors
Ebonee Thomas, flute
Seraph Brass
Lindsay Bronnenkant
Tarot
Anthony DiLorenzo
Chimera
John Corigliano
Pied Piper Fantasy

Cody Ray, guest conductor
James Dick, piano
Sergei Rachmaninoff, arr. Patterson
Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganinini, Op. 43
Samuel Barber
Commando March
Symphony No. 1 in One Movement (arr. Patterson)
Recordings
“The skilled and enthusiastic playing of the young performers leaps off the disc…they make a glorious noise.”
– The New York Times
on Bells for Stokowski

Migration
Music of Schoenberg, Corigliano, Jolley, Montague
2022 • Reference
Preview Now

Wine Dark Sea
Music of Mackey, Welcher, Grantham, Ticheli
2016 • Reference
Amazon • Spotify • Apple Music

shadow of Sirius
With Marianne Gedigian, flute
Music of Bryant, Puckett, Mackey
2015 • Naxos

Starry Crown
Music of Sweelinck, Maslanka, Rouse, Husa, Grantham
2013 • Longhorn Music
Preview Now

Bells for Stokowski
2004 • Reference
Golden Ear Award, Absolute Sound
Best of Classical 2004, New York Times
Amazon • Spotify • Apple Music

Circus Maximus
Music of John Corigliano
2007 • Naxos
Golden Tuning Fork Award, Diapason d'or, France
Amazon • Spotify • Apple Music
Appearances
National
College Band Directors National Association Conference
1995 • 1999 • 2005 • 2009
American Bandmasters Association
1996 • 2000 • 2009
Regional
College Band Directors National Association
1989
Texas Music Educators Association
1990 • 1994 • 1998 • 2002 • 2006 • 2010 • 2014
International
SUMMER 2008 7-day European Tour
England
Luxembourg
Switzerland
Austria
Spain
SUMMER 2014 four-week World Tour
Honolulu
Okazaki City
Tokyo
Taipei
Hong Kong
Macau
Shenzhen
Beijing
London
Visiting Artists & Residencies
John Adams
Samuel Adler
William Bolcom
Michael Colgrass
John Corigliano
David Del Tredici
Jacob Druckman
Daniel Godfrey
John Harbison
Karel Husa
William Kraft
David Maslanka
Thea Musgrave
Hila Plitmann
Gunther Schuller
Joseph Shwartner
Stephen Stucky
Joan Tower

Previous Performances
Explore concerts & repertoire from the recent seasons
Andrew Blair | anti-FANFARE
Jack Frerer | Zoom
Omar Thomas | Of Our New Day Begun
+ more...
Kevin Day | Concerto for Wind Ensemble
Valerie Coleman | Fanfare for Uncommon Times
Percy Grainger | selected short pieces
Shostakovich | Festive Overture
Franz Krommer | Octet Partita in F
Aram Khachaturian | Adagio from Spartacus
Karel Husa | Music for Prague 1968
Featuring Billy Hunter, trumpet
Omar Thomas | The Low-Down Brown Get-Down
Alexander Arutiunian | Trumpet Concerto
+ more...
John Williams 90th Birthday
John Williams 90th Birthday
Overture to The Cowboys
Music from Star Wars, E.T., Hook
+ more...
Featuring Scott Piper, tenor
Erik Santos | The Seer
Jennifer Higdon | Blue Cathedral
+ more...
Doreen Ketchens, clarinet
Grantham
Come, Memory
Maslanka
Symphony No. 7
+ more...
Weston Lewis, guest conductor
Hila Plitmann, soprano
Copley
Dope
Plitmann
In This Circle
+ more...
Clifton Croomes, guest conductor
Drew Eary, guest conductor
Cortado Horn Quartet
Turner
Introduction and Main Event
Primiani
Glass Ceiling
+ more...
Ogechi Ukazu, guest conductor
Epoch Percussion Quartet
Holst
Jupiter from The Planets
Psathas
Orbital
Giroux
The Blue Marble
Ivan Trevino & Thomas Burritt, percussion
Michael Lebrias, guest conductor
Grantham
Southern Harmony
Márquez
Danzón No. 2
+ more...
Tyler Ehrlich, guest conductor
Bion Tsang, cello
Boulanger
D'un matin de printemps
Respighi
Feste Romane
+ more...
Jerry Junkin, conductor
Andrew Parker, oboe
Kristin Wolfe Jensen, bassoon
Jacob Nissly, percussion
Adam Schoenberg
Losing Earth
Jenni Brandon
Double Concerto for Oboe and Bassoon with Wind Symphony
+ more...
Jerry Junkin, conductor
Doug Henderson, Drew Eary, & Michael Lebrias, guest conductors
Caleb Hudson, trumpet
María Huld Markan Sigfúsdóttir
Oceans
Leonard Bernstein
Symphony No. 1, Jeremiah
+ more...
Jerry Junkin, conductor
Tyler Ehrlich and Weston Lewis, guest conductors
Eighth Blackbird
Joseph Schwantner
…and the mountains rising nowhere
Viet Cuong
Vital Sines (consortium premiere)
+ more...
Jerry Junkin, conductor
Marc Sosnowchik, guest conductor
Jonathan Gunn, clarinet
John Mackey
Divine Mischief (Concerto for Clarinet)
Wine-Dark Sea
Henry Tomasi
Fanfares Liturguiques