Milestones in Wind Ensemble History
1950s · 1960s · 1970s · 1980s · 1990s · 2000s
Feb. 8, 1953
First concert in Kilbourn Hall of Eastman Wind Ensemble, founded by Frederick Fennell in Fall, 1952
1953
First of 24 recordings on the Mercury label released: American Concert Band Masterpieces
1954
Performance at Chicago’s Orchestra Hall for the Biennial Conference of CBDNA
1960
Performance at 17th Biennial Conference of MENC in Atlantic City
Premiere concert of the Cutler Union Chamber Music Series
1961
Carnegie Hall debut
1962
A. Clyde Roller appointed conductor
1964
Performances at the Contemporary Music Festival, Ithaca, NY
1965
Donald Hunsberger appointed conductor
First concert in a series for the Rochester Association for the United Nations
1968
Cross-country tour culminating with performances at the MENC Conference in Seattle, WA
1972
Gala concert celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Eastman School
EWE hosts Third National Wind Ensemble Conference at ESM
Karel Husa guest conducts his work Concerto for Percussion in the Eastman Theatre
1975
Debut concerts of the Eastman Wind Orchestra and PRISM
1977
25th anniversary of the EWE; celebration honors the original Wind Ensemble and Dr. Frederick Fennell
1978
First international tour: three week tour of Japan (sponsored by Kambara Arts Agency), followed by U.S. State Department Tour of Southeast Asia (25 concert appearances)
Debut performance at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center, New York City
Final recording on the Mercury label: Hanson, Schwantner, Copland
1985
First EWE Symposium, sponsored by the Hanson Institute for American Music
1986
Recording of Carnaval album with Wynton Marsalis, later nominated for a Grammy Award in 1987
1987
East Coast and Canada tour, with Wynton Marsalis, including a second appearance in Carnegie Hall
1990
First of six tours to Japan and the Far East, sponsored by Sony Music Foundation and Eastman Kodak Japan
1992
40th anniversary of the EWE
Second biennial concert tour of Japan, featuring Alan Vizzutti (EWE ’71-74), trumpet soloist
1994
Third biennial concert tour of Japan, featuring Kenneth Grant (Faculty and EWE ’70-73), clarinet soloist
1995
EWE receives the Crystal Award of Symphony Hall, Osaka. (The Boston Symphony wins the companion award)
1996
Fourth biennial concert tour of Japan, featuring Barbara Butler and Charles Geyer, trumpet soloists
1998
Fifth biennial concert tour of Japan, featuring Lila Gaeling (ESM ’96), piano soloist
2000
Sixth biennial concert tour of Japan, featuring Makato Ozone, piano soloist, and Nobuya Sugawa, alto saxophone soloist
Tour to the International MidWest Band and Orchestra Clinic, Chicago; Donald Hunsberger awarded the MidWest Medal of Honor
2002
50th anniversary of the EWE, release of multi-CD set on Warner Brothers label
Feb. 8, 2002
50th Anniversary Gala concert; EWE presents world premiere of Bernard Rands’ Unending Lightning
July, 2002
Mark Scatterday is appointed as 4th conductor of the ensemble
May, 2004
The EWE returns to Japan, as well as concerts in Taiwan and Macau, under Scatterday’s direction. The ensemble also records a CD of concertos by Dana Wilson, Eric Ewazen and Jacques Hetu with trumpet soloist James Thompson
February, 2005
Scatterday leads the ensemble and guest soloist trombonist Mark Kellogg in a concert at Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall as part of the CBDNA National Conference featuring music by Karel Husa, Roberto Sierra, David Maslanka and Jeff Tyzik.
February 8, 2006
The EWE celebrates the life of founder Frederick Fennell in a re-creation concert featuring the music that the EWE and Fennell performed on their first concert, exactly 53 years from the 1953 date in Kilbourn Hall — Mozart: Serenade in B-flat, Riegger: Nonet for brass and Hindemith: Symphony in B-flat.
June, 2006
The EWE and Scatterday release their first commercial recording together with James Thompson, trumpet soloist. Produced by Summit Records, the CD Danzante contains trumpet concerti and works by Jacques Hetu, Dana Wilson, Eric Ewazen, Louis Stewart and Michel Colombier.
October 2007
The first annual Frederick Fennell Conducting Masterclass takes place at Eastman in October, featuring legendary conductors Donald Hunsberger and Frank Battisti performing and teaching Fennell's first EWE concert repertoire from 1952.
2008
The Eastman Wind Ensemble records a CD with the Canadian Brass entitled Manhattan Music featuring music by Bernstein, Tovey, Tyzik and Wright.
2009
Scatterday and Hunsberger lead the EWE in a celebrated concert at the prestigious Midwest Clinic in Chicago featuring percussionist Michael Burritt and music by Sierra, Debussy, Andrea Gabrieli, Jeff Tyzik and Maslanka.