Dartmouth College Wind Ensemble

Dartmouth Wind Ensemble

The wind orchestra explores an ever-expanding concert repertoire, ranging from chamber to symphonic works.

"The shared experience of making music with this ensemble is the most exhilarating and refreshing thing I've been able to do at Dartmouth." Kevin Gillespie '15 

Dartmouth College Wind Ensemble Fall 2023

 

The Dartmouth College Wind Ensemble (DCWE) is a non-credited ensemble primarily composed of non-music majors. With a membership of 40-50 Dartmouth College students, supplemented by community members from the Upper Valley of New Hampshire and Vermont, the DCWE performs exciting, innovative and culturally relevant music with the highest level of artistic integrity and a commitment to social justice. 

Join the Dartmouth College Wind Ensemble
DCWE rehearsals are on Mondays and Thursdays, 5:30-7:30 pm in Sanborn Hall, Church of Christ at Dartmouth College. Questions about joining? Email the director, Brian Messier.

Email the Director    Audition Information

Musico Mexico Symposium
Since the spring of 2022, the DCWE has participated in the Music Mexico Symposium, performed with guest artists including Venezuelan trumpet virtuoso Pacho Flores and the Latin Grammy-winning cuatrista Héctor Molina, and hosted guest conductors and composers from Mexico and beyond. Since 2022, the DCWE performed the American and World premieres of over 12 works by underrepresented composers and many more works were prepared for their Mexican Tour in March 2023 and through the Mexican Repertoire Initiative. 

The Mexican Repertoire Initiative, founded by director Brian Messier, is an ongoing commitment to bringing Mexican repertoire to the international stage, providing opportunities for Mexican composers, and combating institutionalized racism in educational and professional performing ensembles. The initiative will increase exposure and representation of Mexican composers by commissioning and facilitating the creation of new works (Mexican Composer Incubation Project), providing a platform for the sharing and distribution of authentic Mexican repertoire (Mexican Repertoire Collection), and advocating for the performance of authentic Mexican repertoire by ensembles of all abilities and ages.

Read more about the Initiative

Upcoming Wind Ensemble Events

Upcoming Wind Ensemble Events

DCWE Happenings

MusicMexico at Cornell University

Feb 2024

The Dartmouth College Wind Ensemble has been selected to perform MusicMexico at Cornell University as part of the 2024 College Band Directors National Association conference.

Pacho Flores

Pacho Flores & DCWE

Venezuelan trumpet legend Pacho Flores shared the stage with the Dartmouth College Wind Ensemble for a breathtaking performance. Guest artists also included: Eric Berlin, Héctor Molina and Luis Manuel Sánchez.

Little Mexican Suite for Winds

Little Mexican Suite for Winds

World Premiere
1. Ahuehuete (Montezuma Cypress)
2. Mezquite (Mesquite); Nathaniel Chen ’25, oboe
3. Ayacahuite (Mexican White Pine)
4. Sahuaro (Cactus)
5. Cacalosúchil (Plumeria Rubra); Jacob Wesley Dell ’22, tenor saxophone
6. Ceiba (Sacred tree of the Maya)

Life In the Hyphen

Life In the Hyphen

My Experience as a Mexican-American Music Student by Eric Jimenez and Cory Meals.

Dartmouth Wind Ensemble director Brian Messier conducting during a concert.

International Composition Competition

The Wind Ensemble launched a competition to choose up to three compositions to be premiered in New Hampshire by the ensemble in the 2020-21 academic year and performed in Mexico during a 2021 tour of that nation!

 

What do I need to do to prepare for an audition?

One solo selection or study etude of your choice that best displays your current playing ability—at least four minutes of music

All major scales and a chromatic scale through the complete range of your instrument

Sight-reading will also be included on all auditions

Percussionists: please prepare samples of your playing on at least two instruments highlighting your strongest skills in the percussion section. No scales will be required, but sight-reading on a variety of instruments will be requested.

DCWE Mexico

Mexico Tour Prep Trip

The prep for the Dartmouth Wind Ensemble's Mexico Tour next spring begins! DCWE Director Brian Messier and Hop Associate Producer Karina Sainz visited Mexico City to set things in motion. Messier guest conducted the Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) wind ensemble as part of a conductor exchange program with conductor Luis Manuel Sanchez. Messier conducted the Mexican premiere of s Nubia Jaime Donjuan's Little Mexican Suite as well as Fandangos by Roberto Sierra.

Mariachitlán

Mariachitlán

Mariachitlán (Mariachiland) is an orchestral homage to my birthplace, the Mexican state of Jalisco, where mariachi music originated. The work recounts my experience visiting the Plaza de los Mariachis in Guadalajara, the capital of Jalisco, a place where mariachis play their songs in every corner and interrupt each other to win over the crowd. Spring 2022

Cumbia Moderna

Cumbia Moderna

Cumbia Moderna was born during lockdown, one calm, sunny afternoon of 2020. The ideas for the piece arose from having been listening to a weekly stream of a local DJ in Mexico, Sonido Confirmación, who would play cumbias on Instagram live, and my interest in orchestral music that can pull you in and make you lose track of time.

Dartmouth College Wind Ensemble Spring 2020

Virtual Culley Concerto Competition

The Virtual Culley Concerto Competition is open to all currently enrolled Dartmouth College students who play a string, woodwind, brass or percussion instrument. Students do not need to be on campus or on term to participate. 

Grand Prize: $500
First Prize: $300
Second Prize: $100

Oliver Caplan headshot

DCWE to Record Commissioned Work

On Sunday, November 3rd, DCWE recorded the commissioned work Symphony for Winds "Dartmouth" by Oliver Caplan '04.  Watch the event on Youtube

brian messier headshot

Brian Messier named new director of DCWE

Roster

Maria L. Roodnitsky '22
Flute/Piccolo
Gyuri Hwang ’23
Flute
Sheen Kim ’23
Flute
Emma Dereskewicz ’23
Flute
Madeline Miller CO
Flute
Summer Jing ’20
Flute
Esther Lee UG
Oboe
Hana Dai ’20
Oboe
Eric Forehand ’22
Oboe
Julian Wu ’22
Oboe
Sophia Sulimirski ’23
Oboe
Camille Pierce FS
English Horn
Lucy Langenberg ’22
Bassoon
Anna Matusewicz ’20
Bassoon
Dillon Ford ’20
Bassoon
Dwight Aspinwall C
Eb Clarinet
Elias Rosenberg ’22
Bb Clarinet
Catherine Pollack GR
Bb Clarinet
Abbie Shaefer ’23
Bb Clarinet
Jonathan Oakes C
Bb Clarinet
Michael Geilich C
Bb Clarinet
Gayeong Song ’22
Bb Clarinet
Jim Lenz C
Bb Clarinet
Anne Bailey ’22
Bb Clarinet
Marjorie Tassey C
Bb Clarinet
Max Zaslaw C
Bb Clarinet
Evan Griffith TH
Bass Clarinet
Brandy Zhang ’22
Bass Clarinet
Abby Mans ’22
Soprano Saxophone
Devon Chen ’22
Alto Saxophone
Hannah Bliska ’20
Alto Saxophone
Minnue Uhm C
Alto Saxophone
Liam Locke ’21
Tenor Saxophone
Jacob Dell ’22
Baritone Saxophone
Karsten Kleyensteuber ’23
Trumpet
Steve Felix C
Trumpet
Margaret Ferris ’22
Trumpet
Kaleb Christman ’21
Trumpet
Glenn Griffin C
Trumpet
Stephen Langley FS
Trumpet
Nat Alden ’23
French Horn
Jack Duranceau ’23
French Horn
Janet Proctor C
French Horn
Barbara O'Mara C
French Horn
Teddy Press
French Horn
Sarah Chacko ’23
Trombone
Denzel Acheampong ’23
Trombone
Danielle Connerty C
Trombone
Rafael Escobedo FS
Euphonium
Steve Gasiorowski C
Euphonium
Ben Bonner C
Tuba
Larry Jones C
Tuba
Demitri Papadopoulos C
Tuba
Soham Maiti '23
Double Bass
Hannah Cope C
Harp
Aaron Lee '22
Piano
Dustin Patrick C
Percussion
Rashaad Greene C
Percussion
Christian Rizzuto G
Percussion
Brandon Zhou '22
Percussion
Soren Tyler '23
Percussion
Dennis McGrath C
Percussion
Rocio Mora C
Timpani

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