BKWS Photo Shoot by Christopher Rushing

View fullsize

Brooklyn Wind Symphony with artistic director Jeff Ball (center) by Christopher Rushing

The other day, photographer Christopher Rushing graced our rehearsal with his presence to shoot a few candid shots. Little did we know that he would capture such lovely moments of our ensemble, individual members, and our auditorium. View the entire album here. Thanks Chris!

View fullsize

Brian Herrick, trombone by Christopher Rushing

View fullsize

Guest composer Michael Markowski (left) with artistic director Jeff Ball (right) by Christopher Rushing

View fullsize

Our flute section with Lisa McMullen (center) by Christopher Rushing

Rumor has it Chris attended Grand Street Community Band's concert this past Saturday, and not just to enjoy an afternoon of music. We will be posting those photos as soon as possible - stay tuned! 

Thank You For Making Our Kickstarter A Great Success!

We would like to extend a sincere thank you to the 315 backers who supported our project in commissioning new works to perform  at the Midwest Clinic this year. Because of you, our loyal supporters, our debut at the clinic this December will be a greater success than we ever could have imagined. Stay tuned for updates on our progress in rehearsing these great works. And thank you again!

Going to Chicago!

As promised, we have something big to announce.

You may have heard that the Brooklyn Wind Symphony has been invited to take part in the Midwest Clinic in Chicago this December. How big is this? Really, really big.

"Being a performing ensemble at the Midwest Clinic means you’re the best in the world in your particular category.” —Jeff Ball, Artistic Director & Conductor of the Brooklyn Wind Symphony

We would love more than anything for you to be a part of our journey. And that brings me to today's big announcement: We're making it possible for you take part through our Kickstarter campaign that launches today. Click here to find out all about it!

And We’re Off!

The Metropolitan Music Community’s 2013-2014 season is underway, and we’re inaugurating it with our brand spanking new website. Please give a round of applause to Sarah A. Cohen, who designed this online community for the members of the Grand Street Community Band and the Brooklyn Wind Symphony. She had the daunting task of fitting these sister organizations, along with the Metropolitan Music Community, under umbrella. It’s off to a great start. I hope you'll leave comments here. 

I’ll be blogging about a whole bunch of topics. Often I’ll write directly about our goings-on, and also about subjects that relate more broadly to our mission. We’re committed to the idea of life-long engagement with music at a high level. We dedicate ourselves every day to the true meaning of the word amateur, which is someone who does something for the love of it.

Oh, and here’s one important thing: WATCH THIS SPACE - Monday, September 9, 2013 - for an important announcement.

More soon!

Dean

Our new website is live!

The Metropolitan Music Community and its ensembles now exist under the same online roof! Seamlessly navigate between MMC, the Brooklyn Wind Symphony and the Grand Street Community Band to find performance dates, make a donation, or listen to recordings in one of our online Galleries. We also feature a Blog that posts interesting music-related articles, videos, and quips. 

What Makes Us Sing?

We know this already, but it's always nice when neuroscience backs us up: Performing in a musical ensemble is good for your health. Researchers in Sweden have come up with a biological explanation of how singing in a choir lowers your heart rate. And Stacy Horn spends a lot of her new book Imperfect Harmony: Finding Happiness While Singing With Others explaining why being part of a chorus changes your brain chemistry, for the better. We're not jealous that choral singing has the spotlight right now. There's every reason to believe people who perform in community bands enjoy the same benefits. 

Brooklyn Wind Symphony Performs David Maslanka's Symphony No. 4

Symphony no. 4 by David Maslanka - Performed by the Brooklyn Wind Symphony, Jeff W. Ball, Artistic Director on March 16th, 2013 Find out more about us at: www.brooklynwindsymphony.org