Mission
The Northwest Wind Symphony is an all volunteer, professional level concert band dedicated to fostering artistic excellence and cultural enrichment in Southwest Washington. Our ensemble brings together music educators and skilled musicians of other backgrounds from communities all across western Washington and Oregon who share a deep commitment to the performing arts. We provide high quality concert experiences that inspire audiences, support music educators and their students, and strengthen the cultural fabric of our region.
Concerts
Concerts are held at Corbet Theatre on the Centralia College campus three times yearly (usually mid-October, late January, and April). Musicians receive music ahead of time to practice. One, all-day rehearsal is held the day of the concert, which is given at 7pm that night.
Membership
NWWS typically uses 50-60 members per concert. Most members are regular, returning players, but some members are called from the substitute list to fill in for a regular member. Many members are music educators from the region. Some members travel as far as Seattle or Portland to participate.
Organization
NWWS is a registered, 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with an active Board of Directors. We have no home/corporate office. Board meetings are held at convenient locations. General meetings are held annually after lunch on the day of the Spring concert. Media inquiries are best initiated via email, at which point we can provide you with contact information to suit your needs.
Funding
Members are not paid. All donations and ticket sales fund the organization’s activities, such as concert hall rental; sheet music procurement and rental; printing of programs, posters, and tickets; mailbox rental; and lunch for the musicians on concert days.
Ticketing
Tickets are general admission for the requested donation of $12/adult. Students are admitted free with a paying adult. Tickets can be purchased at the door. NWWS offers single event tickets as well as season tickets for the requested donation of $30/each. Tickets can be mailed to buyers, but we are exploring options for selling at local outlets, such as Book ‘n’ Brush in Chehalis, WA.
History
The Northwest Wind Symphony (NWWS), a nonprofit organization, was founded in 1991 by Dr. Carolyn Vian, former Executive Director Dan Judd, and Tom Larsen. As music educators, they recognized that many music teachers don’t have time for weekly rehearsals, and so their talents as performers go under-utilized. They discovered many educators were able and willing to devote a single day, however.
A system of mailing out parts to symphony members ahead of time was developed, which meant that each member was responsible for preparing (practicing) their part ahead of time to be ready for the single, day-long rehearsal on the day of the concert. NWWS membership still includes many music teachers from the area, but has expanded to include able community members and members from as far as Seattle and Portland.
NWWS musicians have always been volunteers. They are provided with lunch as a “thank you” for their time and efforts. The group sometimes features guest soloists or conductors as well. NWWS typically has only 1-2 players per part for a total of 50-60 players on any given concert. Wind symphony music does not usually call for strings – only wind and percussion instruments. The music is sent to symphony members several weeks in advance of the performance. On performance day, NWWS members gather at 9:30 AM to begin a day-long rehearsal. The concert is then presented at 7 p.m. the same evening.
Concerts were originally held at W. F. West high school in Chehalis, Washington. Concerts are now held at Corbet Theatre on the Centralia College campus in Centralia, Washington.