Conducted by Russel Mikkelson, the Ohio State University Wind Symphony is widely recognised as one of the country’s elite wind bands. Committed to the creation of new music for winds, this ensemble has commissioned music by composers including David Maslanka, Eric Stokes, Dan Welcher, David Gillingham, John Stevens, Donald Crockett, Daniel Godfrey, Charles Rochester Young, William Bolcom, and Aaron Jay Kernis.

One of the goals of the Wind Symphony is to provide students opportunity to interact with some of the leading composers and musical minds of our time. Visitors have included such notable musicians as John Corigliano, Lukas Foss, Krzysztof Penderecki, John Mackey, John Stevens, David Gillingham, Frank Ticheli, Gunther Schuller, and Percy Grainger biographer John Bird. Graduates of the Wind Symphony hold positions as professional orchestral musicians, soloists, conductors, members of the Washington-based military bands, university professors, and some of the world’s leading music educators.

Since 1998 the Wind Symphony has recorded compact discs including Sounds, Shapes and Symbols (Mark Records), and Jubilare! (Mark Records). The Wind Symphony has performed at the 2003 College Band Directors National Association in Minneapolis, the Ohio Music Educators’ Association Conference three times (2001, 2004, 2006), with BalletMet Columbus (2003), and presents numerous on-campus performances annually.

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Discography