Wind Ensemble makes trip to midwinter convention

This Friday, the CSB+SJU wind ensemble will attend the Minnesota Music Educators Association’s (MMEA) midwinter convention for the first time in six years.

An exclusive event, MMEA requires submitting a recording to be considered, of which ensembles can typically only apply every four years. This is the CSB+SJU ensemble’s third time being invited back, a national honor for the small band.

“It’s a reflection of what we’ve had to go through the last three years,” said Justin Zanchuk, conductor of the ensemble.

While education and hospitality were hugely interrupted by COVID, fine arts also had to adjust severely to new practicing conditions. CSB sophomore trumpet player Julia Christenson began college when the conditions were still in full swing. She spoke of the difficulties of practicing during the height of the pandemic. The ensemble utilized bell covers, special masks and six-foot distancing. Now, the ensemble prepares to grace the stage once again with six songs written by a diverse selection of composers.

Zanchuk says the wind ensemble didn’t experience a lot of growth in the composition area until around the 1950s, so all pieces except for one were written since 2000. There’s a piece by a 25-year-old Black composer, a piece by a Japanese composer and several pieces by female composers.

“We have an opportunity to play and represent the diversity of composers that are out there in the world right now,” Zanchuk said.

Christenson reiterated his point.

“[Zanchuk] is very intentional with [the composers] he picks,” she said.

Despite the challenges of the past three years, the wind ensemble has had a number of standout accomplishments. They were recognized by the College Band Directors’ National Association as an outstanding small band program both in 2019 and 2023, which Zanchuk attributes to his students’ willingness to put in work outside of rehearsal. They are one of only seven ensembles selected nationwide.

“These moments of recognition are really cool, but what makes those so wonderful… is that we make meaningful music as often as we can,” Zanchuk said.

The ensemble typically performs two times a semester, as it takes about six weeks for them to prepare their songs. It’s made up of about four dozen members across twenty-five different majors, which, just like their setlist, represents the wide variety of musicians. This Friday, Christenson looks forward to playing three songs in particular: the slow-burner “Where Words Cannot Go,” the cinematic “The West Symphony” and the meaningful “In Living Color”. Recently, the composer of “In Living Color” visited the ensemble to give his direction, where they learned the true meaning of the song’s title. With the events of years past, Christenson said it holds a lot of value to the band.

“The composer said to us that when music and dance started back up, it literally felt like the world was colorful again,” she said.