UMBC Wind Ensemble presents Water & Life

From sea water rise to marine life to the Flint Water Crisis, the UMBC Wind Ensemble presents a program titled "Water & Life". The Wind Ensemble will share learning from their experiences during the semester with the National Aquarium and its staff about their arts-based work that aims to address their goals of combating climate change, stopping plastic pollution and saving wildlife and habitats.

The UMBC Wind Ensemble has pioneered a new vision for the wind ensemble in the 21st century. Performing wind ensemble classics, world premieres of contemporary works, spoken word pieces, popular songs, collaboratively composed originals, and music with cultural influences from around the world, the group regularly collaborates with community partners to engage audiences in pressing social issues through music, multimedia, and discussion. The UMBC Wind Ensemble has celebrated performances with internationally recognized guest artists including Glee pianist and music director Brad Ellis, Emmy-nominated composer and genre-bending violinist Daniel Bernard Roumain, the American Brass Quintet, singer-songwriter Diana Lawrence, Canadian Brass veteran Joe Burgstaller, international tuba artist Øystein Baadsvik, Cleveland Orchestra trombonist Shachar Israel, Marine Band co-principal oboe Trevor Mowry, former Marine Band clarinetist Randall Riffle, UMBC professor of violin Airi Yoshioka, and storyteller Janice Curtis Greene—the governor appointed State of Maryland Griot. The ensemble seeks to regularly commission and perform music by living composers. Their premiere performance of Samuel Winnie’s Nightfall in Lothlorien was a finalist for the 2016 American Prize Ernst Bacon Memorial Award. Filtering, released on the Albany label in April 2022, is the ensemble’s debut album.