Wind Bands

All UMass and Five College students (not just Music majors) are welcome!

The UMass Amherst Bands are open to all students, subject to auditions held each semester, and appear in concert several times a year. The Bands have also represented UMass Amherst at venues such as Symphony Hall in Springfield, MA; the Washington, DC home of the Marine Band; and the Capitol Building in Boston. 

Watch a video about the Wind Ensemble trip to Ecuador in May/June, 2024.

See below for band descriptions, audition info & conductor bios.

Band descriptions

Placement Audition Info

For Concert Band, Marching Band and Hoop Band, see the ensemble descriptions above.

Wind/Brass/Percussion players for Orchestra, Wind Ensemble & Symphony Band placement:
Audition form (please fill out)
Sign up for an Audition time  (Make sure to click on the correct tab for your instrument at the bottom of the form)
Audition Excerpts & Schedule

If you have questions about any of these excerpts or instructions, please contact the studio teacher directly.

Prof. du Toit (Flute) Prof. du Toit (Flute) Prof. Cohen (Oboe) Prof. Cohen (Oboe) Prof. de Guise-Langlois (Clarinet) Prof. de Guise-Langlois (Clarinet) Prof. Hulting-Cohen (Saxophone) Prof. Hulting-Cohen (Saxophone) Prof. Taghavi (Bassoon) Prof. Taghavi (Bassoon) Prof. Berlin (Trumpet) Prof. Berlin (Trumpet) Prof. Michal (Horn) Prof. Michal (Horn) Prof. Spiridopoulos (Trombone) Prof. Spiridopoulos (Trombone) Prof. Bottomley (Tuba/Euphonium) Prof. Bottomley (Tuba/Euphonium) Prof. Kataoka (Percussion) Prof. Kataoka (Percussion)

Wind Band Conductors

Matthew Westgate sitting with hands clasped.
Conductor of the Wind Ensemble
Matthew Westgate

Chair and Professor; Director of Wind Studies

Conductor Matthew Westgate “leads with a combination of expressivity and crispness” (San Francisco Chronicle). His performances are praised as “dramatic, incisive, and passionate” (Audiophile Audition) and full of “verve and swagger” (MusicWeb International).
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A headshot of Lindsay Bronnenkant.
Conductor of the Symphony Band
Lindsay Bronnenkant

Lecturer, Wind Studies

At the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Dr. Lindsay Bronnenkant directs the Symphony Band, teaches conducting classes, and leads a graduate conducting seminar. Prior to her appointment at UMass Amherst, Bronnenkant taught basic conducting at Nazareth College and led the Hobart and William Smith Colleges Community Wind Ensemble as she completed a Doctorate of Musical Arts in Conducting degree at the Eastman School of Music.
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Timothy Anderson directing in front of a basketball game.
Conductor of the Minuteman Marching Band & Concert Band
Timothy T. Anderson

Senior Lecturer, Director of the Minuteman Marching Band

Timothy Todd Anderson has been at the University of Massachusetts Amherst since 2011. He is the director of the over-370-member, award-winning Minuteman Marching Band. Under Anderson's direction, the Minuteman Band has performed in both the 2013 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City and the 2018 Tournament of Roses in Pasadena, CA. Both performances were televised internationally.
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