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 - Wind Ensemble, Symphony Band, Orchestra
Wind/Brass/Percussion players:
Spring '26 W/B/P Audition Schedule (Auditions Thurs 1/29 - Mon 2/2)
Spring '26 W/B/P Audition Excerpts
Spring '26 Audition information form
Spring '26 sign up for an Audition time (Make sure to click on the correct tab for your instrument at the bottom of the form)
If you have questions about any of these excerpts or instructions, please contact the studio teacher directly.
Spring '26 W/B/P Audition Schedule (Auditions Thurs 1/29 - Mon 2/2)
Spring '26 W/B/P Audition Excerpts
Spring '26 Audition information form
Spring '26 sign up for an Audition time (Make sure to click on the correct tab for your instrument at the bottom of the form)
If you have questions about any of these excerpts or instructions, please contact the studio teacher directly.
For Concert Band, Marching Band and Hoop Band, see the ensemble descriptions above.
Prof. Burns (Flute)
Prof. Burns (Flute)
Prof. Jernigan (Oboe)
Prof. Jernigan (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. Felix (Trumpet)
Prof. Felix (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
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).
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.