The Hendrix College Wind Ensemble
Dr. Gretchen Renshaw James, Conductor  

The Wind Ensemble is composed of students from a wide variety of majors on campus. Rehearsals are Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays from 4:15 - 5:35 p.m. Drawing from symphonic band, wind ensemble, and chamber winds repertoire, the ensemble performs a variety of traditional and contemporary works. The Wind Ensemble performs four concerts annually.

See below for audition information, including scheduling and excerpts to prepare.

Upcoming Events

FALL 2020

Due to COVID-19, the Wind Ensemble will be online during the Fall 2020 semester. We are planning to share virtual performances throughout the semester via our Facebook page. At this time, there are no live performances scheduled during the fall semester.

SPRING 2021

Wednesday-Thursday, January 20-21
Wind Ensemble Auditions for New Members
Miller Creative Quad 104

Thursday, January 21, 4:15-5:15 p.m.
Wind Ensemble Meeting
Staples Auditorium

Thursday, March 11, 7:30 p.m.
Spring Concert
Staples Auditorium

Monday, April 19, 5:30 p.m.
Concert in the Park
Staples Fountain (rain location: Staples Auditorium)

Saturday, May 1, 7:30 p.m.
Festival of Winds Honor Band Concert
Staples Auditorium

Check out the Hendrix College Wind Ensemble page on Facebook.

For more information, contact the conductor, Dr. Gretchen Renshaw James 

Fast Facts:

• Students earn .25 academic credit for each semester. As a result, students participating in Wind Ensemble for four semesters will receive the EA learning domain credit.
• Students earn one Odyssey Artistic Creativity credit through participation in Wind Ensemble in two semesters.
• To enroll, students must perform a brief audition and attend the first informational meeting (please see above).  After this meeting, the Music Department adds Wind Ensemble to your schedule - you do not register for Wind Ensemble through your advisor.

Auditions

***Fall 2020 Auditions***

Due to the unique nature of our online Fall 2020 semester, auditions will be required ONLY for students who have not previously played an audition of any kind for Dr. Renshaw. So, returning Wind Ensemble members and incoming freshman who performed a Music Scholarship audition will not need to audition for the Fall 2020 Wind Ensemble.

If you are a sophomore, junior, or senior who has not yet played in Wind Ensemble, or if you are a freshman who did not perform a Music Scholarship audition, please contact Dr. Renshaw to arrange an audition time on August 20 or 21. The audition will be done via Teams, and it will consist of one short musical excerpt of your choosing.

Regardless of whether you are required to audition for the Fall 2020 Wind Ensemble, all students joining Wind Ensemble should fill out this form by August 19:

Wind Ensemble Sign-Up Form

Typical Audition Procedure for an In-Person Semester/Year

Each student interested in performing with the Hendrix College Wind Ensemble will meet with the conductor to play a few short excerpts from the upcoming semester's repertoire. The purpose is for the conductor to learn about each student's musical background and determine part assignments. Auditions will be held during the first week of the semester.

All students will perform an audition at the beginning of each Fall semester. Spring semester auditions are for new members and for continuing members interested in a section leader designation.

For Fall semester auditions only:
In the Google Drive folder containing the audition excerpts, please first read the document titled “Read First” so you may see which excerpts to prepare for your instrument. Then, print and practice your excerpts prior to your audition. You should bring your printed excerpts to the audition with you.

For Fall semester auditions only - how to schedule your audition:
1. Fill out the Wind Ensemble Audition Form.
2. Sign up for an audition time on this Doodle Poll. 

For Spring semester auditions only:
Contact Dr. Renshaw to schedule an audition time and to request audition excerpts.

Repertoire

To view the repertoire performed by the Hendrix College Wind Ensemble since 2005, click here.