University of Maryland Wind Orchestra

The University of Maryland Wind Orchestra (UMWO) was founded in 2008 to give advanced undergraduate, MM and DMA performance students the opportunity to participate in a professional caliber ensemble with the intent of furthering their preparation as professional orchestra and chamber music performers. The Wind Orchestra rehearses on the same schedule as the UMD Symphony Orchestra, enabling the exchange of players between the two groups as dictated by repertoire demands.

​

During its history, UMWO has performed in side-by-side collaborations with major professional ensembles such as the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, eighth blackbird and the Imani Winds.

​

UMWO actively expands repertoire possibilities by embracing the notion that the modern wind ensemble includes more than just wind players; string, keyboard and vocal performers are regularly incorporated into concerts. Concurrently, UMWO performs staples of the wind ensemble canon. With both contemporary and traditional repertoire on a single concert, UMWO forges connections between seemingly dissimilar works, giving both its musicians and audience a new perspective on what a wind ensemble can be.