Eastman Wind Ensemble

American concert band founded by Frederick Fennell at the Eastman School of Music in 1952. Its core of about 50 performers includes undergraduate and graduate students of the Eastman School at the University of Rochester.

Fennell formulated the general concept of the wind ensemble at Eastman more than 50 years ago. Under his leadership the group became known as the pioneering force in the symphonic wind band movement in the United States and abroad. A. Clyde Roller served as conductor between 1962 and 1964, continuing the tradition established by Fennell. Donald Hunsberger became conductor in 1965 and led the ensemble for 37 years to international prominence. The ensemble’s current director, Mark Scatterday, was introduced as the fourth conductor of this prestigious group during the EWE’s 50th anniversary celebration on February 8, 2002.

In 1987, the Eastman Wind Ensemble was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Classical Performance - Instrumental Soloist or Soloists (with or without orchestra) for its 1986 album Carnaval, a collaboration with trumpeter Wynton Marsalis.