Wind Ensemble

The UNCG Wind Ensemble presents a program that celebrates creativity, imagination, and the power of emerging voices. The concert opens with a world premiere by student composer Chance Gatewood, highlighting the School of Music’s commitment to fostering new music and the next generation of artistic talent.

The program also features flutist Joeli Schilling, third-prize winner of the School of Music Student Artist Competition, in a concerto performance that showcases both technical brilliance and expressive artistry. Complementing these student achievements are works by Joel Puckett, Percy Grainger, and David Maslanka, composers whose music spans a wide emotional landscape while demonstrating the richness and versatility of the wind ensemble medium.

From youthful energy and inventive creativity to moments of lyricism, reflection, and depth, this program offers an engaging journey through the many voices of contemporary and twentieth-century wind music.

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Joeli Schilling

Joeli Schilling is a Greensboro-based flutist and music educator pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts in Flute Performance at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where she studies with Dr. Erika Boysen and serves as a Graduate Teaching Assistant. She holds a Master’s degree in Flute Performance from the University of Colorado Boulder.

Joeli maintains a diverse career as a performer and educator, with performances, teaching, and conference presentations throughout the United States and Europe. She is the first prize winner of the Raleigh Area Flute Association Young Artist Competition, second prize winner of the Colorado Flute Association Young Artist Competition, third prize winner of the South Carolina Flute Society Young Artist Competition, and a winner of the National Flute Association’s 2024 Masterclass Performers Competition.

An avid advocate for new music, Joeli frequently collaborates with emerging composers, including Austin Perry, whose flute sonata Sepulchre by the Sea was written for and premiered by Schilling in 2023. She has also premiered Perry’s wind quintet Adipocere at the Texas Music Educators Association and Annika Socolofsky’s quintet 7 Signs You’re Living in a Capitalist Hellscape.

As a passionate pedagogue, Joeli has taught at the Boulder Symphony Music Academy, maintains an active private studio, and previously served on the Colorado Flute Association Board. She currently serves as the assistant exhibitor concert and showcase coordinator for the National Flute Association. Joeli has attended festivals including Brevard Music Center, Texas Summer Flute Symposium, and the Raffaele Trevisani Flute Course and has performed in masterclasses for artists such as Amy Porter, Mark Sparks, Alexa Still, and Susan Milan. Joeli’s primary teachers include Erika Boysen, Christina Jennings, Lisa Garner Santa, Spencer Hartman, and Julee Kim Walker.

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The UNCG Wind Ensemble is the premier wind band of the UNCG School of Music, uniting fifty outstanding musicians from across the United States and around the world. Its members—ranging from first‑year undergraduates to master’s and doctoral students in performance and music education—are selected through a highly competitive audition process. Ensemble musicians regularly earn top solo and chamber awards, competitive scholarships and fellowships, and professional positions in orchestras, military bands, teaching, and arts leadership. Current students represent seventeen states, Slovenia, and Hong Kong.

For decades, the ensemble has built a distinguished record of artistic excellence, with acclaimed performances at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Lincoln Center, and leading venues throughout the eastern United States. Its catalog of more than twenty commercial recordings has received national recognition and helped position UNCG as a leader in wind band performance, commissioning, and recording.

The Wind Ensemble has been featured at major national and regional conferences of the College Band Directors National Association (CBDNA), National Band Association (NBA), American Bandmasters Association (ABA), and Music Educators National Conference (MENC). The ensemble has also collaborated with prominent composers and performers, including Pulitzer Prize–winning composer Karel Husa and other influential figures in the field.

Recent highlights include performances at the Music Center at Strathmore; a joint concert with the United States Army Band “Pershing’s Own”; a twelve‑day international tour through the Czech Republic, Austria, and Italy, culminating in a featured performance at Prague’s renowned Dvořák Hall; and a tour of the Southern United States that concluded with an appearance at the national conference of the College Band Directors National Association.

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The UNCG Bands are devoted to the performance, study, and advancement of wind band music at the highest artistic level. Recognized as one of the nation’s premier collegiate band programs, the UNCG Bands maintain an active and distinguished record of excellence through performances, recordings, tours, and appearances at major conventions.

Through exemplary organization, training, and presentation, the UNCG Bands offer exceptional musical experiences for our members and share outstanding performances throughout the year. Together, we enrich the cultural life, spirit, and character of UNCG.

The UNCG Bands also proudly support music education across North Carolina and throughout the region by providing leadership, mentorship, and sponsorship to secondary school band programs and other musical organizations.

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