Wind Ensemble

Lindsay Kesselman

Lindsay Kesselman is a twice GRAMMY^®-nominated soprano known for her warm, collaborative spirit and investment in personal, intimate communication with audiences. She regularly collaborates with orchestras, wind symphonies, chamber ensembles, opera/theater companies, and new music ensembles across the United States, often premiering, touring and recording new works written for her by living composers. She is a passionate advocate for contemporary music, and has commissioned/premiered over 100 works to date.
 
Recent and upcoming highlights include frequent performances of Darkening, then Brightening by Christopher Cerrone across the country, a tour culminating at National CBDNA with the UNC Greensboro Wind Ensemble, premieres of wind transcriptions of Caroline Shaw’s Is a Rose and Maria Schneider’s Winter Morning Walks, Pierrot Lunaire with Ensemble ATL, Energy in All Directions by Kenneth Frazelle with Sandbox Percussion at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, the role of Anna in Kurt Weill’s The Seven Deadly Sins with the Charlotte Symphony, the role of Ada Lovelace in a new opera, Galaxies in Her Eyes by Mark Lanz Weiser and Amy Punt, Astronautica: Voices of Women in Space with Voices of Ascension, ongoing performances of works written for Kesselman by John Mackey with orchestras and wind symphonies across the country, the John Corigliano 80th birthday celebration at National Sawdust (2018), Quixote (Amy Beth Kirsten and Mark DeChiazza) with Peak Performances at Montclair State University (2017), a leading role in Louis Andriessen’s opera Theatre of the World with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Dutch National Opera and an international tour of Einstein on the Beach with the Philip Glass Ensemble (2012-2015).
 
She is featured on several recent recordings: David Biedenbender’s all we are given we cannot hold (2023, Blue Griffin), Chris Cerrone’s opera In a Grove (2023, In a Circle Records), Caroline Shaw’s Is a Rose (2023, Blue Griffin), Chris Cerrone’s The Arching Path (2021, In a Circle Records), Russell Hartenberger’s Requiem for Percussion and Voices (2019, Nexus Records), Chris Cerrone’s The Pieces That Fall to Earth with Wild Up (2019, New Amsterdam Records), Mathew Rosenblum’s Lament/Witches’ Sabbath with the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble (2018, New Focus Recordings), Louis Andriessen’s Theatre of the World with the Los Angeles Philharmonic (2017, Nonesuch), and Jon Magnussen’s Twinge with HAVEN (2016, Blue Griffin).
 
Kesselman has been the resident soprano of the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble for 13 seasons, and Haven, Kesselman’s trio with Kimberly Cole Luevano, clarinet and Midori Koga, piano (www.haventrio.com) actively commissions and tours throughout North America. Haven is the recipient of a 2021 Barlow Endowment for Music Composition award with composer David Biedenbender and a 2021 Chamber Music America Classical Commissioning Grant with composer Ivette Herryman Rodríguez.
 
She is a dedicated teacher and serves as Assistant Professor of Voice and Choral Music at UNC Greensboro. There she maintains an active voice studio and she conducts the UNCG Treble Ensemble. Kesselman also co-directs the Heretic’s Guide to Musicianship: A Score Study and Interpretation Workshop with Kevin Noe. A frequent guest clinician at colleges and universities across the United States, Kesselman specializes in voice teaching, leadership, entrepreneurship, musicianship, young composer mentoring, chamber music, audience development, programming, interdisciplinary collaboration, harnessing vulnerability in performance, and community engagement.

Kesselman holds degrees in voice performance and music education from Rice University and Michigan State University. She is represented by Trudy Chan at Black Tea Music and lives in Charlotte, NC with her husband Kevin Noe and son Rowan. More information can be found at www.lindsaykesselman.com.

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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