The South Jersey Area Wind Ensemble

The South Jersey Area Wind Ensemble

Linwood, New Jersey

The South Jersey Area Wind Ensemble consists of professional area musicians, music teachers, and college trained musicians and has performed over 300 works for wind band. Under the musical direction of principal conductor, Keith W. Hodgson and associate conductor, Ronald Poorman, the band performs five to six concerts each year and has performed over 300 works for wind band. The band is a nonprofit group and none of the members are paid to play with this ensemble.

With the help of the New Jersey Council for the Arts and the Atlantic County Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs, and many other community businesses and arts supporters the band annually commissioned works for wind band for their first fourteen years, and has also sponsored several Composition Contests.

The band is heavily involved in music education. Each year, outstanding students from the entire South Jersey Area are invited to participate in a “Side By Side” concert. Over 50 students, most of whom are members of the All-South Jersey Band, play along side the members of the adult Wind Ensemble. In addition, scholarships have been awarded to outstanding high school musicians who planned to play with a college band.

The SJAWE is honored to have been selected to perform at the Association of Concert Band’s 2014 National Convention in Allentown, PA.