Standard work for band written by Gustav Holst (1874 - 1934) in 1911. Each of its four movements uses one or more folk songs as its melodic material.

This was performed at the 25th Hamamatsu Wind Instrument Academy and Festival Opening Concert. This faculty band features prominent musicians from around the world.

Transcription from Richard Wagner's (1813 - 1883) 1848 opera, Lohengrin. This piece comes at the end of Act II, when Elsa is on her way to be married to the knight, who we later learn is Lohengrin, knight of the Holy Grail. This piece has become a staple of band repertoire.

This was performed at the 25th Hamamatsu Wind Instrument Academy and Festival Opening Concert. This faculty band features prominent musicians from around the world.

This is one of the most influential pieces written for wind band by Gustav Holst (1874 - 1934) in 1909. This composition would come to define the instrumentation that wind band composers would use for the next century and beyond. The First Suite consists of three movements - Chaccone, Intermezzo, and March.

Performed by the Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra

This wind band standard was written in 1972 by Alfred Reed (1921 - 2005). Part I of Armenian Dances is based on five different Armenian Folk Songs. 

Performed by the Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra

This famous compound meter march was composed by Percy Grainger (1882 - 1961) in 1919. It's one of the few pieces that Grainger composed that is based on original material.

Performed by the Musashino Academia Musicae Wind Ensemble

David Maslanka's (1943 - 2017) pieces have become new additions to the standard wind band repertoire. Among those pieces is Symphony No. 4. This piece is composed of different hymn tunes along with original melodies. In a nutshell, Maslanka writes "My impulse through this music is to speak to the fundamental human issues of transformation and re-birth in this chaotic time."

Performed by the US Navy Concert Band

John Mackey (1973) has become one of the leading contemporary composers in America, especially in the field of Wind Band music. Wine-Dark Sea was commissioned by Jerry Junkin and the University of Texas Wind Ensemble to honor the 100th anniversary of the Sarah and Ernest Butler School of Music. This piece brings to life an excerpt of Homer's The Odyssey.

Performed by the University of Texas Wind Ensemble

James Barnes (1949) is an award winning contemporary wind band composer who has made many contributions to the standard repertoire literature. Symphony No. 3, which is one of them, was commissioned by the US Air Force Band in Washington DC. Unfortunately, work began on this piece shortly after the passing of his baby daughter. That experience had a huge influence on this composition. There's a lot of emotion written into this masterpiece so I hope you enjoy it.

Movement 3 & 4 performed by the Nagoya University of the Arts Wind Orchestra 

This is a standard work for band written by Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872 - 1958) in 1923. Like the title of the piece suggests, this is a series of English folk songs.

Performed by Ryukoku University Symphonic Band

Composed in 1896, The Stars and Stripes Forever is America's National March and is also John Philip Sousa's (1854 - 1932) most well known composition. "The March King" not only defined the concept and structure of the American March, but he also brought the wind band world to new heights while he served as the conductor of "The President's Own" U.S. Marine Band and eventually his own Sousa Band.

Performed by "The President's Own" U.S. Marine Band

This wind band standard was composed by Robert Russell Bennett (1894 - 1981) in 1949. This is a five movement piece based on American dance music from the beginning of the 20th century.

This is a recorded performance of the Cincinnati Wind Symphony