Visiting music faculty, local band directors, members of the community, students, Campbell professors—anyone who has advanced skill in wind and percussion performance is eligible to audition for the newly-formed Cape Fear Wind Symphony. That’s the whole idea, according to the director of bands for Campbell University, Dr. Dwayne Wilson. Wilson, who came up with the concept for Campbell, said he wanted to create an educational performance vehicle that not only represents an intersection of school and community, but a versatile tool that can be used for recruiting, promoting and building Campbell’s reputation as a great place to come and study music.Credited with taking the music program at Sterling College in Kansas from two to 70 members within two years and building the Campbell program to include five groups and over 200 players, Wilson considered the idea for the Wind Symphony for a long time.”I really had the idea four years ago,” he said. “First, I wanted an ensemble that would attract the highest caliber instrumental student and be open to music majors, non-majors and anyone in the community who wanted to play and could play the highest level literature. I also wanted students to have the opportunity to play with their teachers, mentors and future colleagues and to gain more visibility for Campbell in the state’s instrumental music community.”Wilson started his research for the group by first conducting the Triangle Wind Ensemble for one year. Based in Cary, the Triangle Wind Ensemble is composed of members of the community, students and local band directors. He also modeled the Cape Fear Wind Symphony on a prototype created by former Campbell professor, now world-famous composer, Jack Stamp (University of Indiana, Pennsylvania). With these directives, Wilson started laying the foundation for Campbell’s new symphony in 2005.”I felt like I needed the experience and background provided by the Triangle Wind Ensemble before forming my final philosophy of what the Cape Fear Wind Symphony should be,” Wilson said. “It was almost like a year of research and preparation.”The main tenet of Wilson’s philosophy for the band is that all of the musicians should be there just to make great music together.”I wanted the students to have the great experience of playing with the faculty who care about them. I wanted to include people from the community who will be our students’ colleagues in the future, and most important, I wanted to have members who would be there for the love of music,” he said.All of the members of the Cape Fear Wind Symphony must audition for their positions. The band consists of music faulty from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, East Carolina University and Campbell University, as well as several high school and middle school band directors. A total of 12 Campbell students were selected to perform with the band. The band’s debut performance was held March 29 at Scott Concert Hall in the Rogers Fine Arts Center.The concert featured the music of composer John Philip Sousa, who wrote rousing marches that have become the anthems of several of the Armed Services. It also featured Sousa’s lesser-known works for silent film and in the Jazz genre. Recordings of that concert are available and can be purchased in the University Band Office. Call (910) 815-5730 to inquire.”It was so much fun and really great to see the students, faculty and people from the community come together to create something really beautiful,” said Gabrielle Morgan, director of Admissions for Campbell’s School of Pharmacy. “I was moved and exhilarated by the concert.”For more information about the Cape Fear Wind Symphony, contact the office of Dr. Dwayne Wilson at 910.814.4322 or 800.334.4111, ext. 4322.Photo Copy: Dr. Dwayne Wilson conducts Campbell’s new Cape Fear Wind Symphony.
Campbell’s Wind Symphony is more than a band; it’s a concept