[1] Considered one of America's leading wind ensembles, its core personnel of 50 players consists of undergraduate and graduate students at the Eastman School of Music.
These “Living Presence” recordings focused on standard band literature by the most respected classical composers — heard for the first time in the newly balanced instrumentation.
The album Carnaval, a collaboration with Wynton Marsalis, was nominated for a Grammy award in 1987 and reintroduced the public to an entire tradition of cornet showpieces for band.
One of the featured pieces on the Live from Osaka album was Joseph Schwantner’s …and the mountains rising nowhere, a work that has become representative of the ensemble’s approach to new music, adventurous tone colors, and innovative compositional techniques.
In 1968 the group traveled cross-country, giving a series of concerts that culminated in a performance for the General Session of the MENC (National Association for Music Education) conference in Seattle.
Also in 2005, Scatterday and the ensemble performed at Carnegie Hall as part of CBDNA’s National Conference on February 26, featuring music by Karel Husa, Roberto Sierra, David Maslanka and Jeff Tyzik.