Silent Auction Fundraiser
The Cascade Winds holds its “Experience the Winds” silent auction in conjunction with our fall concert, which is on Sunday, November 10, at 2PM in the auditorium at Summit High School in Bend. This is our only fundraiser for the year, and we are excited to add this event to our schedule. Various items and experiences provided primarily by members of the Cascade Winds will be on the docket – another way to support the ensemble and its musicians. You may bid before the concert and during intermission, then pick up your winnings immediately after the concert.
Click here to view the auction catalog.
As you know, admission to all Cascade Winds performances is free. However, there are significant expenses each year including hall rental, music purchase, and scholarship assistance for players. We are extremely grateful for individual and corporate donations that support our work, and we would, once again, like to count you among our dedicated supporters.
All donations made to the non-profit Cascade Winds Symphonic Band Association go directly towards operating expenses for the ensemble and are tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law. Your contribution will help ensure the long-term presence of live music in Central Oregon and will continue to provide a place for musicians to “make music” for our region. Please make a donation online.
2024 Fall Concert Details
The Cascade Winds Fall Concert will be on Sunday, November 10, at 2PM in the auditorium at Summit HS in Bend. This concert program is an exciting one! Featured will be Clifton Williams’ Symphonic Dance No. 3 “Fiesta”, Bonelli’s classic Symphonic Concert March, Richard Saucedo’s touching piece As Tears Fall on Dawn’s New Light, Johan de Meij’s thrilling arrangement of Highlights from Riverdance (yes, THAT Riverdance — we dare you to keep your toes from tapping to this one!), Brian Balmages’ Elements (Petite Symphony), Henry Fillmore’s delightful (and FAST!) march The Circus Bee, and finally, a very stirring work, David Gillingham’s Apocalyptic Dreams.
Join us at 2:00PM in the auditorium at Summit High School in Bend. As always, our performances are free and open to the public. Donations are gratefully accepted at the performance or here on our website.
2023-2024 Spring Concert & Livestream
The final concert of the Cascade Winds 2023-2024 season is happening this weekend on Sunday, June 2nd, 2:00pm at the Summit High School Auditorium. As always, admission is free, although donations are gratefully appreciated to assist with the mission of the organization. Doors will open at 1:30.
The music on the concert is wide-ranging, from William Walton’s “Crown Imperial”, a march that was written for the coronation ceremony of George VI, to Brooke Pierson’s “Cafe Blue”, a reverent tribute to the music and style of “Rhapsody in Blue” by George Gershwin. In between, works that pay tribute to the 2000-year-old geoglyphs created by the Nazca people of Peru, a sixteenth century Korean naval commander, and the rich cultural history of Mexican folk song will provide a diverse listening palate.
We definitely hope you can come in person to enjoy the performance as it’s meant to be heard. However, if your circumstances prevent attendance, you can enjoy the concert live-streamed below or at this link. Please feel free to share the link with friends and family who might be interested in viewing the performance from wherever they may be.
2023-2024 Winter Concert Recording
Our winter concert was a real crowd-pleaser! It opened with one of the classics in the concert band repertoire, Robert Russell Bennett’s “Suite of Old American Dances.” This work features five movements, representing five genres of music of that are quintessentially American, including the Cake Walk, Western One-Step and Rag. The other major work on the concert was Alfred Reed’s “Sixth Suite for Band,” which is a ragtag collection of movements including Halloween Hobgoblin, where some decidedly unusual sounds emanated from the ensemble. Karl L. King’s circus march “Invictus,” composed for the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus, was played at the traditional lightning-fast ‘screamer’ tempo, contrasting nicely with the calm and serene “Rippling Watercolors” by Brian Balmages. The powerful and soul-searching “Kaddish” by W. Francis McBeth, the percussion feature, “Four Dance Episodes” by Gary Gilroy, and Robert Sheldon’s sprightly “Otter Point Holiday” rounded out the concert repertoire.
Click here to learn more or hear the concert recording.
2023-2024 Fall Concert Recording
Our 2023 Fall Concert wowed the Summit High audience with a great selection of pieces, including Everything Beautiful, a poignant musical tribute by Samuel Hazo celebrating the life of one of his dear friends, the raucous strains of Danzon No. 2 by Arturo Márquez, and Trips by Oscar Navarro, a programmatic work that depicts the varied experiences of traveling
Click here to learn more or hear the concert recording.
About the Cascade Winds
Directed by Michael Gesme, the Cascade Winds perform a wide variety of repertoire that often spans several centuries and represents diverse musical styles.
The members of the band feel that it is important that music is accessible to all, therefore our performances are free and open to all listeners. However, we still have production costs associated with our concerts. As a result we rely on individual and corporate donations as well as fees from the musicians themselves to support our operations. We are a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization and all donations go towards our direct operating expenses. No funding goes toward administration of the band which is fully supported by volunteers from within the group and the Central Oregon community.
Your generosity is greatly appreciated and your support will help further the presence of music in Central Oregon. You can learn about support the band on our donation page.