Blog
The latest news and updates from Maidstone Wind Symphony.
Music Director Vacancy
11th September 2019
MWS is seeking a new Music Director.
The Committee is inviting expressions of interest an applications from prospective candidates who believe they are the right person to take up the baton and ensure MWS continues to develop its unique position, to pursue excellence, and to perform the innovative repertoire beloved of its musicians and audiences.
Potential candidates must be able to demonstrate:
- strong leadership skills, tenacity, and dependability
- a mastery of technical musical skills and knowledge required to lead and conduct an award-wining wind ensemble
- a strong strategist and visionary able to continue the development of an already hugely successful, award winning ensemble widely renowned for excellence
- a deep understanding and experience of current musical trends and innovative wind ensemble repertoire
- artistic vision and creative direction, including well-developed judgment, imagination, and instincts for musical interpretation
- a commitment to crafting and delivering high-quality performances with a sense of occasion
- a willingness to connect and collaborate with professional musicians for performances, recordings and educational opportunities
- an ability to translate musical passion into well-coordinated, collaboratively designed programmes that appeal to MWS musicians and audiences alike whilst expanding the musical palate
- a commitment to promoting and supporting youth music and development, especially for the young musicians within the ensemble
- a charismatic “podium presence” and sense of humour
Potential candidates should apply in the first instance to chair@maidstonewindsymphony.org before the closing date of Saturday 19 October 2019. Please include a covering letter and CV with your application/expression of interest. Interviews and auditions with shortlisted candidates will take place during November/December 2019.
We look forward to hearing from you.
A Message from our Chairman, Russell Joyce
11th September 2019
It is with great sadness that MWS announces the resignation of its Music Director, Jonathon Crowhurst.
One of the UK’s foremost wind orchestra directors, Jonathan has been an indefatigable force driving MWS forward to musical excellence so that it is now an award-winning ensemble with a rich history of collaborations (performances and recordings) with internationally-renowned musicians and composers.
Throughout his tenure, Jonathan has delivered passion, energy, enthusiasm, and unrivalled opportunities for all at MWS. The ensemble has been privileged to benefit from his extensive network of professional contacts, all of whom have been keen to work with MWS and to inspire its musicians and audiences. This is particularly true for the many young, gifted musicians at MWS whom Jonathan (as a keen educator) has positively encouraged to realise their musical ambitions.
Jonathan’s insatiable desire for - and commitment to - innovative wind ensemble repertoire has done much to foster a wider interest in the genre and to make it more accessible. This he has achieved through a combination of his unrivalled musical knowledge, understanding, and expertise with his exceptional ability to craft for his audiences performances that are resplendent and memorable for their theatricality, drama, and intensity.
We are hugely indebted to Jonathan for all this and so much more: we shall certainly miss his uniquely individual charisma and his highly-distinctive brand of humour.
Our profound, heartfelt thanks to Jonathan for everything he has done for us individually and collectively; we wish him the utmost success in his future endeavours.
In his parting message to the band, Jonathan said: “For the last eight to nine years some of my proudest moments have come via the baton conducting MWS. The many wonderful and memorable performances and concerts, the new music, the recordings, the fantastic soloists and probably the most important of all, watching the development of its members both young, old and older. What more could a conductor ask? It has been quite an adventure.”
We have now begun the recruitment process for our fourth Music Director. Our concert dates for the 2019/20 season are unaffected, with our principal oboe and budding young conductor Sam Willsmore taking up the baton for our season-opening concert on Thursday, 24 October.
For more information about the Music Director position or for an informal discussion please email Russell Joyce chair@maidstonewindsymphony.org
Celebrating 20 years of MWS
5th April 2019
This season we are celebrating 20 years of Maidstone Wind Symphony.
The band was founded as Maidstone Winds by Brendon Le Page in 2008 and held its first concert at The Corn Exchange, Maidstone, in October.
Over the past two decades under the direction of Brendon, Jeremy Cooper and current music director Jonathan Crowhurst, the orchestra has established itself as one of the UK’s leading amateur wind ensembles.
The orchestra has been led by Jonathan since 2010 when it changed its name to Maidstone Wind Symphony. In 2015 it became only the second wind orchestra to win the National Concert Band Symposium with its performance of John Mackey's Wine-Dark Sea Symphony for Band.
In 2017 the band released a new recording, Roar!, featuring the wind music of award-winning composer Andy Scott. The disc features collaborations with special guest artists Rex Richardson (trumpet), Steven Mead (euphonium), Les Neish (tuba) and Andy Findon (flute). This Christmas sees the release of our festive EP, A Christmas Festival.
Maidstone Wind Symphony is a dedicated advocate of contemporary composers and regularly gives premiere performances. It is renowned for its highly-acclaimed interpretations of wind band music with repertoire ranging from traditional and popular classics through to contemporary band masterpieces.The orchestra also regularly engages some of the world’s finest woodwind and brass soloists and is proud to have collaborated with a wide range of wind bands, brass bands and choirs over the years. Alongside regular concert performances, the orchestra presents inspirational workshops with its guest soloists.
Thank you to audiences past, present and future for your support of music making in Maidstone. Here’s to the next 20 years!
20th Anniversary Concert
Our 20th anniversary season will reach its climax with a concert featuring some of our most popular ever repertoire in the company of our music directors past and present.
The concert on Saturday, 29 June at All Saints’ Church, Maidstone, will be a chance for players past and present to come together and celebrate two decades of top-class music making with MWS.
The concert begins at 7.30pm. We will be holding a pre-concert reception for members past and present. Former members interested in attending the reception and concert can email ssecretary@maidstonewindsymphony.org
