Dedicated to wind chamber music performance, composition, and promotion, the Aeolian Winds of Pittsburgh were founded in September, 2003, by the original University of Pittsburgh Wind Quintet. The group has since expanded to include wind chamber ensembles of varying sizes and players who are not directly a part of the University community. The name change in May, 2004, formalized this status and strengthened the group’s mission to integrate high-quality wind music into the greater Pittsburgh community. The group’s members bring the diverse experiences of their daily lives and chosen professions to the music-making, creating a truly unique ensemble.

While primarily a wind quintet, the group also regularly performs both smaller and larger-scale wind works, such as trios and octets, in both public and private venues. The diverse venues and programs presented reach a larger audience than might be found in a typical concert-hall setting. In addition to formal concerts on the Bach, Beethoven, and Brunch concert series, the Sanctuary Concert Series at First Baptist Church, and the University of Pittsburgh Chamber Music Concerts, the group has provided music at Pittsburgh Symphony Heinz Hall during the First National Performing Arts Convention. The group also performs in nontraditional spaces, such as the Quiet Storm Coffeehouse, Schenley Park, the Waterworks Shopping Mall, and Future Tenant during the first Gallery Crawl sponsored by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. In their quest to reach an audience that might not typically hear a wind quintet, the group was featured on a University of Pittsburgh Men’s Glee Club concert, as well as on the Allegheny Prime Time Chorus’ “Sing For Life!” benefit concert. Repeat performances at the National Aviary and the Giant Eagle grocery stores bring wind quintet music to an even broader audience. The group was featured on WQED-fm’s Bayer Arts Magazine in July, 2005, and was invited to perform on the inaugural broadcast of The Morning Show in August, 2006. In addition, the group regularly performs at private dinners, celebrations, and other functions.

The Aeolian Winds are particularly dedicated to performing, featuring, and commissioning works by American composers. The group has performed works by Eric Ewazen, Stephen Foster, Herman Stein, Robert Muczynski, Aaron Copland, Leroy Anderson, and Peter Schickele. In addition to working with Greg Bartholomew towards the commission of his work for wind quintet, the group has been a consortium member for a recently-completed work by composer Bill Douglas and plans to give the Pittsburgh premiere of the work later in the 2007-08 season. The group is no stranger to premieres, having recently completed the Pittsburgh premier of a new edition of the Wind Quintet in A-flat by Gustav Holst containing previously unreleased material.

In collaboration with the Allegheny County Library Association, the Aeolian Winds have embarked on a series of educational concerts for children. These interactive, standing room only, concerts entitled “Musical Storytelling” feature music from Tchaikovsky to Ligeti including music by American composer John Falcone. The goal is to teach about classical music, the sounds of wind instruments, and how music can impact storytelling. Due to their popularity, encore performances have been requested during 2008.

The Aeolian Winds of Pittsburgh have been the artists in residence at the First Baptist Church of Pittsburgh since August, 2005, and have recently begun a partnership with the Allegheny County Library Association.