NWS History

At 7:40 P.M. Monday, September 26, 1977, Darwyn "Tony" Snyder brought down his baton and 70 adult amateur musicians responded by playing Henry Fillmore's "Americans We". The Nebraska Wind Symphony, Omaha 's Community Concert Band was born. Snyder and others had long recognized the need for an outlet for individuals who had spent years in high school and college band programs, only to be forced to put their musical instruments aside after graduation for lack of a place and group with which to play. Surely, they reasoned, there must be hundreds of adults with instrumental music training who found themselves in such circumstances — and indeed there were!  

Since that first rehearsal in 1977, over 500 musicians have participated in more than 100 concerts. The organization has commissioned five new works for band.  The band has performed under the guest baton of some of the country's most renowned composers and conductors, including: the late Claude T. Smith, the late Alfred Reed, Timothy Mahr, James Christensen, Craig Jessop, and Bob Foster. Guest instrumentalists include: Marian McPartland, jazz piano; David Low, cello; Neil Archer Roan, guitar; Mike Freeman, marimba; Paula Hatcher, flute; Cindy Nichols, clarinet; Charles Saenz, trumpet; Scott Anderson, trombone; Jennifer Bales, trumpet; Pete Madsen, trombone as well as members of the band. Numerous local vocalists have also been featured including Ardeth Elsberry, Beth Asbjornson, Laureen Pickle, Paul Tranisi, and Jeff Sayer.    In addition, the NWS has participated in a variety of local civic celebrations such as a community "welcome home" for veterans of Desert Storm and the dedication of a memorial commemorating the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II.  

NWS hosted the national convention of the Association of Concert Bands in the early 1990s. Fifty members of the band made a trip to play at the 2005 national convention of the Association of Concert Bands in Quincy, IL.