Carla Crumley-Forest: A 'hidden gem,' First Coast Wind Symphony gets turn in the spotlight

The First Coast Wind Symphony has been chosen from a national field of applicants to be a featured performer at the national convention of the Association of Concert Bands, scheduled for May 2023 in Orlando. That’s a pretty prestigious honor for a concert band — the equivalent of being invited to play at the Academy of Country Music Awards.

The First Coast Wind Symphony has been serving Northeast Florida as a cultural resource for more than 30 years by providing outstanding performances of quality wind music.

Founded in 1990, the wind symphony, made up of woodwind, brass and percussion instruments, is an all-volunteer, audition-based group of 55 professional and non-professional musicians representing all types of careers.  Although our home base is Jacksonville, we have also proudly represented our city internationally in concert tours of Austria, Germany and France in 2017 and 2022 (we do have a following in Europe).

Performances are always free and are funded through contributions from corporate and community sponsors, benefactors, partners and friends.

Making quality wind music accessible to all is just part of our mission. We provide the opportunity for our members to participate in a cultural service organization that promotes personal musical expression and growth. We also support the concert band tradition as an important part of America’s rich musical heritage, with purposeful outreach to families, students, veterans and seniors.

Now in its 33rd year, the First Coast Wind Symphony has a sensational season planned, opening our concert season with the works of Lewis Buckley, conductor emeritus of the United States Coast Guard Band, with Lewis Buckley himself conducting on Oct. 15, 2023 at Jacksonville University’s Terry Concert Hall.

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Our annual state-wide Concerto Competition in the spring, championed and juried by the First Coast Wind Symphony, is open to Florida high school and college students and culminates with competition winners receiving scholarships and performing their pieces with our wind symphony.

I wish I had a dollar every time a patron stopped me in the lobby after a concert to share their appreciation of the performance. We’ve been called a “hidden gem” countless times. Now we’re heading to Orlando to perform at a national convention where our music will be streamed across the country and heard live by thousands.

We are thankful to every one of our volunteers and supporters, whose contributions of talent, time and treasure have allowed us to shine on the First Coast and beyond.

There are a number of ways to give us a listen: Go to our website, follow us on Facebook or check out our YouTube channel. Better yet, come to a concert to hear us live.

For more information about our concert season, how you can become involved or register to attend a free concert, go to FCWinds.org or contact us at fcwsdev@gmail.com.

You can also participate today with a tax-deductible donation. The First Coast Wind Symphony is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

Carla Crumley-Forest, board chair, First Coast Wind Symphony 

This guest column is the opinion of the author and does not necessarily represent the views of the Times-Union. We welcome a diversity of opinions.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Carla Crumley-Forest: First Coast Wind Symphony in the spotlight