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NUS Wind Symphony
Since its inception in 1968, the NUS Wind Symphony has managed to establish itself as one of the premier wind orchestras in Singapore's music scene. Boasting an illustrious history of 41 years, the wind orchestra counts itself as one of the pioneering bands in Singapore. Originally conceived as a military band, it has since grown strength to strength, playing works of increasing depth and sophistication.
The wind orchestra places emphasis on creating quality music and exposure to a wide range of quality repertoire of varying difficulty – from orchestral transcriptions, chorales, marches, standard band works, to modern band music. It also aims to produce world class musicians who will lead the arts scene both locally and internationally.
The wind orchestra performs two concerts every academic year – Da Capo in semester one and InTempo in semester two. The InTempo concert series, started in 1974, is especially noted for being the longest running band concert series in Singapore.
In March 2008, the wind orchestra gave a local premiere of renowned Dutch Composer, Johan de Meij's "Symphony No. 3: Planet Earth", delivering what was hailed by The Straits Times as a "highly spirited reading" of the 50-minute magnum opus. As the highlight of Da Capo 2008, the wind orchestra featured another of the composer's work – "Extreme Makeover: Metamorphoses on a Theme by Tchaikovsky". These pieces allowed us to continue to push artistic frontiers and challenge our musicians. This June 2010, NUS Wind Symphony also jointly organized the first University Band Festival with National Institute of Education (NIE) and Nanyang Technological University (NTU), held at the Esplanade Concert Hall.
The wind orchestra has participated in several music festivals and competitions overseas, including:
- the Fuji International Youth Musicale in Japan in 1991, 1994 and 1996;
- the 8th International Band Festival in Italy (1997);
- the 3rd World Music Festival in Zurich (1999);
- the 14th World Music Contest in Kerkrade, The Netherlands (2001), where the wind orchestra was awarded a First Prize (Gold Award) in the 2nd Division, Harmony Section; and
- the 13th International Band Festival held in Besana, Italy (2007), where the wind orchestra received numerous standing ovations for the musical, passionate and engaging performances.
The NUS Wind Symphony also performs in various local engagements and charity events, such as:
- the CFA Charity Concert for intellectually disabled children;
- Genesis in 2005 – a children's day concert, with a percentage of the proceeds going to charity;
- the well-publicised national event, Fam Jam! Walk & Rock 2009, where the audiences were treated to an audio-visual performance; and
- Yesterday, Once More in September 2009, as part of the "Esplanade Presents – Beautiful Sunday" programme at the Esplanade Concert Hall.
To find out more about NUS Wind Symphony, do visit their 
account, or visit http://nusws.blogspot.com.
