The UCLA Wind Ensemble is joined by the Mira Mesa High School Wind Ensemble from San Diego, conducted by Jeanne Christensen. Mira Mesa has the largest band program in the San Diego Unified School District, and notable recent performances include a 2024 tour to Washington, D.C., and the 2022 Tournament of Roses Parade.
The UCLA Wind Ensemble plays John Mackey's Wine-Dark Sea: Symphony for Band, a epic 30-minute musical illustration of Homer's Odyssey commissioned by the University of Texas Wind Ensemble, premiered in 2014, shared that summer on an around-the-world tour, and performed for its 10th anniversary in June 2024 at Carnegie Hall.
This event is made possible by the David and Irmgard Dobrow Fund. Classical music was a passion of the Dobrows, who established a generous endowment at The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music to make programs like this possible. We are proud to celebrate this program as part of the 2024 - 25 Dobrow Series.