Fall concert “There’s a First Time for Everything” set for Nov. 1 in Lexington
McGRATHPR.com – Metropolitan Wind Symphony (MetWinds), the Greater Boston area’s premier community wind ensemble, opens its 56th season this fall with the debut performance of its new Music Director Dr. Robert “Gabe” Southard. Southard leads the 60+ member ensemble in concert on Sunday, November 1, 3 pm, in a performance fittingly titled “There’s a First Time for Everything,” at the Scottish Rite Museum, 33 Marrett Road, Lexington. A free pre-concert lecture begins at 2:30 pm.
Southard was selected as MetWinds’ new music director after a season-long search in which six finalists each guest conducted the ensemble in concert. He joined the faculty of Gordon College in 2022 as Associate Teaching Professor of Music, where he conducts the Gordon Symphony Orchestra and Symphonic Band. He previously served as Associate Professor of Music and Director of Bands at Hope College in Michigan, leading the Winds and Brass area and the Instrumental Music Education area, and earlier held posts as Wind Symphony conductor and flute instructor at the University of Michigan-Flint.
Southard earned his doctorate in Musical Arts in Conducting from Michigan State University, along with master’s and bachelor’s degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Ithaca College. An active orchestrator, his projects include a wind ensemble arrangement of Rimsky-Korsakov’s Symphony No. 2, “Antar.” As a flutist, he has performed as principal flute of the Holland Symphony Orchestra and with several other orchestras, and in 2020 was named a Pearl Flute Artist.
Regarding his appointment Gabe said he is “looking forward to starting work with the MetWinds, continuing the group’s reputation for excellence, and bringing some new and exciting program ideas!”
Southard’s first program with MetWinds universally embraces the theme of beginnings. “There’s a First Time for Everything” celebrates the debut works of some of the concert band repertoire’s most significant voices, including John Mackey, Frank Ticheli, and Dana Wilson, each represented by the very first piece they wrote or arranged for band. Another work reaches back to Gustav Holst’s “First Suite in E flat,” the piece widely credited with establishing the wind band as a serious concert ensemble alongside the orchestra.
The full program includes Adam Gorb’s “Awayday”; Holst’s “First Suite in E flat for Military Band” (edited by Colin Matthews); John Mackey’s “Strange Humors”; Dana Wilson’s “Piece of Mind”; John Stevens’ “Benediction”; and Frank Ticheli’s “Postcard.”
Single tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for seniors, $5 for students, and free for children under age 5, available on Eventbrite.
image by Esther J. Horwich, Esq.
image by Esther J. Horwich, Esq.
MetWinds participates in the Card to Culture Program. EBT, WIC and Health Connector cardholders who show their EBT, WIC or Health Connector card at the door pay only $2 per adult or $1 per child (age 5+). Children under age 5 are free. There is no admission limit per cardholder. Free parking is available on site, and the Scottish Rite Museum is barrier-free for easy access.
MetWinds, formally known as the Metropolitan Wind Symphony, was founded in 1971 by Jerry Gardner and was honored with the Sudler Silver Scroll Award for Community Concert Bands from the John Philip Sousa Foundation. The all-volunteer ensemble draws more than 60 auditioned woodwind, brass and percussion musicians from over 30 communities across Massachusetts and neighboring states, and has called the town of Lexington home for 20 years. MetWinds is a longtime contributor to the region’s wind band literature through its Commissioning Fund and has helped shape the local music education landscape through programs including the Boston Festival of Bands and the Continuum series.
MetWinds’ concerts are funded in part by local cultural councils, chapters of Massachusetts Cultural Council, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
For tickets and more information, visit metwinds.org, and follow MetWinds on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram.
About Metropolitan Wind Symphony (MetWinds)
Founded in 1971 by Jerry Gardner, the Metropolitan Wind Symphony (MetWinds) is an all-volunteer, 60-plus-member concert band of auditioned woodwind, brass and percussion musicians drawn from more than 30 communities across Massachusetts and neighboring states. The ensemble was honored with the 2015 Sudler Silver Scroll Award for Community Concert Bands from the John Philip Sousa Foundation, and this season marks its 56th year of presenting concerts in the Greater Boston area.
MetWinds’ members rehearse Wednesday evenings from September through June and, beyond the podium, pursue careers spanning education, engineering, computer science, medicine, law, music and public health. The ensemble performs both formal concerts of traditional and contemporary wind band literature and informal pops programs throughout metropolitan Boston, offering audiences high-quality performances and members meaningful opportunities for musical growth.
Through its Commissioning Fund, MetWinds has commissioned new works for wind band from composers ranging from internationally known figures such as Frank Ticheli and Johan de Meij to Massachusetts-based and emerging composers, as well as student composers, many of whose works have since been published and performed by ensembles across the country and abroad. MetWinds also founded the Boston Festival of Bands, held each June at Faneuil Hall, and the Continuum series, which connects the ensemble with middle school, high school and university bands for educational outreach.
A member of the Association of Concert Bands, MetWinds has twice been selected to perform at the ACB National Convention. For tickets, concert information, and more about MetWinds’ 56th season, visit metwinds.org.
Calendar:
“There’s a First Time for Everything” — MetWinds’ fall concert debut of new Music Director Gabe Southard
Sun., November 1 | free pre-concert lecture: 2:30 pm | season opener concert: 3 pm
Scottish Rite Museum, 33 Marrett Road, Lexington, MA
$20 adults, $15 seniors, $5 students, free under age 5
Tickets: metwinds.org/events/2026fallconcert | Info: metwinds.org
Join MetWinds for a concert celebrating firsts in the band world! Most of the works are the first pieces written or arranged for band by some of our most important composers, including John Mackey, Frank Ticheli, and Dana Wilson. These works offer an exciting insight into the styles and unique ideas these composers bring to the medium. We’ll also perform one of the most important “firsts” in the history of the concert band: Gustav Holst’s First Suite in E flat. This groundbreaking work helped establish the wind band as a serious musical ensemble, on par with the orchestra. And, of course, this concert marks another first: our first performance with new Music Director Gabe Southard!
Program:
Adam Gorb “Awayday”
Gustav Holst/ed. Matthews “First Suite in E flat for Military Band”
John Mackey “Strange Humors”
Dana Wilson “Piece of Mind”
John Stevens “Benediction”
Frank Ticheli “Postcard”
