UTC's Wind Ensemble has been invited to perform a full concert at Carnegie Hall in New York City on Wednesday, March 18, an invitation that marks a milestone opportunity for student musicians to perform on one of the world’s most iconic stages.
The concert will feature 59 student performers from across the University, including 24 music majors and 35 students majoring in other academic areas—including engineering, biology, English and business. Membership in the Wind Ensemble is open to all UTC students through a competitive audition process.
The Carnegie Hall program will include the world premiere of a newly commissioned work by internationally recognized composer Tyler S. Grant, a former student of Coleman. The piece was commissioned by Jenny D’Andrea in honor of her late husband, Tony D’Andrea, a longtime director of bands at UTC.
Jenny D’Andrea, a retired middle school and high school band director, will perform with the ensemble during the premiere. The concert will also feature a work with guest soloist Joseph Alessi, principal trombonist of the New York Philharmonic.
“This opportunity is literally a once-in-a-lifetime event for our students,” said Frances Hall Hill Professor of Music Randall Coleman, director of bands and head of the UTC Department of Music. “So many of them have never been to Carnegie Hall and very few of them have ever been to New York City.
“On one of the pieces, we’ll be featuring a guest—Joe Alessi, principal trombonist of the New York Philharmonic—who’s one of the best trombone players in the world. For our students to be able to listen to him perform and learn from him is something really special. We’re very excited and quite honored that he would accept our invitation to solo with us during this concert.”
The UTC Wind Ensemble is the University’s flagship concert wind band and performs a wide-ranging repertoire that includes both contemporary works and cornerstone pieces of the wind band tradition. The ensemble presents multiple concerts each academic year and is actively involved in regional and national music initiatives, including the annual Tri-State Honor Band.
Coleman said the invitation reflects both the program’s growth and its students’ commitment.
“It’s really amazing how fast a lot of these things have happened for us,” Coleman said. “I think that speaks to the students’ commitment. We all have a vision of what we’d like the program to be and we’re certainly on track to achieve it, but the students bought into that vision and put in the extra time and effort. Their hard work is paying off.”
Students will depart Chattanooga on Sunday, March 15, traveling by bus to New York City. In addition to the Carnegie Hall performance, the group will spend two days experiencing the city, including guided tours and a Broadway performance. The ensemble will return to Chattanooga on Thursday, March 19.
Approximately 80% of participating students will be visiting New York City for the first time.
The cost of the trip is approximately $2,000 per student. To help offset expenses, the UTC Division of Advancement has established a dedicated giving link at give.utc.edu/carnegie, with donations supporting student travel through the UTC Music Fund.
“With this being the season that it is, it’s very easy to relate an invitation for an orchestra or band to play in Carnegie Hall to a national championship,” Coleman said. “When teams get to that level, the community comes together, and the football players don’t have to pay to go play in a national championship game. So it’s my goal that enough people in our area donate and help the 59 students get there without breaking their budgets.
“We’re not just representing the music department; we’re representing the entire University of Tennessee at Chattanooga on one of the most prestigious stages in the world.”