About the TSWS:

The Tri-State Wind Symphony was founded in 1995 as a community band for "the better amateur players in the community" comprised of Dubuque-area musicians who volunteer their time; the ensemble performs at the Eagle Point Park band shell every summer.

About Our Conductor/Founder:
Brian Hughes

Brian Hughes is a very active conductor both at home and abroad.  He made his European conducting debut with the Northern Iowa Chamber Winds in Eger, Hungary in 1993 and has subsequently conducted ensembles in the Czech Republic, Poland, Romania and Russia.  He founded the Tri-State Wind Symphony in 1995 and has led that organization through sixteen seasons of quantitative and qualitative growth.  At present, Hughes is also the Music Director of the Quad-City Wind Ensemble and is in the midst of leading that organization through its 25th anniversary.

As an orchestral conductor, Hughes formerly served eight years as conductor of the Dubuque Youth Symphony and six as assistant conductor of the Dubuque Symphony Orchestra, leading that ensemble in ten concerts during its conductor search.  He has also appeared several times with the Dubuque Community String Orchestra and has led orchestras and wind groups in clinic, concert and festival appearances in Iowa, Illinois, and Pennsylvania.

As a teacher, he has served school positions in Gilbertville, Iowa; Rock Island, Illinois; and Dubuque.  For 15 years he was a faculty member at Loras College, serving seven years as department chair and another six heading up the institution’s Arts and Lecture Series.  He formerly served as a graduate associate conductor, staff conductor, and associate lecturer at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he led the University Symphony, Chamber Orchestra, Wind Ensemble, and University Band.

A proponent of new music, Hughes coordinated the reading/recording project at UW-Madison, as well as led UW-Madison ensembles in no fewer than four world premieres, including Alex Nohai-Seaman’s 50-minute Requiem for soprano and chamber orchestra.  With the Quad-City Wind Ensemble he led first performances on a concert in conjunction with the Iowa Composer’s Forum in 2008 and will lead the first performance of Roy Magnuson’s …to have seen the worst…and to expect the best with the Quad-City Wind Ensemble on May 1, 2011.

He received the Bachelor of Music Education Degree from Olivet College (Michigan).  The University of Northern Iowa awarded subsequent Master’s Degrees in both Music Education and Conducting and he is a candidate for the Doctor of Musical Arts Degree (ABD) in Conducting at UW-Madison.

Hughes has won conducting prizes from the Hradec Kralove Philharmonic and the West Bohemian Philharmonic, both in the Czech Republic.  He is a two-time winner of the Richard and Agatha Church Conducting Prize, presented by the University of Wisconsin-Madison.  In recognition of his "outstanding contribution to the arts," he was presented the 2005 Elisha Darlin Award, given by the Dubuque County Fine Arts Society.  In his spare time, Hughes can be found in both the kitchen and his wine cellar, dreaming up the perfect pairing.

About Eagle Point Park:

History of Eagle Point Park
How To Get There
Official City Eagle Point Park Website
Plans for Bandshell (circa 1936) - PDF format 
Floor Plan
Elevation

To Join Us:

If you are interested in joining the TSWS, please contact Brian Hughes. All musicians are welcome! No auditions are necessary; simply show up with your instrument and a willingness to play.

Tri-State Wind Symphony Information Sheet: 2009 Season

See the List of Current Personnel

See the List of Current Administration