The University of South Florida Wind Ensemble is a classical music ensemble that was founded in 1985. The ensemble is composed of talented musicians who are students at the University of South Florida. The ensemble is led by Dr. John C. Carmichael, who is the Director of Bands at the University of South Florida. The University of South Florida Wind Ensemble has a rich history of excellence in performance and has received numerous awards and accolades over the years. The ensemble has performed at prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and the Midwest Clinic. The ensemble has also been invited to perform at international music festivals in Europe and Asia. The founding of the University of South Florida Wind Ensemble can be traced back to the early 1980s. At that time, the University of South Florida did not have a dedicated wind ensemble, and the music department was looking to establish one. The department hired Dr. John C. Carmichael, who had previously been the Director of Bands at the University of Miami, to lead the effort. Dr. Carmichael quickly set to work building the ensemble. He recruited talented musicians from the University of South Florida and began rehearsing with them regularly. The ensemble's first performance was in 1985, and it was an immediate success. The ensemble received rave reviews from audiences and critics alike, and it quickly became a fixture in the Tampa Bay area's classical music scene. Over the years, the University of South Florida Wind Ensemble has grown in size and reputation. Today, the ensemble is composed of over 50 musicians, including woodwinds, brass, and percussion. The ensemble's members are all students at the University of South Florida, and they come from a variety of academic disciplines. The University of South Florida Wind Ensemble has performed a wide range of classical music over the years. The ensemble has performed works by composers such as Gustav Holst, John Williams, and Leonard Bernstein. The ensemble has also commissioned new works from contemporary composers, including David Maslanka and John Mackey. One of the highlights of the University of South Florida Wind Ensemble's performance history was its appearance at the Midwest Clinic in 2009. The Midwest Clinic is one of the largest and most prestigious music conferences in the world, and it attracts thousands of musicians and music educators from around the globe. The University of South Florida Wind Ensemble was one of only a handful of ensembles selected to perform at the conference that year, and its performance was a resounding success. Another highlight of the University of South Florida Wind Ensemble's performance history was its appearance at Carnegie Hall in 2015. The ensemble performed a program of contemporary wind band music, including works by John Mackey and Frank Ticheli. The performance was well-received by the audience and critics, and it cemented the ensemble's reputation as one of the premier wind ensembles in the United States. The University of South Florida Wind Ensemble has also received numerous awards and accolades over the years. The ensemble has been invited to perform at the Florida Music Educators Association Conference multiple times, and it has received numerous superior ratings at music festivals throughout the state. The ensemble has also been recognized by the National Band Association, which awarded it the Citation of Excellence in 2014.

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