MU WIND BANDS
MILLERSVILLE UNIVERSITY WIND BANDS
| MU WIND ENSEMBLE | MU CONCERT BAND |
| Dr. Joseph Cernuto, Director | Dr. Christy Banks, Director |
| joseph.cernuto@millersville.edu | christy.banks@millersville.edu |
WIND BANDS
WIND ENSEMBLE
The Wind Ensemble is the premier concert ensemble of the MU band program. Conducted by Dr. Joe Cernuto, the band is comprised of the most accomplished woodwind, brass, and percussion players at Millersville University. The 50 members of the Wind Ensemble perform the finest existing and emerging wind band literature, and frequently commission new music from established and emerging composers. Members are selected by audition at the beginning of the Fall semester. The Wind Ensemble presents two on-campus concerts each semester as well as clinics and performances off-campus at schools and community events in the region. Performances regularly feature nationally recognized guest artists.
The Wind Ensemble is the recipient of 3rd Place in the 2024 American Prize for the Ernst Bacon Memorial Award for the Performance of American Music.
The Wind Ensemble was selected for performance in the 2025 PMEA Annual In-Service Conference and performed at Pocono Manor, Pennsylvania, on April 10, 2025.
Rehearsals: Tuesday & Thursday, 2:00-3:15 pm; WVPAC 100.
CONCERT BAND
The Concert Band (Dr. Christy Banks and Dr. Joe Cernuto, conductors) seeks to broaden the musical horizons of its members and audiences by performing a variety of quality literature, including original wind band classics, new music, transcriptions, and music from the jazz and popular genres. The Concert Band is comprised of approximately 70 wind and percussion players and is open to all students with previous band experience. Placement auditions are held at the beginning of each semester to determine part assignments. The Concert Band presents two concerts on campus each semester.
Rehearsals: Monday & Wednesday, 4:00-5:15 pm; WVPAC 100.
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Fall 2026 Audition Dates
Fall 2026 Wind and Percussion auditions for Wind Ensemble, Orchestra, and Concert Band take place on Monday, August 24 from 4:00 pm to 9:00 pm in WVPAC 202 (Solfège Room) and Tuesday, August 25 from 2:00 to 3:00 pm in WVPAC 100 (Murley Recital Hall).Monday is reserved for wind players only, Tuesday is reserved for percussionists only. -
General and Audition Information
The MU Wind Band program consists of two concert bands - the Wind Ensemble, where members audition for entry and placement, and the Concert Band, where auditions are for part placement and seating only.Students are required to make room in their schedule for their assigned ensemble. No lessons, internships, or work should be scheduled that conflicts with your assigned ensemble time. Class conflicts for Concert Band are at Dr. Banks’s discretion. No class conflicts will be allowed for Wind Ensemble.
Students will be registered for 0.5 credits in each ensemble by the instructor unless the student requests being registered for 0.0 credits. Students wishing for the 0.0 credit section should email Dr. Banks, Dr. Cernuto, or Dr. Norcross after audition results are posted.
Non-majors wishing to elect using a combination of Tell School ensembles for their Gateway Creative Explorations course must register for 0.5 credits and complete some additional assignments.
Wind and percussion students interested in performing in the MU Orchestra should audition during the Monday/Tuesday window and email Dr. Brian Norcross at brian.norcross@millersville.edu for more information. All wind/percussion BA-Performance Majors are expected to perform in orchestra and a wind band on their major instrument (except saxophone and euphonium). Other wind/percussion students (non-major, minor, and other music majors) will be invited and encouraged to join orchestra based on auditions. Orchestra meets M/W from 7:30 to 8:45 pm
All music majors in the “classical” applied track of the following instruments must audition for wind bands and orchestra: flute, oboe, bassoon, saxophone, horn, trumpet, trombone, euphonium, tuba, percussion. Students in “commercial” track of these instruments are encouraged to audition as well.Monday auditions will be for band/orchestral winds only. The auditions will be first come, first served during the 4:00-9:00 pm window. There will be a dinner break for faculty from 5:30 to 6:00 pm.Tuesday auditions are for percussionists only.Auditions will consist of each student playing all the exercise linked below (“a” ending only if there is an a/b option). Percussion auditionees must play snare and mallet etudes. All auditions will include a full range chromatic scale.Students will fill out an information form indicating name, P#, major, and desired ensembles. A room monitor who will assign you an audition number and introduce you to the panel. Do not speak during the audition to preserve anonymity.If a student cannot audition during the listed audition dates and times, email Dr. Cernuto at joseph.cernuto@millersville.edu for more information.Wind Ensemble and Concert Band rosters will be announced by email by Wednesday, August 26, with the first Concert Band and Wind Ensemble rehearsals being held on August 26 and August 27. -
String Bass and Piano Audition Material
There will be a need for piano and string bass in Wind Ensemble and likely in Concert Band. String bassists are expected to perform in the orchestra as their primary ensemble and should only register for Wind Ensemble or Concert Band as a secondary ensemble. Students interested in auditioning for string bass or piano should email Dr. Cernuto at joseph.cernuto@millersville.edu for more information.