The SF State Wind Ensemble debuted “Into the forge! Music of Earth, Death, Metal, Fire & Oil,” on March 14, 2017 at Knuth Hall in the Creative Arts Building. The wind ensemble holds auditions at the beginning of each semester and is open to current students of all majors, alumni and faculty members at SF State, cultivating a diverse community of musicians.

The wind ensemble consists of nearly 60 people from diverse music backgrounds, ages, majors and nationalities, offering them the opportunity to perform in front of an audience and prepare for professional careers. It also helps non-music major students cooperate with others toward long-term goals, according Bradley Hogarth, music assistant professor and conductor of SF State Wind Ensemble.

Hogarth, who performed with a youth orchestra and Latin band as a trumpeter in Germany, believes that the strength of the wind ensemble is its community aspect.
“Those experiences when I was abroad made me realize how important it is to welcome international students,” Hogarth said. “We speak the same language of music,” Hogarth said.