What People Are Saying

  • “A tremendous symphony of musicians, dedicated to providing stellar performances and engaging repertoire for all audiences. One concert and you will be hooked! Plus, tickets are very reasonable for individuals and families”

    — Jennifer G.

  • “Wonderful for all ages. Very talented musicians.”

    — Jody B.

  • “Best large wind ensemble in the Midwest, hands down!”

    — Michael P.

Since its founding in 1997, the Indiana Wind Symphony has left audience members feeling much happier leaving the concert hall than when they arrived.

Our mission is to bring significant music for band and wind ensembles to the Central Indiana community. Our performances bridge the classical community band with the innovation of a contemporary wind ensemble. The IWS is made up of about 80 volunteer members, and includes professional musicians, music educators, and serious avocational musicians. The IWS is a resident company at the Carmel Center for the Performing Arts, performing concerts at the Palladium.

 
 

We offer a mix of music, from compositions written 250+ years ago to modern works from just last week.

We offer serious music that will take patrons on journeys to far-off places, modern tunes that will have you dancing in your seat, songs from operas and Broadway musicals, and so much more.

Each year, the IWS performs a six-concert series at the Palladium in Carmel, along with performances in the Studio Theater and at locations around the state.

What is a wind symphony?

 

A wind symphony is part concert band, part wind ensemble.

 

Our organization brings people and music together in a fresh new way, without relying on the string instruments found in traditional orchestras.

A concert band, variously also called a wind ensemble, is a performing ensemble consisting of members of the woodwind, brass, and percussion families of instruments, and occasionally including the double bass or bass guitar. On rare occasions, additional non-traditional instruments may be added to such ensembles such as piano, harp, synthesizer, or electric guitar.

Music Director

Jay S. Gephart

Jay S. Gephart joined Purdue University’s faculty in 1995 after 12 years as a public-school band director. He currently serves as the Director of University Bands and holds the Al G. Wright Chair of Purdue Bands and Orchestras. In 2024, he became the Music Director for the Indiana Wind Symphony (IWS).

As the Artistic Director of the Purdue University Wind Ensemble, Professor Gephart has led performances at prestigious venues such as Chicago’s Symphony Center and New York’s Carnegie Hall. He is the fifth person in Purdue’s history to direct the “All-American” Marching Band, which has performed globally, including at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Dublin, Ireland.

Gephart has guest conducted for prominent military bands and university ensembles and has been a clinician at major conferences, including The Midwest Clinic in Chicago. He has received numerous awards, including the 2024 Phi Beta Mu International Bandmaster Fraternity Outstanding Bandmaster Award and the 2018 Indiana Wind Symphony James Calvert Outstanding Music Educator Award.

He has commissioned several notable works for wind band and has been actively involved in professional organizations, including serving as President of the Big Ten Band Director’s Association and the American Bandmaster’s Association.

Jay S. Gephart and his wife, Jana, reside in West Lafayette, Indiana, and are proud parents of four children and six grandchildren.

 

Founder

Dr. Charles P. Conrad

Dr. Conrad, founder and retired music director of the Indianapolis Wind Symphony (IWS), is an Indianapolis native and Carmel resident. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Trumpet Performance from Indiana University, a Master’s degree in Conducting from Butler University, and a Doctorate in Conducting from Ball State University. Dr. Conrad has conducted ensembles across the United States and internationally, and he is a respected musicologist and author. He served as choir director at John Knox Presbyterian Church for twenty years and continues to teach trumpet privately.

Dr. Conrad contributed to the Groves Encyclopedia of Music and Musicians and was a historical musical consultant for the film "Water for Elephants." He is currently working on a book about American circus music and enjoys collecting antique brass instruments and historic band photos.

We thank Dr. Conrad for his contributions to the IWS and the music community, where his legacy will be cherished.

Find out more about the IWS

  • The IWS was founded in 1997 with a mission of presenting artistic level performances of music for band and wind ensemble representing all styles and eras - from the wind serenades of Mozart to premiere performances of new works. The IWS has been a resident ensemble at the Palladium since the opening of the Carmel Center for the Performing Arts in 2011.

    • Daniel Gall: Mystery Theatre

    • Frigyes Hidas: Save the Sea Symphony, Concerto for Four Saxophones and Band, and Concerto for Symphonic Band

    • Werner Bruggemann: Piano Concerto Rike

    • Thomas Doss: Nocturne

    • Hardy Mertens: Sinfonisches Variaziones

    • James Curnow: With Malice Toward None

    • Jiri Laburda: Symphony #2

    • David Sartor: Veni Emmanuel

    • Daniel Gall; chamber work Melancholy

    • Fred Anderson: Harrison's March

    • Dennis Havens: Evening Star

    • Dennis Havens: The Phantom Cavalry

    • John O'Neill: 1776

    • Mark Wolfram: The Swashbuckler

    • Nathan Beversluis: Chiaroscuro

    • Nathan Beversluis: Cathexis

    • Howard Bond: Concert March

    • Andrew Hollandbeck: Channel Surfing at Six

    • Lester Taylor: Winds from the Heartland

    • Dr. David Mruzek: The Boy Scout Centennial, Variations on a Welsh Folksong, The Eagle Scouter, and Derby Days

    • Dan McGlaun: Symphonic Variations on Back Home Again in Indiana

    • Oliver Caplan: Krummholz Variations

    • Frank Ticheli: Flute Concerto

    • James M. David: Two Lane Blacktop

    • Adam Gorb: French Dances Revisited

    • James Syler: A Blue Streak

    • Daniel Luzko: Flute Concerto

    • James Barnes: Ninth Symphony