About Us
The Columbia Summer Winds was formed in 2002 as an offshoot of the Columbia University Wind Ensemble. Based in New York City, we are a 70-person concert band composed of some of the most talented community musicians that make up our membership. We strive to play the finest literature available, from orchestra transcriptions to classic Sousa marches; from Broadway showtunes to the most current movie soundtracks. In 2010, we founded the Outdoor Composition Contest, a unique competition that seeks new and unpublished wind band compositions to be performed at outdoor summer concerts.

Since its inception, CSW has been committed to playing free concerts of the best wind music in the parks of Manhattan. We have given concerts in such diverse outdoor venues as Riverside Park, East River Park, Washington Square Park, Battery Park, South Street Seaport, Morningside Park, Bryant Park, and Columbia's own Low Plaza.

REHEARSALS:  We rehearse on Tuesday nights from 7-9pm in room 435 Horace Mann at Columbia University's Teachers College.  We usually begin rehearsing in early June and meet every Tuesday until our last concert is over, usually in mid-August.

CONCERTS take place in the parks of Manhattan and around New York City throughout the summer.  See our calendar page for full information.

SUPPORT comes from minimal membership dues, audience contributions, various grants, and from the Teachers College Music Education Department which allows us to use their space for free.

Please surf around our site for more information.

The 2009 Season was dedicated to the memory of Debra Silver and Dan Tedlie
Both Debra and Dan were very kind and giving people.  Debra especially donated significant amounts of time to making our little band grow from an unknown operation to an 80-piece machine.

Deb had been the manager of Columbia Summer Winds since 2002.  Even when she was too busy to join us in the trombone section, she always took care of the band's affairs.  She was responsible for getting our name out to just about all of the several venues we've played in recent years, and always took the initiative in getting our concerts planned.  She brought energy, a love of music, a fierce loyalty, and a much-needed attention to detail to the band.  She reached out to new members, making them feel welcome from the first moment.  Her impact on the band was huge, and her absence leaves a gaping hole in our ranks.

Dan was always by Deb's side: he often picked her up at rehearsal, and at her request he sometimes drove our trucks full of percussion stuff to concerts.  He also played percussion when we were short on players, and took several beautiful photos of us at concerts.  His photos from Washington Square Park in 2005 dominated our website for a long time.  He was a generous man whose contributions to the band were deeply appreciated.

Both Deb and Dan will be sorely missed for years to come.  The Columbia Summer Winds 2009 season is dedicated to their memory.

A group of lawyers from Debra's ERISA luncheon group have given a substantial sum to Columbia Summer Winds in her memory.  Their donation will help CSW pay adequate tribute ot Debra and start us down the road towards her goal of obtaining non-profit tax-exempt status for the band.  The individual donors are:

Michael Boro
Bob Raymond
Patricia Farell
Mary Crotty
Julia Penick Garry
Judith Kurzweil
Patricia Spraguer-Roberts
Steven Friedman
Jordan Backman
Stewart Borrow
Mary Harrison
Pauline Ellis
Benedicta McGrath
Paul Porretta
Andy Varady
Pamela Kaplan

Columbia Summer Winds sincerely thanks these donors for their generous gift in honor of someone so important to all of us.

Directions to 435 Horace Mann
Enter Teachers College (120th Street between Broadway and Amsterdam) at the Arthur Zankel Building.  Show your ID to the security guard and go straight ahead through the door, down the stairs around the elevator, and through the double doors at the bottom of the stairs.  Go right down the long basement corridor, around a bend and through another set of doors, until you reach another elevator, which you will take up to 4.  Exit left, and 435 is the last room on the right.

Contact Us
If you have any questions about the Columbia Summer Winds and how we work, please feel free to contact us. 

Email Music Director Andrew Pease
Manager Jason Mogen

We look forward to hearing from you.