History of the First Coast Wind Symphony

The First Coast Wind Symphony is an all-volunteer community music organization located in Jacksonville, Florida. The title "First Coast" refers to Northeast Florida, where early French and Spanish explorers settled, and home to St. Augustine, America's oldest city. The group was founded in 1990 as the First Coast Wind Ensemble and is registered as a 501c3 nonprofit organization. It is a member of the Association of Concert Bands, a national organization of community bands, and the Cultural Council of Jacksonville.

First Coast Wind Symphony membership is open to any musician who completes a successful audition and agrees to the conditions of membership as stated in the bylaws. The membership consists of approximately 100 woodwind, brass and percussion instrumentalists who represent a number of different occupations, including professional musicians. The ensemble regularly performs with 60 players. Programs range from classical to popular band music, marches, chamber music and new works.

The First Coast Wind Symphony gives several concerts a year in Northeast Florida, all open to the public at no charge. The ensemble achieved national recognition after acclaimed performances in 1995 and in 2003 at the National Conventions of the Association of Concert Bands. The group was chosen to perform as a featured ensemble at the ACB National Convention in Orlando in May 2023. A highlight of the 1997-98 concert season was a performance at the Southern Division College Band Directors National Association.

The First Coast Wind Symphony has represented Jacksonville in several performance tours in recent years. National tours include Boston with the Atlantic Wind Symphony (2015), the Tara Winds in Atlanta (2018) and the Burlington Concert Band in Vermont (2024). The FCWS completed its first international tour in June 2017, presenting concerts in Salzburg and Vienna, Austria. The ensemble toured Switzerland, Germany and France in 2022, and Prague and Budapest in 2025.

The organization has demonstrated strong continuing support for music education, including projects such as partner concerts with local high school bands and choruses. Through its innovative programming, the FCWS has championed the works of noted contemporary American composers in concerts conducted by the composers and dedicated to their music. These composers include: David Holsinger, Richard Saucedo, Robert Sheldon, James Curnow, Robert W. Smith, Ralph Ford, Samuel Hazo, Mark Camphouse, Frank Ticheli, Jack Stamp, Andrew Boysen, Jr., Lewis Buckley, Brian Balmages, and Rossano Galante, Carol Brittin Chambers, Randall Standridge and Timothy Mahr. Other projects include family concerts featuring music for all ages and the annual Concerto Competition for High School and Collegiate Musicians, an event open to all Florida students.

The First Coast Wind Symphony has recorded three compact discs. The first CD, titled Prevailing Winds, was produced in 2001 and featured the music of Gustav Holst, Ralph Vaughan Williams, George Gershwin, and other composers. The second disc, A Christmas Celebration, was recorded in 2007. The third CD, Symphonic Spirit, celebrates the group’s 20th year. In 2012, a DVD titled Sounds of the First Coast was released that included live concert performances.

The First Coast Wind Symphony has commissioned four new compositions by prominent American composers: Robert W. Smith - Postcards from the First Coast (2014); Jack Stamp - First Coast Faze (2019); Robert Sheldon - Incandescent Sky (2021); and Rob Romeyn - Cityscapes (2025).