The Texas A&M Wind Symphony is home to some of the university’s finest musicians. Comprised of students across campus from different majors and backgrounds, the symphony is a representation of the Aggie Spirit. Historically, the symphony is a well-traveled ensemble that has performed throughout the United States and abroad on five European Concert Tours.
The group is once again gearing up to bring the Aggie Spirit overseas and will head to Spain May 13-24, 2024.
Approximately 70 students will play concerts in Madrid, Granada, and Ronda. The three concerts will be around an hour and a half each and feature a flute solo by Emily Park ’26. Director of Bands and Music Activities Dr. Tim Rhea is especially looking forward to playing in Spain because of the culture’s love and appreciation for live music.
“The tour proves that music is an international language that brings people together and allows us to showcase the talent of Texas A&M student musicians in an international setting,” said Rhea.
This will be the first time the Wind Symphony will travel to Spain and the first international experience for many of the students. Rhea said the excitement on the first day of rehearsals was palpable when it came time to talk about the tour.
“They were looking at me and smiling and I asked, ‘so do you have any questions?’” Rhea said. “And there were none. They would all be ready to go to the airport tomorrow if they had to.”
Participation in the Wind Symphony gives students the opportunity to do what they love while developing life skills and learning lessons through music. “Wind symphony has been a way for me to escape the hustles of the school year,” Gabrielle Harvatin ‘24, a finance major from Allen. “Playing an instrument and performing with such high caliber players has taught me the value of discipline, hard work, and respect.”
Harvatin spent most of her summer in New York and that experience showed her the importance of practicing Aggie core values, especially when outside of Aggieland.
“This concert tour and its respective band members will be a great representation of the Aggie Spirit abroad, and I am very proud to be one of the faces of the university,” she said.
Brendan Neal ’24 shared similar excitement to his classmate. “This will be my first time traveling internationally,” Neal said. “I am even more excited to travel alongside my peers that I have had the opportunity to play with for the last three years.”
The finance major said his time in the Wind Symphony has taught him all about the community, tradition, and values that make up the Aggie Spirit. He hopes to share the love for Texas A&M he has developed during his time here with the people he meets overseas.
Rhea said that he is eager to see the lasting impact the experience of performing abroad will have on his students. “When we play locally, we get a lot of family and friends in the crowd – and they’re going to love anything we do,” he said. “When we go abroad, we play where we are pretty unknown. I think the students feel so gratified when they get the appreciation back from total strangers.”
You can make an online donation to help support the Texas A&M Wind Symphony as they spread the spirit of Aggieland across the globe or contact Reagan Chessher ’96, senior director of development, at 979-862-1247 or givetoStudentAffairs@txamfoundation.com.
Courtesy of Lindsey Norman
