About Us - El Paso Wind Symphony

     The El Paso Wind Symphony is a concert band organized by Dr. Ron Hufstader and a small group of El Paso area band directors in the spring of 1995. The band consists of Greater El Paso residents, most of whom are band directors in area public and private schools. The primary purposes of the group are 1) to present concerts of quality wind literature to the public on a professional level; 2) to provide educational opportunities for middle school, high school, and college instrumental students; and 3) to provide a role model for middle school, high school, and college band programs.

     The Wind Symphony consists of approximately 45 players. This includes woodwind, brass, and percussion—the normal instrumentation for a concert band or wind ensemble. A 12-member Board of Directors is diligently working to find funding for the organization and to offer guidance for the group. This board is comprised of volunteers from the business and education fields who are donating their time and effort to help ensure the success of the Wind Symphony.

     The basic season for the El Paso Wind Symphony consists of 5 concerts. These performances include a Holiday concert along with other “theme” concerts. In addition to the concert presentations, the Wind Symphony hosts an All-Region clinic and a Summer Music Camp for middle school and high school students. Wind Symphony members serve as clinicians and instructors for these events. It is through activities such as the concert presentations and hosting clinics and camps that the Wind Symphony is realizing the goals of the organization.

Ron Hufstader
Conductor/Artistic Director

Ron Hufstader has served as Director of Bands at the University of Texas at El Paso since 1976 and served as Chairman of the Music department from 1990 to 2002. He presently serves as Director of Instrumental Studies. He conducts the UTEP Wind Symphony, the UTEP Orchestra and teaches undergraduate and graduate conducting. It is under his direction that the Wind Symphony was selected to perform for the Texas Music Educators Association and the College Band Directors National Association conventions. Dr. Hufstader’s many professional activities include coordination of halftime shows for some of the major bowl games including the Sun, Alamo, Liberty, Gator and Sugar bowls. He played principal trombone in the El Paso Symphony Orchestra until 2005 and has played with orchestras such as the Greensboro Symphony, the Winston-Salem Symphony and the Classical Music Seminar Orchestra in Austria. Dr. Hufstader has served as a guest conductor and adjudicator throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico and Latin America. In addition to these duties, Dr. Hufstader serves as a rehearsal clinician and an in-service clinician for Conn-Selmer, Inc.

In 1995, Dr. Hufstader established the El Paso Wind Symphony, a professional concert band composed of music teachers and business people from the El Paso area. This group now has a subscription season of five concerts. In 2006, the ensemble was invited to perform for the Texas Bandmasters Association Band Symposium.

Dr. Hufstader holds a Ph.D. in music education from the University of Iowa, a Master’s degree in performance from the University of Iowa, a Master’s degree in music education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and a Bachelor’s degree in music education from East Carolina University.