The Portland Wind Symphony was founded as the Pacific Crest Wind Ensemble by Dr. Daniel Cole as part of Marylhurst University in 1988. It is patterned after the Eastman Wind Ensemble’s performance model which utilizes a smaller ensemble and generates an overall sound that is tighter and dependent on the individual musicianship of its members.
Paul Nickolas
Artistic Director & Conductor
2022 - Present
After growing up in Armonk, New York, and playing in a high
school band of 30, Paul Nickolas attended Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. Upon graduation with high distinction from its Music Education program, he began teaching middle school band and elementary school general music in Morris, Illinois. Three years later, Paul returned to Indiana University on a full assistantship program to study Wind Conducting with renowned conductor Ray E. Cramer. At Indiana, he had the opportunity to conduct concert ensembles of all levels, as well as football, basketball, and soccer pep bands. Upon graduating with high distinction, Mr. Nickolas accepted the position at Sam Barlow High School, being only the second director in its now 54 year history. Mr. Nickolas’ bands at Sam Barlow have received many conference, state, and regional awards. They have numerous top five finishes at the OSAA State Band Contest, performed multiple times at the Oregon Music Educators Association Conference and at the NAfME All-Northwest Conference. Paul also initiated an active chamber music curriculum that has resulted in several regional and state acknowledgements. As a member of the National Association for Music Education, Paul has served as the Oregon Music Educators Association band chairman for three years. He has submitted several articles for the Oregon Music Educator Journal, published entries in the popular Teaching Music Through Performance in Band series and presented and presided over many OMEA Conference sessions. Of all his accomplishments, Paul is most proud of his wife Amy and his three children, all of whom are currently attending Sam Barlow High School. h |
Dr. Chris Chapman
Artistic Director & Conductor
2015 - 2019
Dr. Chris Chapman became the ensemble's fifth artistic director in 2015. During that time he also lead the Wind Ensemble and Chamber Winds at Oregon State University. The OSU Wind Ensemble performed at prestigious sites such as Carnegie Hall in New York City, concert halls on the west coast of the United States, and in Japan.
Originally from Columbus, Ohio, Chapman holds degrees in music from The Ohio State University, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and the University of Washington. Dr. Chapman has appeared as a conductor, clinician and lecturer throughout the United States. His wind band compositions and arrangements are receiving performances across the United States. Dr. Chapman also served as the Musical Director of the Oregon Brass Society, a British-style brass band in Springfield, Oregon. He is now the Director of Bands at Central Michigan University School of Music. h |
Dr. Edward Higgins
2006 - 2014
Dr. Edward Higgins, director of Bands at Portland State University took over the baton in 2006, after Dr. Tuttle's retirement. Under Dr. Higgins' creative leadership, the group continued to grow and expand exponentially in musicianship, and tackled new concepts for performances. For the first time, more collaborative types of concerts were created, including: professional singing groups; new concerts with 3 Leg Torso; members of the Northwest School of Dance; The Portland State University Wind Symphony; and guests from the prestigious Boston Symphony Orchestra, Charles Schlueter and Ron Barron, both former principal brass players.
Newly renamed Portland Wind Symphony, the group performed in several unique locations. These include the Oregon Zoo in 2007 and the Roseburg Summer Concert Series with 3 Leg Torso in Roseburg, Oregon. The group also headlined the Oregon Music Educator's Conference in January of 2009. In 2009 the band received a grant from a Multnomah County Arts Commission allowing travel to Portland retirement communities for performances on site. The band also performed a concert for the Centennial Celebration of Mt. Tabor Park in the extinct crater. Dr. Higgins retired from the group in 2014. |
Dr. William Tuttle
1999 - 2006
Former Director of Bands at Portland State University, Dr. William Tuttle graciously accepted the post of musical director and conductor for the group in 1999, upon Dr. Cole's retirement from the group. He served in that position until his own retirement in 2006.
Under his leadership, musical growth expanded further. Concerts were relocated to Portland State University. The group performed for several concerts around the state, including at the Washington Park Rose Garden Summer Concert Series, one of which featuring Robert McBride narrating "Peter and the Wolf". The group also performed several times for Portland Park's Summer Concert Series. |
Dr. Robert Murray
1998
The organization welcomed Dr. Robert Murray of the Dallas Brass to the podium in 1998. During Murray's leadership our name was officially changed to "Pacific Crest Wind Symphony" to reflect the group's regional growth and the increasing range and sophistication of its repertoire. The ensemble began to perform transcriptions of various orchestral, choral, and organ works, along with tackling the more contemporary works written specifically for wind ensembles.
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Dr. Daniel Cole
1988 - 1998
Our founder was Dr. Daniel Cole. In March of 1988 Dr. Daniel Cole established the Marylhurst Wind Ensemble as part of Marylhurst University. With his job change away from Marylhurst in 1990 our newly named "Pacific Crest Wind Ensemble" was born, along with the motto "Music for Life". The wind symphony’s instrumentation was carefully patterned after the renown Eastman Wind Ensemble. Under Dr. Cole's direction, the group continued to grow in musicianship.
During the early years, Dr. Cole brought in a retired United States Army Band Director to work to expand the cohesiveness as a performing group. He also invited Guy Woolfenden, composer and music director for the Royal Shakespeare Company in England to work with the group while visiting the United States. The ensemble performed one of his compositions at the annual Oregon Adult Band Festival. In 1994 Pacific Crest Wind Ensemble adopted a new home at Warner Pacific College. By this time the group was at full strength and active in the community. Concerts were held at Warner Pacific College and in several churches in the Metro area. There were many opportunities for performances in various conference centers in downtown Portland. Performance of joint concerts with area high school band programs were held to help raise awareness and financial support for them. Upon the untimely death of the ensemble's principal oboe player, the Gerri Clark Memorial Fund was born. It provided free concert tickets to area school band students, upon the request of their directors. |
