Chamber Notebook Article:

Lakeshore Wind Ensemble Association (LWEA)

The Lakeshore Wind Ensemble Association (LWEA) was formed in 1987 to support the Lakeshore Wind Ensemble (LWE) and Lakeshore Big Band (LBB). The LWEA consists of volunteer board members and two paid support staff, which support the day-to-day operations of the band. The LWEA raises money and provides funds for guest soloists, concert operations, and scholarships to talented young musicians in both the LWE and LBB.

Thank you to our generous donors for aiding in the mission of the LWEA, which is to enrich the musical arts in the lakeshore community through scholarship programs, youth and community outreach and live performances. The LWEA has awarded over $87,000 in scholarships to student musicians since 1988!

The LWEA sponsors three scholarship and award programs:

• The Arendt Family Talentship program annually recognizes undergraduate musicians that are members of the Lakeshore Wind Ensemble with an academic scholarship and is dependent on GPA and musical ability. You can view more info on our website: www.uwgb.edu/lakeshore-wind-ensemble/talentship-award/overview/.

• The LWEA Young Artist Competition is held biennially and is a scholarship competition which encourages and promotes talented high school and college musicians. Many of our Young Artist Competition award winners have pursued careers in music as professional musicians, music teachers and professors of music. You can view photos and info of past award recipients and details on upcoming scholarship deadlines on our website: www.uwgb.edu/lakeshore-wind-ensemble/young-artist-competition/entry-details/.

• The Wesley Teply Community Service Award in the Arts serves to recognize people who have substantially contributed to the arts in the greater Manitowoc area. This award is presented annually. You can view the history of the award and past recipients on our website: www.uwgb.edu/lakeshore-wind-ensemble/teply-award/.

This season marks an exciting milestone for our organization – the LWEA is hiring a new Lakeshore Wind Ensemble Music Director & Conductor. As part of this process, we have selected four well qualified finalists to conduct a concert during LWE’s 2021-2022 concert season: Dr. Michael Butler, Director of Bands, UW-Stevens Point; Joel Ungemach, Band and Chorus Director, Manitowoc Lutheran High School; Sal Terrasi, Director of Instrumental Music, Cardinal Stritch University; and Jeremiah Eis, Band Director, Xavier Middle School. You can expect an entertaining season showcasing the best of the best at each concert! After the conclusion of the season, one of these individuals will be chosen as the new Lakeshore Wind Ensemble Music Director & Conductor!

The Lakeshore Wind Ensemble was founded in 1983 by late Professor Emeritus Michael J. Arendt and plays a full spectrum of music from symphonic band literature, including dramatic classical works, rousing marches, swinging big band tunes, and lyrical ballads. Members are comprised of both community members and UW-Green Bay, Manitowoc Campus students. We have members of the band whose time with us has spanned five decades and some multigenerational families with grandparent, adult children and grandchildren all playing in the band! The LWE performs five concerts a season (October-May) at the historic Capitol Civic Centre in downtown Manitowoc, WI.



The Lakeshore Big Band was started in 1990 as an offshoot of the band due to the popularity of Big Band music. Professional musician and performer Paul Sucherman is the LBB Conductor and Music Director. You can read his full bio here. The LBB performs three concerts a year in November, January with the LWE, and lastly in April.

Check out our Concerts page for Lakeshore Wind Ensemble and Lakeshore Big Band concert descriptions and info on how to purchase tickets. View past concerts on the Lakeshore Wind Ensemble YouTube page: LWEConcerts and stay connected on our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/LakeshoreWindEnsemble.