Est. 1988 · Marietta, Georgia
An all-adult symphonic band that redefines what a community band can do.
College students, software developers, air traffic controllers, first-year teachers, and retired music educators. All bound by one conviction: that music changes how we see the world.
“Music: Enjoyment for All Ages.”
38
years on stage, since a circle of music educators founded Tara Winds in Marietta in 1988.
$143,000+
awarded in scholarships to young musicians since the fund began, and counting.
13
invitations to the Georgia Music Educators Association In-Service Conference, more than any community band in the state's history.
3
performances at the Midwest Clinic, the world's foremost band conference, earned by audition.
5
composers commissioned to write original works for the band, from Julie Giroux to Christopher Kyle Green.
- Julie Giroux
- Samuel Hazo
- Robert Sheldon
- Luigi Zaninelli
- Christopher Kyle Green
2
performances on the Carnegie Hall stage, the first by the Clarinet Choir in 2022 and the second by the entire band in 2025.
The story
38 years of music-making.
Tara Winds is an all-adult symphonic band, founded in Marietta, Georgia in 1988, with members ranging from college students and first-year teachers to retired music educators. Its mission is to present the world's finest symphonic band music with passionate, engaging concerts at the highest professional standard, and to open doors for young aspiring musicians.
Recognized as one of the finest adult ensembles of its kind, Tara Winds has given invitational performances for regional and national conferences and premiered commissioned works including Julie Giroux's Just Flyin'! (2015), Luigi Zaninelli's Garden of Hope (2018) and Two Forbidden Fruits (2019), and Christopher Kyle Green's Shore of Tears (2026).
The band has carried its music far beyond Georgia: to Rome and across Italy, to Germany for its 30th anniversary, to the south of France, and, in 2025, to the stage of Carnegie Hall.
Performed under the batons of
Mark Camphouse · Quincy Hilliard · Francis McBeth · Steve Melillo · Ron Nelson · Robert Sheldon
Guest soloists
Jamey Aebersold · Julian Bliss · Vince DiMartino · Tom “Bones” Malone · Amy McCabe · Patrick Sheridan · Harry Watters · Cecil Welch · and many more
From Marietta to the world
On tour.
- 2005 Rome, Italy The band's first international tour, with highly acclaimed concerts in the Eternal City.
- 2008–2009 Rome · Sicily · Matera Return tours of Italy, performing alongside local Italian musicians.
- 2018 Rangendingen & Mannheim, Germany A 30th-anniversary tour with the Mannheimer Bläserphilharmonie.
- 2023 La Croix Valmer, France Festival des Anches d'Azur, on the Côte d'Azur.
Where we've played
A long way from a Marietta rehearsal room.
In Georgia
- GMEA In-Service Conference
- University of Georgia HS Music Festival, Athens
- Lassiter Concert Hall, Marietta
- Donald W. Nixon Centre
Across the country
- Carnegie Hall, New York
- Midwest Clinic, Chicago
- CBDNA/NBA Southern Division Convention
- University of Southern Mississippi
- University of Alabama
- Western International Band Conference, Seattle
Abroad
- Rome, Sicily & Matera, Italy
- Rangendingen & Mannheim, Germany
- La Croix Valmer, France