About us
Formed in 1981 and based in the Waterloo Region, the Wellington Wind Symphony is a concert band of some of Central Ontario’s finest musicians. Many are performing professionals or are music educators.
We have had two names over the years:
1981 – 2015: Wellington Winds
2015 – present: Wellington Wind Symphony
Find here a collection of Concert Programs from the Wellington Wind’s many years of successful music making.
Previous Conductors
Dave Davidson
Founding Conductor
1981-1986
Since graduating from the University of Western Ontario, Dave has pursued an active freelance career. Currently, he conducts the Kitchener Musical Society Band and the New Horizons band of Guelph and has also performed in or conducted many local musicals. A long time music educator, he is in demand as a guest conductor and clinician.
Dave has a performance history with many groups, including Brassroots, Windjammers, and the Slide by Slide Trombone Quartet. Dave freelances, teaches and pursues the solo repertoire for trombone.
Michael Purves-Smith
Artistic Director 1986-2009
Music Director Michael Purves Smith was a member of the Faculty of Music at Wilfrid Laurier University where he directed the University Wind Ensemble and the baroque programme. Well known as a conductor, adjudicator, composer, arranger and performer, he brought a deep commitment to the development of fine community music-making. He is remembered with fondness by all who knew him.
Daniel Warren
Artistic Director 2009-2019
Daniel Warren served as Resident Conductor of the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony for fourteen years and, more recently, as Creative Advisor and conductor for Orchestra London Canada. For the past twelve years he has been conducting at the Westben Arts Festival Theatre in performances of opera, choral and orchestral programs.
Andrew Chung
Artistic Director 2019-2023
Appointed Music Director of the Wellington Wind Symphony in 2019, Andrew Chung also serves as Music Director of the Counterpoint Community Orchestra, Silverthorn Symphonic Winds, and the Mississauga Pops Concert Band. While attending the University of Toronto, he was appointed Music Director of the Pickering Philharmonic Orchestra and Assistant Conductor of the University of Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Andrew has also served as Music Assistant at Opera Mississauga. He has guest conducted the Hart House Orchestra, the North York Concert Orchestra, the Toronto Philharmonia, Korean Canadian Symphony Orchestra, Northdale Concert Band, the Toronto Chinese Youth Orchestra, the Mississauga Youth Orchestra, the Toronto Youth Wind Orchestra, the Hong Kong Symphonic Band, the Hong Kong Youth Symphonic Band and the Hong Kong Chamber Wind Philharmonia.
As an orchestral musician, Mr. Chung served as the principal trumpet with the Hong Kong Chamber Orchestra, the Hong Kong Youth Symphony, the Asian Youth Orchestra (under the direction of Yehudi Menuhin and Alexander Schneider) and the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra. He made his solo debut with the Mooredale Festival Orchestra.
Mr. Chung attended the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, the University of Hong Kong, the University of Toronto and the University of Freiburg, Germany. His trumpet teachers include Stephen Chenette, Robert Nagel, Henry Nowak, Jeffrey Reynolds and Larry Weeks. He also studied privately with Arnold Jacobs and Murray Crewe. A scholarship from the Centre d’Arts Orford allowed him to study conducting with Raffi Armenian and Agnes Grossman. He has also participated in the Conductors Apprentice Program with the Huntsville Festival of the Arts Orchestra. His other conducting teachers include Dwight Bennett, Tak-Ng Lai and Kerry Stratton.
