The JMU Wind Symphony, under the direction of Dr. Christopher Cicconi, is the premier woodwind, brass, and percussion ensemble at James Madison University. With an active performance schedule, the Wind Symphony is committed to performing the great works of the wind band’s core repertoire while also exploring the best of contemporary composition. The ensemble has hosted on-campus residencies with composers David Maslanka, John Mackey, Michael Daugherty, Joel Puckett, Steven Bryant, Donald Grantham, and JMU alumnus Brian Balmages. The ensemble has also presented premieres of faculty composers Jason Haney (Jetpack) and Eric Guinivan (Vicious Cycle), and consortium premiers of Maslanka’s Symphony No. 8, Puckett’s The Shadows of Sirius, Grantham’s Tuba Concerto, Turrin’s The Sounding of the Call, Stamp’s Divertimento, Plog’s Concerto 2010, and Balmages’ Portraits in Bluestone. As part of JMU’s annual Contemporary Music Festival, students have collaborated with composers such as Karel Husa, Joseph Schwantner, Don Freund, Donald Erb, John Harbison, Francis McBeth, Mark Camphouse, Samuel Adler, and Viet Cuong. 

In addition to on-campus concerts, the Wind Symphony performed for the 2015 National Conference of the College Band Directors National Association (CBDNA) in Nashville, TN, the 2025 CBDNA Southern Division Conference in Tampa, FL, and the VMEA In-Service Conferences in 2022, 2015, and 2011. Throughout its tenure, the Wind Symphony has also previously performed at CBDNA regional conventions in New Orleans, Charlotte, Williamsburg, and Greensboro. Graduates of the Wind Symphony hold positions in several of the Washington-based military bands, military post bands, and symphony orchestras throughout the world, and numerous graduates are serving as noted educators and conductors throughout the country.