The Wisconsin Wind Orchestra was established in 1995 and became the resident professional ensemble of Carroll University in 1998. The group features some of the finest musicians in southeast Wisconsin, many of whom are on the applied music faculty at Carroll University, and is recognized as one of the only ensembles of its kind in the world. The ensemble builds on the tradition of musical excellence found in major symphony orchestras, the innovation of wind groups such as the Eastman Wind Ensemble and Netherlands Wind Ensemble and the technical versatility of the premier military bands. The Wisconsin Wind Orchestra is a fully professional ensemble, paying each of its members and soloists for each service through funds provided by Carroll College and private donors.  These are people who have performed regularly with the Midwest's top music ensembles, including the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Milwaukee Ballet Orchestra, Florentine and Skylight Opera Companies, Present Music, the Madison and Concord Chamber Orchestras, and many others.



The performance repertoire spans a wide range of works, all written by master composers from Mozart and Haydn, to Mendelssohn, Grainger and Varese. The instrumentation varies according to the demands of the particular repertoire, resulting in eight to more than forty players playing in a given concert. The Wind Orchestra is also committed to the support of living composers and often programs new music that is accessible for audiences and rewarding for the performers.



In 2002, the Wisconsin Wind Orchestra embarked on a European concert tour, where it was the featured ensemble on a live radio broadcast from the famed Amsterdam Concertgebouw, home of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.