MBI Winds is set to kick the 2026 season off on Saturday, November 1st from 9a-4p in Dinkytown. We have openings in all sections, so we encourage interested members to register today!
As is part of the Minnesota Brass tradition, MBI Winds is an independent group and is open to all ages. As part of the WGI Winds division, it’s open to all instrument. If you have marching experience and play any of these instruments, we want to hear from you!
Read MoreWe get a lot of questions about how we “AMPED!” our hornline for the 2025 MBI Winds show. Here’s an inside look at our technical journey when searching for those tones…
This experiment started in the 2024 season at one rehearsal spot – a church that has a bunch of guitar amps. We discovered a product called PiezoBarrel and I bought one to try out. Originally designed for clarinet (hence the name), this piezoelectric pickup works by picking up sound from the inside of the instrument. For clarinet, they sell a pre-fabbed barrel that has the pickup adapter pre-installed. Sabrina, our clarinetist, provided some wild examples of what it would sound like with generated harmonies from a Boss PS-6 Harmonist pedal.
MBI Winds is set to kick the 2025 season off on Saturday, November 2nd from 9a-3p in Dinkytown. We still have openings in most sections, so we encourage interested members to register today!
As is part of the Minnesota Brass tradition, MBI Winds is an independent group and is open to all ages. If you have marching experience and play any of these instruments, we want to hear from you!
Read More
The 2nd season of MBI Winds kicks-off Saturdays in November at University Baptist Church in Dinkytown.
As is part of the Minnesota Brass tradition, MBI Winds is an independent group and is open to all ages. If you have marching experience and play any of these instruments, we want to hear from you!
Read MoreThe season kicked off with a bang at the Premiere show when MBI performers came onto the floor veiled in yellow raincoats. They took them off to reveal a full Pennywise costume from IT. The theme was hugely popular, and the guard produced a “Who is IT?” post to showcase performers who you wouldn’t otherwise recognize in their costumes & makeup. MBI Winter Guard finished 19th in Independent Open at Dayton, Ohio.
Celebrating its 15th year in 2023, MBI Indoor Percussion competed both locally and nationally. The season culminated with MBI being a WGI Semi-Finalist in Dayton, OH and placing 17th in Percussion Independent World (PIW) competition – MBI’s highest placement in a decade. The 2023 production was titled “Fade to Black” and featured the ensemble fading in and out of both visual and musical textures ending as the members literally fading away and disappearing into the all-black set pieces. “Hang my head, drown my fear, til they all just disappear.” This lyrics were heard in the last moments of the show as MBI played “Black Hole Sun” by Soundgarden.
“Hello!” was the perfect introduction for the debut of our new WGI Winds ensemble. 20 talented horn players came together to create a vibrant program that entertained audiences. The initial season definitely opened new doors for the growing WGI Winds class, especially at home in Minnesota. MBI Winds finished in 4th place in Independent Open in Dayton, Ohio.
Thanks again to all who donated to our winter ensembles. Minnesota Brass is committed to providing a quality performance experience to our members while trying to reduce costs as much as possible. We couldn’t do it without you!
This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.
