Meet the director behind Middle Tennessee's most unique ensemble and see what makes this woodwind orchestra one-of-a-kind. Thanks for reading our monthly newsletter!

The Middle Tennessee Woodwind Orchestra

Love Learning Music is proud to serve as the nonprofit fiscal sponsor for the Middle Tennessee Woodwind Orchestra (MTWO) and its founder and conductor, Logan Barrett. Logan has been teaching with Love Learning Music since 2022, and we've loved supporting him in making a growing impact on our community through MTWO and teaching. We wanted to spotlight the hard work of Logan and everyone involved with MTWO. Also, we are formally introducing you to this unique community orchestra, so everyone has the opportunity to learn more or get involved. Check out our interview with Logan below!

What is the story behind the Middle Tennessee Woodwind Orchestra?

I founded the MTWO at the end of 2022 originally as the Middle Tennessee Wind Orchestra in Murfreesboro, including woodwinds, brass, and percussion. I was lucky to already be working for Love Learning Music as a private lessons instructor, and when I brought the idea to create an ensemble to John and Kaitlyn, they were excited to help make it happen through LLM as our nonprofit fiscal sponsor. My intention was to create a space where I could continue honing my conducting skills after graduating from MTSU with my masters in Instrumental Conducting that spring. I didn’t realize I would learn far more than how to just put music together! Through collaboration with some friends and alumni of MTSU, as well as others from around the community, I grew very quickly as an organizer and networker. It became obvious that we really had something when we had over 30 musicians from around the community perform at our first concert at First Presbyterian Church off the Square, next to the old Murfreesboro Library. We had a huge turnout and a potluck after the performance!

That summer, we had the privilege of performing a chamber music concert at the historic Oaklands Mansion in Murfreesboro, and were invited the next May to provide a woodwind quintet for their annual Free Day. This was especially exciting for me, as I used to go on walks around the Mansion grounds as a kid and started this activity back up after grad school (OM is an arboretum, or a tree sanctuary, with beautiful grounds). We had a great performance and attendance here, too! That fall, however, it was nearly impossible to recruit percussion and brass players because of marching band season. So, in a pivotal moment, I decided to go back to my roots from high school and have a cycle of woodwind choir music instead, with a couple of still-available-from-last-cycle brass players covering parts we couldn’t recruit otherwise. The woodwind choir/orchestra generally consists of families of flutes, oboes, clarinets, bassoons, and saxophones.

This is when I discovered the small but growing world of woodwind orchestra music, after hearing Twisted Skyscape and Chromosphere, albums exclusively of original large ensemble woodwind music by British composers. This record was produced and conducted by Shea Lolin with the Czech Philharmonic Wind Ensemble. Once I knew that great and thoughtful music for this type of ensemble existed, rather than just arrangements of other original music, I quickly got to work in changing things around and moving fully in this direction. I reached out to Shea, bought his albums and some other publications, and quickly became long-distance friends and colleagues. I look forward to their release of a new album of chamber music arrangements in 2026!

Since then, we have moved our central location to the Nashville area and have enjoyed performing at St. David’s Episcopal Church, Nashville State Community College, and James Lawson High School in October. In April of 2024 (with the help of LLM), we received the Special Opportunities: Arts Engage grant from the Tennessee Arts Commission to produce our spring concert, entitled “Dances by Lamplight”. We were invited the next year to perform at Nashville State Community College, where we premiered an arrangement of music from the Tim Burton film Edward Scissorhands in the fall, and two newly commissioned works for woodwind orchestra by Chris Evan Hass and Kevin Krumenauer in the spring. I worked very hard that summer to create a consortium of other ensembles interested in being a part of the commissions, and am very proud to say we had nine schools/ensembles/individuals involved, including: MTSU, Columbia University (NY), Northern Colorado University, Monmouth College (IL), Grand Valley State University (MI), the High Plains Woodwinds (SD), the Cleveland Youth Wind Symphony, and several members and family members of the MTWO. Shea even pitched in as well! 

This cycle, I am excited to bring a program of living American composers to the community, at none other than my place of work, James Lawson High School. We have recently created the first official board for the MTWO, consisting of members of the ensemble with extramusical strengths.  It’s an honor and a privilege to work with these wonderful people and to bring this music to the community in such a wonderful space, and I'm looking forward to our future!

How can people get involved with MTWO?

We are always looking for help at concerts, especially with handing out programs and greeters, and stagehands. At this time, we have sound, video, and graphics covered by board members, but we’re always open to more collaboration and connections within the Middle Tennessee community. We are also looking to create a new and improved website. However, what we’re really looking for are sponsors and outreach opportunities!

What are the requirements to join the orchestra? What’s the process like?

Participation in the MTWO is open to all members of the community with an audition. Member recommendations and connections carry a lot of weight as well when making personnel decisions. Maturity, availability, and reliability are also big factors. We perform a high caliber of music that requires mental stamina and plenty of ensemble performance experience - keep in mind that we are playing the entire time, there is no brass or percussion to give breaks!

Generally, the audition requirements are simply to send us contrasting recordings that are representative of your best playing, and as the conductor and director, I make a decision from there. We usually have around 22 or so in the group, covering all woodwind families (flutes, oboes, clarinets, bassoons, saxes), with piano and percussion joining occasionally, when necessary.

What is the vision for MTWO for the next couple of years?

I’m always thinking of the next thing, so I love this question. As mentioned in a previous answer, we are performing a concert exclusively of living American composers. We will be recording the concert as part of a larger project, where we will essentially mirror Shea’s work in Europe but with American composers instead of British (American indeed). Our concert, plus some upcoming studio time with more American pieces in our library, will be the groundwork for this album of music. Shea has offered to produce this album, once we’re ready, through MasterTrack, the production company he runs in London, which is more than I could ever ask for. 

Further down the line, we will be looking into video game music. I was greatly inspired to go in this direction after seeing the GameSymphonic concert with Eimear Noone and the Nashville Symphony earlier this fall. I am already in contact with arrangers, and members of the ensemble have already excitedly begun offering their services. There’s so much potential here - who doesn’t love video game music? We will also hopefully be picking back up on fundraising in the future for previous commissions for original works we were not able to fully commit to at the time, such as with composers Aakash Mittal and Randall Standridge.

And even farther down the line, I hope to one day organize international performances and exchange trips with the group. Many of us have been a part of such trips (separate from the MTWO) in the past, such as to Costa Rica and more recently to China, through our own organization and financial means. I see a trip to London or Prague to meet the musicians who inspired it all is in our future!

How can people get in touch with MTWO?

People can get in touch by emailing us at [email protected], and you can also text or call me directly at (615) 574-0076. I respond more quickly to texts!

You can also follow us on Instagram @midtnwworchestra, Facebook, and subscribe to our YouTube channel, where you can view all of our previous performances and growth as an ensemble over the last few years. We are currently working on revamping our website as well.

Interested in seeing the Middle Tennessee Woodwind Orchestra in concert? Their Fall concert is Thursday, October 2 at 7:30 PM at the James Lawson High School auditorium.

The concert is FREE and open to the public!

Thank you for reading our newsletter! Please contact us to find out more about our organization, get plugged into volunteer opportunities, or to make a donation!

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