Nicky Haskins
Staff Photographer
The San Antonio Community Wind Ensemble performed orchestral works written for stringed instruments without using any string instruments during a concert Feb. 8 at Texas A&M University–San Antonio.
“Traditionally, we don’t clap in between each movement, but we’re not traditional,” said Albert Aguilar, the ensemble’s musical director and conductor.
The group’s performance, called No Strings Attached, was a compilation of orchestral pieces made for stringed instruments. The ensemble consisted of woodwinds, brass and some percussion.
The group was not made up of A&M-San Antonio students, but mostly band directors, said French Horn section leader Noe Loreda. The ensemble is mainly community-based and conducted its advertising on social media since they are not student-affiliated with the university.
Rey Calderon, a French horn player and music education sophomore at Palo Alto College, joined the group through social media. While there are a lot of band directors in the ensemble, there are also students who created a lot of connections, Calderon said.
The group often uses A&M-San Antonio’s auditorium for performances and rehearsals, but also performs at events throughout the community, including The Family Film Series previously at the Mission Marquee Plaza on Nov. 15, 2025.
Their next performance, Stage and Screen Spectacular, will be at 2:30 p.m. March 29 in the auditorium at A&M-San Antonio. All performances are free to the public. More information can be found here.
