Timothy J. Holtan is a conductor who thrills and engages audiences on and off the stage. He is both charismatic and warm, and musicians respond to him with adrenaline-driven performances.

A Colonel recently retired from the United States Army, he has conducted all over the United States and the world and commanded all three of the Army’s premier bands; The United States Army Band in Washington, DC, Pershing’s Own, the U.S. Army Field Band at Ft. Meade, and the U.S. Military Academy Band at West Point. Among Col. Holtan’s many military awards, he is honored to have been awarded the Army Distinguished Service Medal.

Tim is an enthusiastic advocate for music education who is in demand as a guest conductor, clinician and adjudicator, and has presented in all 50 states, Canada, Japan, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Europe. He is the founder, with Sgt. Maj. (USA, Ret) Mark Bowling, of Maryland Winds.

Maryland Winds is a fully professional 50-member concert band (think wind orchestra) based in Howard County, Maryland. It performs highly acclaimed public concerts, delivering music at the highest levels of skill. Having already performed in Howard and Carroll Counties, the ensemble looks to expand its presence across Maryland and the Mid-Atlantic Region. Maryland Winds Is proud of its formal partnership with the Howard County Public School System and collaborates with high schools for clinics and side-by-side performances. The first concert was at Atholton High School, April 8, 2018.

Maryland Winds exists to bring world-class wind band music to the residents of Maryland, to engage and assist music teachers and their students, and to provide an opportunity for professional musicians to dive deeply into great repertoire.

Maryland Winds has performed at Atholton High School, Glenelg High School, Reservoir Hill High School, South Carroll High School, Howard High School, Liberty High School, Oakland Mills High School, Morgan State University, the University of Maryland-Baltimore County, and at Lake Kittamaqundi for the Columbia Festival of the Arts. Discussions are underway for performances in Montgpomery County.

Yes. The performers in Maryland Winds are professionally trained musicians who are graduates of accredited music schools and conservatories. Membership comprises active duty and former military musicians, current and former school band directors, university faculty, and freelancers from across Maryland, Virginia, DC, and Delaware. All are compensated for their work as musicians and it is a goal of Maryland Winds to increase the compensation to levels expected by the American Federation of Musicians.

Maryland Winds expenses include musician compensation for its professional performers and production costs such as printing, marketing, printed music, equipment rental, and dues and fees.

Individual donors and door ticket sales are the primary sources of income. The Howard County Arts Council and the Maryland State Arts Council have both awarded grants according to their respective guidelines. (Please thank your local and state legislators for funding the HCAC and MSAC so they can support visual and performing arts in our communities.) Some concerts, such as those at the Chrysalis and for the Columbia Festival of the Arts, are offered without charge to the audiences, limiting the earning of ticket income.

Maryland Winds has operated at under $20,000 per year in its beginning three years. To be able to pay its professional musicians appropriately, a budget of approximately $25,000 per concert is needed.

The founding Executive Director was Mark Bowling who worked tirelessly for three years to bring Maryland Winds to life. When he stepped down, Mr. Mark Eisenhower was the unanimous board choice to serve as the next Executive Director. Mark is an active bass trombonist, clinician, and guest conductor who retired recently after 32 years as the highly regarded Director of Bands at Magruder High School in Montgomery County, MD, and was a Maryland Winds musician from our inception.

Maryland Winds is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors, all of whom donate financially. All of the current staff, including a webmaster, bookkeeper, graphic designer, equipment manager, technical director, education director, operations director, artistic director, and executive director, are also volunteers.

Yes. Donations to the organization are tax deductible to the extent of the law.