A Little Travelin' Music Please!

Gail A. Brechting, Conductor & Artistic Director

Gail is in her thirtieth year as the conductor of the award-winning West Michigan Concert WINDS.  Under her direction, the WINDS received the John Phillip Sousa Foundation’s Sudler Silver Scroll Award, America’s most prestigious community concert band award.  She has organized five international tours with the WINDS, most recently to Scotland and Ireland. She has had the privilege of conducting the WINDS in Chicago’s Symphony Hall, as well as the historic Carnegie Hall in New York City.   Before becoming conductor, Mrs. Brechting was principal trombone with the WINDS and performed with many area music ensembles including the Traverse City Symphony, the Lansing Concert Band, The Lake Effect Brass, and the West Shore Symphony.  She has just returned from the 2025 European Tour as conductor of the Lifelong Arts International Community Band with Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp.

From 1996-1999 Mrs. Brechting represented MSBOA as the State Representative for the Michigan Youth Arts Festival.  For over forty years, she has been an active district and state level adjudicator for low brass, band and orchestras as well as teaching private trombone and tuba lessons to students of all ages.

Mrs. Brechting is the 2019 & 2022 recipient of the Harry Begian Conductor Scholar Award, through Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp. She has been the guest conductor with the Acadia Winds in Louisiana, Hot Springs Community Band in Arkansas, was the featured conductor with the Louisiana MS Honors Band.  She has also had the honor to be a guest clinician and conductor with the Winter Park High School in Florida, the 2024 All-New England Band Festival, New Hampshire, and the 2024 Three Rivers Honor Band of Purdue University Ft. Wayne.

Mrs. Brechting is the Past President of the Association of Concert Bands, an international organization serving adult community bands, serving two previous terms on their board of directors. She is the Lifelong Arts Program Director with Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, serving since 2019.  Gail conducted the Blue Lake International Community Band the Summer of 2025 on a four country European tour. She is an Associate member of the American Bandmasters Association, a member of the National Band Association, an Emeritus member of Michigan School Band and Orchestra Association, P.E.O. and the Women Band Directors International.  She was the first woman selected by the John Philip Sousa Foundation to serve on the Sudler Silver Scroll Award selection committee, and is presently the chairwoman.   She holds a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Central Michigan University and a Master of Arts degree from Western Michigan University.  Mrs. Brechting is a past music faculty member of Muskegon Community College. She retired in 2019, after a 40-year public school music education career, 34 of those with the Reeths-Puffer Schools in Muskegon, MI.  In her spare time, she trains to compete as a US Masters swimmer, loves to play golf and travel.

Mrs. Brechting lives in Spring Lake with her engineer/pianist husband Frank.  Their daughter Annelise, is a Physician Assistant in Greenville, SC.