About Us

The Whitehouse Wind Symphony was founded by conductor emeritus Casey Bork in 1996, and is now under the direction of James P. Sheeley, Jr. Since its founding, the Symphony has grown rapidly, attracting experienced musicians as regular members from all over New Jersey, as well as New York City and eastern Pennsylvania. The group is now comprised of approximately 50 amateur and professional musicians who perform together regularly to enthusiastic audiences throughout Central and Northern New Jersey.

The Symphony is dedicated to presenting the best in all varieties of wind band literature, especially pieces written or arranged for bands during the first half of the 20th century, widely recognized as the "Golden Era" of concert bands in America. The Symphony's repertoire also includes popular tunes, Broadway show scores, marches from around the world, and selections written for and exclusively performed by the ensemble. On many occasions, the Symphony has performed selections written expressly for the band by current band members.

Whitehouse Wind Symphony concerts are developed around a mix of themes that both challenges the audience as well as the players. The annual children's concert and holiday concert series are two of the most highly anticipated events presented by the Symphony. Over the past few years, the Symphony has performed in Basking Ridge, Branchburg, Clinton, Flemington, Ringoes, Somerville, and the Whitehouse / Whitehouse Station sections of Readington.

The Whitehouse Wind Symphony is a member of the Association of Concert Bands.

Our Director

James P. Sheeley, Jr. graduated from Mansfield State College with a BS in Music Education, Instrumental Music concentration. He received an MS in Music with an Instrumental Conducting emphasis from Mansfield University and an MS in Educational Leadership from The College of New Jersey.

Jim has been in the education field for 43 years and is currently the CEO of the Laurel Education Group. The Laurel Education Group encompasses: The Newgrange School, a state-approved special education school for students with Dyslexia, Dyspraxia and Autism; The Laurel School, an independent school for students with learning differences; and The Robinowitz Education Center, a training facility for teachers.

Prior to coming to the Laurel Education Group, Jim served as a High School Band Director and Arts Administrator. Jim’s marching, concert, and Jazz bands received recognition at the local, regional and national levels. Many of Jim’s former students have followed in his footsteps and have become music teachers.

A trombonist, Jim regularly performs with local and regional jazz and concert bands. Jim has performed at The John F Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, The New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Newark Symphony Hall and many local churches as a member of a brass quartet. He has performed with Urbie Green, Howard Johnson and studied with Richard Chamberlain from the Buddy Rich and Chuck Mangione Big Bands.