About the Buffalo Wind Symphony

Director

Amy J. Steiner

A native of Eden, NY and 2-time Grammy Nominated Music Educator, Ms. Amy J. Steiner attended SUNY Fredonia School of Music earning a Bachelor of Music Education degree and a Masters in Music Education with an emphasis in Conducting. Amy studied under conductors Dr. Russell Mikkelson, Dr. Richard Larson, and Dr. Paula Holcomb. On her bassoon, Ms. Steiner has performed with the Erie Philharmonic, Erie Chamber Players, Cheektowaga Symphony, Erie County Wind Ensemble, Amherst Chamber Ensembles, and various other groups throughout Western New York. Amy is currently co-founder, music director and conductor of the Buffalo Wind Symphony (formerly Buffalo Niagara Concert Band), which is a recipient of the coveted Sudler Silver Scroll Award in 2018.

A sought-after guest conductor and clinician around Western New York and beyond, Ms. Steiner’s career as a Public School Band Director started in the fall of 1996, in the City of Buffalo. Throughout her career, Amy has earned several awards, was recognized as a pilot program for VH-1 Save the Music, instituted a district-wide yearly Music Camp that served over 400 students yearly, conducted the All City Band, partnered with local Jazz Artist Mark Filsinger and established the All City Jazz Program, and currently runs the Music Program at McKinley High School. Ms. Steiner also initiated several community projects including “Arts Day”, “Summer Music Camp”, a community outreach program for Buffalo Wind Symphony members and Buffalo Public School students and coordinated the “Extreme Makeover” Home Edition Food Drive Challenge, where she and her team broke the national volume record of food raised. Ms. Steiner was founder of “forGOT music?”, a movement to save the instrumental music programs in the Buffalo Public Schools. Through the “forGOT music?” movement, the Buffalo Public schools have restored instrumental music programs in the City.  She also was co-founder and manager of “Southtowns Pride”, an elite travel boys travel baseball team. Amy’s many achievements do not go un-noticed. In 2006 and 2007 she was recognized by “Who’s Who Among American Teachers”, in 2010, she received a Forty Under 40 Award from Business First, in 2017 named Western New York Instrumental Music Teacher of the Year through Buffalo State College, in 2015, Amy was placed as a quarter-finalist for the Grammy’s Music Educator Award, and in 2017, she was placed as semi-finalist for the award. In 2018 Amy was one of 5 Music Educators Worldwide to be recognized by “Be Part of the Music” Program at the Midwest Clinic in Chicago. Ms. Steiner’s work has been published in several journals, most recently her career highlights within the Buffalo Public Schools was highlighted in Panoramic Magazine.

Ms. Steiner’s conducting career started in 2000 with the Sikora Post Community Band in Tonawanda, NY. 2002 saw Amy become co-founder and conductor of the Niagara Frontier Concert Band in the city of Buffalo. Under her direction, the new ensemble secured first runner-up at the New York State Legion Convention in 2004. In 2008, Ms. Steiner sought to expand the NFCB, and started collaborations with another local community band. A remarkable joint concert of the two groups solidified the union and in 2009, the Buffalo Niagara Concert Band (now Buffalo Wind Symphony) was formed, where Amy currently is co-founder, music director and conductor. Under her baton, the Buffalo Wind Symphony has performed in venues across Western New York, Lake George, and was chosen to perform at the Association of Concert Bands (ACB) National convention in Pennsylvania. Amy and her BWS team hosted the ACB National Music Conference in May of 2018 and added an Educational Outreach component to the convention, inviting High School Bands across NYS to participate and experience the value of Community Bands across the U.S. Under Ms. Steiner’s baton, the BWS became the first band in NYS to receive the prestigious “Sousa Sudler Silver Scroll Award”, putting the Buffalo Wind Symphony on the map nationally as one of America’s finest community bands. Amy has also guest conducted several ensembles in the area, including Amherst Chamber Ensembles, ECMEA CCMEA, and GMEA All-County, and was a finalist as conductor of the Cheektowaga Symphony Orchestra. In 2018, Amy and the BWS hosted the 40 the National Association of Concert Bands Convention in Buffalo, NY.

In her free time, Amy enjoys being a mom of her three children, Gavin Liam, London Gabrielle, and Lucas Kennan. Amy and her partner, Craig J. Erhard, live in Kenmore, NY, where she also enjoys real estate, gardening, cooking, traveling, collecting artwork, and reading.

Associate Director

Paul M. Furlong

Mr. Paul M. Furlong, a Western New York native, holds BFA and MFA degrees in Music Education from SUNY at Buffalo.

He taught instrumental music in the Kenmore-Tonawanda schools and the Lewiston-Porter schools prior to moving to a position as director of the Junior High and Symphonic Bands at Eden Central Schools. He retired from Eden as department chair and as director of the Junior High Band and High School Wind Ensemble.

He has studied oboe with Ronald Richards, Rodney Pierce, and Nora Post and bassoon with Darlene Jussila.

Mr. Furlong is principal bassoonist of the Cheektowaga Community Symphony Orchestra, the Orchard Park Symphony, and the Erie County Wind Ensemble. As a bassoonist, he is a founding member of the Metropolitan Woodwind Quintet, the “Reed My Lips” Double Reed Ensemble, BSNQ (a bassoon quartet/quintet), and is a free-lance bassoonist and contrabassoonist. He also founded Clarinets Unleashed!, a clarinet ensemble, where he plays the contrabass clarinet. He was principal bassoonist with the American Legion Band of the Tonawanda’s Post 264 for 41 years.

He has served as guest conductor of the Post 264 American Legion Band, Hamburg Village Band, the Amherst Chamber Ensembles, substitute conductor for BNCB, and as an All-County director in Niagara County. In 2017 he was appointed as Associate Conductor with BNCB.

He is the current president of the Erie County Wind Ensemble, personnel manager of the Orchard Park Symphony and BNCB, and president of the Buffalo Niagara Concert Band where he performs on low reeds.

Professional affiliations include the National Association for Music Education and New York State School Music Association (NAfME/NYSSMA), the American Federation of Musicians, and the International Double Reed Society. He is also a NYSSMA certified All-State Woodwind Adjudicator. He has served as Festival Administrator for the Erie County Music Educators Association.

He has been bassoon soloist with BNCB, the American Legion Band, the Cheektowaga Community Symphony, the Erie County Wind Ensemble, Hamburg Village Band, and Orchard Park Symphony in addition to contrabassoon soloist with the Hamburg Village Band and Buffalo Niagara Band. He has performed professionally on bassoon and contrabassoon with the Erie (PA) Philharmonic and Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestras. In November 2013, he performed the premiere of his own wind band arrangement of the first movement of Stephen Frost’s Bassoon Concerto with the Buffalo Niagara Concert Band and performed it again at the Association of Concert Bands National Convention in Allentown, PA in March 2014.