Bill Schmidt
Bill Schmidt is a lifelong resident of Indianapolis, Indiana. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Land Surveying, a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering and a Master of Science in Structural Engineering from Purdue University. He continued his education in music and attended Butler University, where he earned a Master of Music in Performance on tuba. Bill has played in many groups over his musical career. His orchestral music career includes principal tuba in the Anderson Symphony Orchestra for 26 years, plus performing in many other central Indiana orchestras. His wind band and brass band career includes several local wind and brass bands. He is principal tuba in the Indiana Wind Symphony, and he has performed with Bend in the River, Cincinnati, Crossroads, and Chicago Brass bands. Bill was a founding member of the Circle City Sidewalk Stompers Clown Band. There, he played tenor saxophone and was the musical director during his 18 years with the group. He founded and has been the musical director of the Starry Knights Big Band for 44 years. Bill is also the founder, director, and tubist in the Basement Brass Quintet. The group has been performing at weddings, festivals, graduation ceremonies, and private parties, all in the Indianapolis, area since 1997. Most recently, he founded his own British-style brass band, the Hoosier Brass Band, in June 2022, and is its musical director.
