a friendly community band which has been performing in Bristol for over 30 years. It is now under the direction of Rainer Dolz. The band performs regularly at venues throughout Bristol and beyond. It performs both formal and informal concerts in venues as diverse as the Colston Hall and park gigs in the summer.
The group of bands associated with Bristol Concert Wind Band comprises:
- Bristol Concert Wind Band itself. We have just appointed a new Musical Director - Rainer Dolz, the assistant MD and Principal Clarinet is Nicola Ware who has also led the band very successfully for a year as acting MD.
- An Intermediate Band - Untrained Melodies, conducted by Nicola Ware.
- Two beginners classes which start in alternate years and run for two years, run by Derek Brown and Rob Bartlett.
- Swing's Cool, a monthly Swing Band class.
History
Bristol Concert Wind Band started as an evening class within the local authority education system and became an identifiable band in about 1980. A few years later a second evening class was added with a standard somewhat lower than the main band, and then a third, for complete beginners. These bands were imaginatively known as the "Wednesday Band", the "Monday Band" and the "Thursday Band" - the reason for these names is left as an exercise for the reader.
Over the following years, changes in funding arrangements for evening classes led to the bands leaving the education system and becoming fully independent organisations. All these bands have been extremely healthy, rehearsing every week and performing in public as often as possible - in "concert venues", in parks, and in other venues such as elderly persons clubs and shopping centres. We represented Bristol in the BBC coverage of the Queen's Golden Jubilee, and played in Anchor Square for the inaugural BBC Music Live.
For most of the history, the bands were conducted by Chris Harris, who now conducts the Westerly Showband.
Bristol Concert Wind Band and its Associated Bands are supported by Bristol Concert Wind Band Association, a Registered Charity.
