THE WAUNAKEE COMMUNITY BAND
 |
About the Waunakee Community Band CELEBRATING 26 CONTINUOUS YEAR OF PROVIDING MUSIC ENJOYMENT AND ENRICHMENT TO THE PERFORMERS AND THE COMMUNITY AND BEYOND. The Waunakee Community Band (WCB) was founded in 1985 . The WCB is primarily a summer band, with rehearsals starting in March and the concert season from June through August. In addition, a Holiday Concert or Winter Concert is presented every other year and the band participates in local celebrations throughout the year. The band is directed by its founder Janet M. Tweed. Mrs. Tweed was an instrumental music instructor in the Waunakee Community Schools from 1969 through 1993 and was a Program Associate with the Wisconsin School Music Association for eleven years following retirement. The band has grown from the 30 original members to a membership of between 90 and 100 members. Musicians from all ages are encouraged to participate. In the 2010 concert series, the youngest player was 13 and the oldest was 80. Families are encouraged to participate, and the membership includes many whole and partial families. The band is a completely volunteer group. No one is paid to play in the band, and the conductor is also a volunteer position. The band considers itself a service organization in and for the village of Waunakee and surrounding communities. Support for the group comes from donations from clubs, businesses and professional people in the community, as well as money from concerts in surrounding communities. In 1987, three civic groups in Waunakee built a "Gazebo" for the band in one of the village's parks. This is where the band presents its concerts during the summer months. It is a natural setting, and a beautiful place to perform and to listen. The concerts are attended by from 300-500 people each time. Many different local civic groups provide refreshments during the concerts making it a “picnic in the park” atmosphere enjoyed by the band and audience alike. The concert season for the band includes concerts in the village of Waunakee and in many surrounding communities.. Within the band is a smaller group, known as the Waunakee Community Band “Dance Band”. This group occasionally puts on a winter dance in Waunakee, as a major fund-raiser for the band. Groups from the band perform at the Relay for Life, Wauktoberfest, Waunafest Run and Waunafest parade. In the past, the band has played for the opening of Govenor Nelson State Park, Old World Wisconsin, Waunakee Depot Days and the dedication of the new music wing at Waunakee High School The WCB has performed all over the southern and central part of the state of Wisconsin, as well as in Door County, WI. In the summer of 1997, the group took a trip to Germany and Austria, with concerts in Neustadt, Diedesfeld, Duttweiller, Innsbruck, Reith bei Seefeld, and Leutasch. In the summer of 2000, the band visited Ireland and Scotland, playing concerts in Killarney and Dublin, Ireland and Oban, Scotland. In the summer of 2005 the band traveled to Norway, with concerts in Trondheim, Voss and Loen. The band’s latest trip was to Washington D.C. in the summer of 2007 . Highlights of that trip were playing at the Congresstional Cemetery at the gravesite of John Philip Sousa and performing at the Armed Forces Retirement Home for distinguished veterans. Over the years the band has presented many special concerts. Concerts honoring the Waunakee EMS, the Waunakee Fire Department have been presented. Theme concerts have included the A Children's Concert, A Wis. Sesquicentennial Concert , two Sousa Concerts, A Broadway Musical Concert, A Wisconsin Composers Concert, The World and Beyond Concert, Come Dance with Me Concert, our 20th and 25th Anniversary Celebration Concerts, plus the band presents an annual Patriotic Concert that honors all active service men and women and all veterans.
The band celebrated 25 years in 2010. Special events for that year included an anniversary concert, featuring two original compositions for the band by Rick Kirby and Luke Thering. The year ended in October with a concert at the Monona Terrace in Madison as part of the Wisconsin Music Educators’ Conference The WCB plays a wide variety of musical styles, and has many fine soloists within the group. The WCB holds the reputation as one of the finest community bands in this part of the state, and loves to share its music with not only the people here in Wisconsin, but throughout the United States and beyond! For more information, email Jan Tweed at jant@tds.net or call 608-849-4868. The web site is: waunakeecommband.org |
Copyright 2010 Waunakee Community Band All Rights Reserved Created by WaunaWeb Industries |