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Apart from being 20 years old, here are some of the
other reasons that Westwinds has to celebrate!
Growth, Growth and more Growth
When Westwinds was first organized in
October of 1988, the Society consisted of a single concert
band at the beginner level of 71 musicians. In the fall of
1989, Westwinds added a second concert band at the
intermediate level. In 1990 a third concert band was
created at the advanced playing level. The fall of
1993 saw a significant change to the organization with the
addition of a choral group. By 1995 Westwinds was adding a
second choral group, as well as expanding the program to
include jazz bands. Two jazz band levels were added in
1996 with an additional two to follow not long afterwards.
The Society continued to grow over the years adding more
concert, choral and jazz levels. Today, Westwinds Music
Society consists of 4 Choirs, 5 Concert bands and 5 Jazz
bands with a membership of 400 musicians. We are the
largest Adult Community Band group in North America - and
it makes us very proud to know that we are able to give
back to our community in the form of music and song!
Community Performances & Tours
In addition to performing our own
concerts for friends and family, Westwinds has performed
at a number of events in and around Calgary including
Spruce Meadows, BBQ on the Bow, various Festivals
including the Alberta International Band Festival, the
Canmore Jazz Festival, Heritage Park, shopping centres,
seniors facilities, schools and many, many others.
Westwinds has also toured the globe
with 3 International Tours completed and another planned
for the summer of 2008. Please see our main website for
more information on our past and future Tours.
Community Involvement & Education
Westwinds annually conducts Workshops
for Choirs, Concert and Jazz bands. These workshops,
open to the public, provide an opportunity to enhance the
knowledge and musicianship of those in the community at
large. Workshop attendees come from local and regional
communities and some even travel across the province.
Westwinds also gives back to the
community in the form of various sponsorships and
volunteer opportunities, such as assisting Festivals. 2008
will mark the launch of the Westwinds Scholarship program,
a first of its kind for our organization. The Westwinds
Scholarship will assist high school students in Calgary
with their future pursuits in Music.
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