The Raleigh Concert Band is a nonprofit community organization which provides adult musicians an opportunity to perform music composed for large wind ensembles. Organized in August 1978, the organization has been variously known as the Raleigh City Band, Raleigh Municipal Band and the Raleigh Community Band.
Originally made up of some 30 musicians, the band has grown to its current size of some 80 volunteer brass, woodwind and percussion players. Musicians in the band come from many backgrounds and professions and include students, teachers, doctors, engineers, computer programmers, salesmen, retirees, county extension agents, et al. While some members have a formal background in music, others simply enjoyed playing an instrument in school band and want to continue to perform.
Each year, the band performs over one dozen concerts around the central North Carolina area and regularly participates in parades, celebrations and civic events such as the North Carolina State Capitol 4th of July celebration, the state Christmas tree lighting ceremony, the Memorial Day service at Raleigh's National Cemetery and the North Carolina Holocaust Memorial Day. For its service, the band has been given the title of "The State Capitol Band."
In what has become one of the city's most successful concert series, in 1995 the Raleigh Concert Band inaugurated its "Concerts in the Park" in conjunction with the City of Raleigh Parks and Recreation Department. In addition to performing locally, the band has travelled to London and Kingston-upon-Hull, England for a series of concerts in cooperation with the Sister Cities Association of Raleigh cultural exchange program.
The Raleigh Concert Band
