MEET THE BAND
John R. Knox
Director/Manager/Trumpet
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REHEARSAL SCHEDULE
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Tuesdays
7:00 - 8:45 p.m.
Westbrook Community Center
426 Bridge Street
Westbrook, ME 04062
What we do
We rehearse on a weekly basis, and offer free concerts to Senior Living Centers
in the greater Portland area. Contact our Band Manager to schedule a concert at your facility.
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We also offer several concerts each summer in support of the Westbrook Parks and Recreation Programs at Riverbank Park, participation in the Westbrook Memeorial Day Parade, and the City of Westbrook Inauguration.
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We participate in the annual R.B. Hall DAY Celebration held in various locations on the last Saturday of June. This day long celebration features many community bands from across Maine to honor Maine composer R.B. Hall with his music in a "concert in the park" setting each June.
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ABOUT THE BAND ......
The Westbrook City Band is a community based concert band, offering adults and students opportunities to stay connected to their musical experience in a fun setting. Our members range is age from 16 to 96 - and everywhere in between. Many adult members may have played in high school or college, and may have been redirected for a time while LIFE happened, and are at a point to continue their talents in a band setting.
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We also offer high school and college students opportunities for some extra rehearsal time and the experience of playing beyond their school band. Many of our adult players began their playing experience in this manner and found it be an valuable experience.
WELCOME TOÂ
WESTBROOK
CITY BAND
Sponsored by the City of Westbrook, Maine
THE WESTBROOK CITY BAND
(Established: 1884)
The City of Westbrook has a long history of concert and marching bands that dates back to the Civil War period. In the 1880's, a band known as The Salaberry Band was formed which became the Westbrook City Band in the year 1884. For over 50 years, until the mid 1930's, the Westbrook City Band played concerts and marched at parades in Westbrook and the surrounding communities. At that time, the band was comprised essentially of employees of the S. D. Warren Paper Company in Westbrook. So, in 1936, S. D. Warren assumed sponsorship of the Band under its first Conductor, Sam Guimond. Sam had piloted the Westbrook City Band through the tough times of the First World War and the Great Depression years. In 1995 the Band resumed its original name of the Westbrook City Band and is again being sponsored by the City of Westbrook as it was well over a century ago.
2011 marks the one hundred twenty seventh year that the Band has been in continuous operation, primarily as a community service band. As such, we play a minimum of twelve to fourteen concerts a year all over the Greater Portland area -- our "Concert In The Park" - type repertoire ranges from the classics and light classics to Overtures, Broadway Show Tunes, Marches, Solo works with Band accompaniment, and Dixieland Jazz Selections. As a volunteer adult musical organization, we are made up of people from all backgrounds -- music educators, nurses, business people, engineers, accountants, craftspeople, homemakers, students, and retirees are included in our ranks. Our primary objective is to provide a musical service to the communities of Greater Portland.
For almost eighty years, only five full-time Conductors have led the Band -- Sam Guimond, John Gooch, Arthur Stevens, Dick Kelley, and our present Music Director (since 1984) Jerry Brooks, a retired Engineering Program Manager for the US Navy’s nuclear submarine programs. This is his twenty sixth year as the WCB’s Music Director. Jerry has also served as Bandmaster of the Kora Shriners Band in Lewiston since 1993.
Sadly, Jerry Brooks passed away in October, 2017. Our director/manager is now John Knox of Windham. John has played trumpet with the band for over 25 years, and is also the present Director of the Kora Shrine Band in Lewiston, Maine. He is a retired human resources manager, lives in Windham with his wife Becky. and enjoys spending time with his grandkids in addition to his music commitments.
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The band welcomes adults and students who want to continue their musical involvement to join us at any time. Contact our director if interested.