The Winslow Concert band was formed in 1994 by Peter Moore. The music played was mostly classical, but over the years former Musical Director Colin Harmsworth and our present Musical Director, Paul How, have introduced a variety of musical genres including big band, jazz, musicals, film themes and compilation hits of popular singers such as Frank Sinatra, Tom Jones, Michael Jackson and Amy Winehouse.
From a small rehearsal room in the Winslow Centre, the Band moved in 2005 to the larger space provided by the Winslow Public Hall to accommodate the burgeoning membership. At present this is comprised of over;forty musicians playing a variety of brass, woodwind and percussion instruments. We love that our membership includes a wide range of ages (from 12 to over 80) and playing standards (around Grade 3 or equivalent to Diploma standard and retired music professionals). Most of our members live in the area that’s within a 12-miles radius of Winslow,including Buckingham, Milton Keynes, Leighton Buzzard, Aylesbury, Bicester and the villages in between.
The Band has performed at various fetes and venues around the county, at Christmas we regularly play carols and seasonal music in Milton Keynes and Buckingham. In summer we can be seen at shows and fetes around the region including the Winslow Show. We also present a concert usually once a year, which has proved to be very popular with people in and around the local area.
Key events in our history
| 1994 | Winslow Wind Band started by Peter Moore, the first Musical Director rehearses at the Winslow Centre |
| 1998 | Winslow Wind Band changes its name to Winslow Concert Band New logo designed Colin Harmsworth becomes Musical Director |
| 2004 | Paul How becomes Musical Director |
| 2005 | Rehearsal venue moved to Winslow Public Hall to provide more space Cllr Robin Stutchbury accepts the Band's invitation to become their first President |
| 2007 | First CD produced Members of the Band attend the BBC Play it Again in Watford and in Birmingham The Band holds its own Play it Again recruitment evening |
| 2008 | The Band is joined by jazz clarinettist Terry Lightfoot and jazz singer Pam Warley for their annual concert |
| 2009 | The Band commissions a march "Winslow Winners" by Nigel Hall to celebrate their 15th anniversary The Band adopts local charity Ali's Dream as their first Charity of the Year |
| 2010 | The Band holds a joint concert with Great Horwood Silver Band |
| 2012 | The Band joins forces with Winslow Anglo French Twinning Association (WAFTA) and members visit Cours La Ville for the first time |
| 2013 | The Band is invited to play for the first time at the Legends of the Air weekend at IWM Duxford |
| 2014 | Members of The Band visit and perform in Cours La Ville as part of the WAFTA trip Colin Touchin is commissioned to write a symphonic piece "Winslow Tableaux" illustrating the town and its history to celebrate the Band's 20th Anniversary |
| 2016 | Members of The Band visit and perform in Cours La Ville as part of the WAFTA trip |
| 2018 | Members of The Band visit and perform in Cours La Ville as part of the WAFTA trip |
| 2019 | The Band wins the orchestral ensemble class at Milton Keynes Festival of Music The Band celebrates their 25th Anniversary with an outdoor concert in the newly opened Winslow Arboretum The Band performs on the bandstand at Brighton beach Llew Monger replaces Robin Stutchbury as the Band's President |
| 2023 | Gordon Wiseman replaces Llew Monger as the Band's President |
| 2024 | The Band wins the orchestral ensemble class at Milton Keynes Festival of Music Members of The Band visit and perform in Cours La Ville as part of the WAFTA trip |
| 2025 | The Band wins the orchestral ensemble class at Milton Keynes Festival of Music The Band performs on the bandstand at Brighton beach |
| 2026 | The Band wins the orchestral ensemble class at Milton Keynes Festival of Music Musical Director, Paul How passes away from cancer and is sorely missed by the members |
