Canadian Community Band & Orchestra Resources

Links and resources for the amateur bandsman and/or orchestral musician in Canada.
Also check out the local community bands/orchestras to find out when the groups near Guelph, Kitchener/Waterloo, Cambridge in Ontario, Canada rehearse.

Purpose

This page is a list of website links. For any community group, you should be able to find contact information on their website. In this day and age, a website is an essential tool for any group to promote itself, advertise concerts, find sponsors, grow its membership, etc.. If your community music group does not yet have a website, you should encourage them to establish one.

Some Tips

For helping you locate a community music group near you, Google Maps can be a very useful tool.
To get an idea of where the group is located, go to Google Maps and enter "<city/town>, <province>, Canada" in the Search box.

Ontario

Ontario: Community Concert Bands

Note: This list contains groups both with and without websites

Acton Citizens' Band (see) - Acton, Ontario
Argonotes - official band of the Toronto Argonauts - Toronto, Ontario
Ayr-Paris Band - Ayr/Paris, Ontario
Barrie Concert Band (no website, 1) - Barrie, Ontario
Bell City Concert Band - part of Brantford School of Instrumental Music- Brantford, Ontario
Brampton Concert Band - Brampton, Ontario
Brantford Memorial Concert Band - part of Brantford School of Instrumental Music- Brantford, Ontario
Breslau, Bloomingdale and Maryhill Concert Band (no website, khampton[at]rogers.com) - Breslau, Ontario
Brockville Concert Band - Brockville, Ontario
Burlington Concert Band (1) - Burlington, Ontario
Caledon Concert Band - Bolton, Ontario
Cambridge Concert Band - Cambridge, Ontario
Carleton Place and District Community Band - Ottawa, Ontario
Centralaires Concert Band (1, 2) - Ottawa, Ontario
Chatham Concert Band (1) - Chatham, Ontario
Ceremonial Band of the Waterloo Regional Police Service - Waterloo, Ontario
Chinguacousy Concert Band (1) - Brampton, Ontario
Clarington Concert Band - Bowmanville, Ontario
Colonel By Community Wind Ensemble (no website, glonsdal[at]chat.carleton.ca unconfirmed) - Gloucester, Ontario
Dundas Concert Band - Dundas, Ontario
East York Concert Band - East York (Toronto), Ontario
Encore Symphonic Concert Band (old website, website down May/2009, lbrookes[at]rogers.com, trobins[at]rogers.com ) - Toronto, Ontario
Encore...The Concert Band - London, Ontario
Etobicoke Community Concert Band - Etobicoke, Ontario
Etobicoke Youth Band - Etobicoke (Toronto), Ontario
Fergus Brass Band - Fergus, Ontario
Festival Wind Orchestra - Etobicoke (Toronto), Ontario
Fort Erie Concert Band (no website, no e-mail) - Fort Erie, Ontario
Fort Erie Legion Concert Band (now website, gbwilliams[at]cogeco.ca) - Fort Erie, Ontario
Frontenac Community Concert Band - Kingston, Ontario
Galt Kiltie Band - Cambridge, Ontario
Gloucester Community Concert Band (2) - Ottawa, Ontario
Goderich Laketown Band - Goderich, Ontario
Greater Windsor Concert Band - Windsor, Ontario
Guelph Concert Band - Guelph, Ontario
Haldimand-Norfolk Concert Band (1) - Hagersville, Ontario
Hamilton Concert Band - Hamilton, Ontario
Highlands Concert Band (1, kashaja[at]sympatico.ca) - Haliburton, Ontario
Highlands Wind Symphony (kashaja[at]sympatico.ca, 1) - Haliburton, Ontario
Holland's Glorie Band (no website, no e-mail) - St. Catharines, Ontario
Kincardine Community Concert Band (website has no contact info? huh?, see) - Kincardine, Ontario
Kitchener Musical Society Band - Kitchener, Ontario
Koffler Concert Band (website down Nov2008) (1) - (Koffler Centre for the Arts) Toronto, Ontario
Lambton Concert Band - Sarnia, Ontario
La Salle Community Concert Band - Kingston, Ontario
Lincoln Concert Band - Lincoln, Ontario
London Concert Band - London, Ontario
Lydian Wind Ensemble (website down May/2009) - Whitby, Ontario
Markham Concert Band - Markham, Ontario
Malta Band Club (website down May/2009) - Toronto, Ontario
Milton Concert Band - Milton, Ontario
Mississauga Pops Concert Band - Mississauga, Ontario
Music Society of St. Helens, The - Toronto, Ontario
Muskoka Concert Band - Utterson, Ontario
National Capital Concert Band - Ottawa, Ontario
Nepean Concert Band - Nepean, Ontario
New Hamburg Band (no website, craig.walker[at]sympatico.ca) - New Hamburg, Ontario
Newmarket Citizens' Band - Newmarket, Ontario
Niagara Falls Concert Band (1, bwilliam[at]freenet.npiec.on.ca) (2) - Niagara Falls, Ontario
No Strings Attached Band - Sudbury, Ontario
North Durham Millennium Band (no website, sandra.weeks[at]sympatico.ca. biffrh[at]sympatico.ca ) - Port Perry, Ontario
North Toronto Community Band - Toronto, Ontario
North York Concert Band - North York (Toronto), Ontario
Northdale Concert Band (~~old site~~)- North York (Toronto), Ontario
Oakville Wind Orchestra - Oakville, Ontario
Orillia Wind Ensemble - Orillia, Ontario
Oshawa Civic Band - Oshawa, Ontario
Ottawa Community Concert Band (OCCB) (2 3)- Ottawa, Ontario
Ottawa Wind Ensemble - Ottawa, Ontario
Owen Sound City Band - Owen Sound, Ontario
Oxford Breeze Community Novice Band - Woodstock, Ontario
Oxford Winds Community Concert Band - Woodstock, Ontario
Pembrooke Legion Community Band - Pembrooke, Ontario
Perth Citizens' Band (old site) - Perth, Ontario
Petawawa Legion Community Band - Petawawa, Ontario
Peterborough Wind Symphony (no website, peterford[at]nexicom.net) (1) - Peterborough, Ontario
Peterborough Concert Band - Peterborough, Ontario
Peterborough New Horizons Band - Peterborough, Ontario
Pickering Concert Band - Pickering, Ontario
Port Colborne Concert Band (no website, see) - Port Colborne, Ontario
Port Elgin Community Band - Port Elgin, Ontario
Resa's Pieces Concert Band - Toronto (North York), Ontario
Royal Canadian Legion Concert Band (no website, tedwinick[at]rogers.com ) - Toronto, Ontario
Scarborough Community Concert Band - Scarborough, Ontario
Scarborough Society of Musicians - Scarborough, Ontario
Seaway Winds (website down Nov14/2008) - Cornwall, Ontario
Silverthorn Symphonic Winds - Toronto, Ontario
South Simcoe Concert Band (1) - Alliston, Ontario
Stratford Concert Band - Stratford, Ontario
Swansea Community Concert Band - Toronto, Ontario
Telephone City Musical Society (TCMS) Concert Band (website down Nov14/2008, see 1) - Brantford, Ontario
Thunder Bay Community Band - Thunder Bay, Ontario
Thornhill Concert Band - Thornhill, Ontario
Thorold Reed Band (website down Aug/2006) (see down Nov14/2008) - Thorold, Ontario
Toronto Youth Wind Orchestra & Concert Winds - Toronto, Ontario
Trenton Citizen's Band (no website, no e-mail) - Trenton, Ontario
University of Toronto Alumni Band (no website, jmacquarrie[at]utoronto.ca) - Toronto, Ontario
Uxbridge Community Concert Band (no website, uccb[at]sympatico.ca) - Uxbridge, Ontario
Valley Concert Band - Arnprior, Ontario
Waterloo Concert Band - Waterloo, Ontario
Wellington Winds - Kitchener/Waterloo, Ontario
West Elgin Community Band - West Lorne, Ontario

University Concert Bands - that are not restricted to music majors
Hart house Symphonic Band - Toronto, Ontario
McMaster University Concert Band (website down Nov14/2008) - McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario
University of Guelph Concert Winds (website down Nov14/2008) - Guelph, Ontario
Warriors Band - University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario
Western Mustang Band (2)- University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario
University of Toronto at Scarborough (UTSC) Concert Band (no website, tucker[at]utsc.utoronto.ca) - Scarborough, Ontario
York University Wind Symphony (no website, no e-mail) - North York (Toronto), Ontario

Defunct Bands:
Greater Toronto Teachers Wind Ensemble - Toronto, Ontario -reported as dissolved in fall 2005
Bayfield Winds Concert Band (~~see also~~, website down Nov2008) - Bayfield, Ontario - dissolved July 16, 2007

More contact information for bands can be found on the following pages:
Ontario Band Directory - Ontario Chapter of the Canadian Band Association
WholeNote Listing of Bands - Sept 2005
WholeNote Listing of Bands - Sept 2006

Ontario: Community Marching Bands

Note: Unlike the above-listed "Community Concert Bands" (of which some may do the odd parade), these groups are more geared towards marching and parades.

Baturyn Concert Marching Band - Mississauga, Ontario
Burlington Teen Tour Band - Burlington, Ontario
Burlington Top Hat Marching Orchestra - Burlington, Ontario
The Concert Band of Cobourg - Cobourg, Ontario
Hype - Hamilton, Ontario
Kingsville-Essex Associated Band - Kingsville, Ontario
Lindsay Kinsmen Band - Lindsay, Ontario
Preston Scout House Alumni Band - Cambridge, Ontario

Ontario: Community Orchestras

Note: This list contains groups both with and without websites.

Cambridge Community Orchestra - Cambridge, Ontario
Counterpoint Community Orchestra - Toronto, Ontario
Divertimento Orchestra (2) - Ottawa, Ontario
Dundas Valley Orchestra (see) - Dundas, Ontario
Durham Chamber Orchestra - Ajax, Ontario
Etobicoke Philharmonic Orchestra (old site(/a> - Etobicoke (Toronto), Ontario
Georgian Bay Symphony - Owen Sound, Ontario
Huronia Symphony Orchestra - Barrie, Ontario
International Symphony Orchestra (old site) - Sarnia, Ontario
Kanata Symphony Orchestra - Kanata, Ontario
Orchestra Kingston - Kingston, Ontario
Kitchener-Waterloo Community Orchestra - Kitchener, Ontario
London Community Orchestra - London, Ontario
North Bay Symphony Orchestra - North Bay, Ontario
North York Concert Orchestra - North York (Toronto), Ontario
Northumberland Orchestra & Choir - Cobourg, Ontario
Oakville Symphony Orchestra - Oakville, Ontario
Orchestra Toronto - Toronto, Ontario
Ottawa Chamber Orchestra - Ottawa, Ontario
Parkdale United Church Orchestra (2) - Ottawa, Ontario
Pembroke Symphony Orchestra - Pembroke, Ontario
Peninsula Orchestra - Niagara, Ontario
Scarborough Philharmonic Orchestra (Oct 2006 - is this still a community group?) - Scarborough, Ontario
Quinte Symphony - Belleville, Ontario
Symphony Hamilton - Hamilton, Ontario
The Strings of St. John's - Ottawa, Ontario
Timothy Eaton Orchestra (no website, tucker[at]utsc.utoronto.ca, see 1) - Toronto, Ontario
Timmins Symphony Orchestra - Timmins, Ontario
York Symphony Orchestra - Richmond Hill (Toronto), Ontario

University Orchestras - that are not restricted to music majors
University of Waterloo Orchestra - Waterloo, Ontario
Hart House Orchestra - University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario
University of Toronto at Scarborough (UTSC) String Orchestra (no website, lwhiting[at]utsc.utoronto.ca) - Scarborough, Ontario

Youth Orchestras:
Brant Youth Symphony Orchestra (old) (website down Aug/2006) - Brant County, Ontario
Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony Youth Orchestra (website down Nov14, 2008 - see 1) - Kitchener, Ontario
Ottawa Youth Orchestra Academy - Ottawa, Ontario
La Jeunesse Youth Orchestra - Port Hope, Ontario
London Youth Symphony - London, Ontario
Mississauga Youth Orchestra - Mississauga, Ontario
Millennium Youth Orchestra (website down 2005) - Toronto, Ontario

Defunct Orchestras
Guelph Youth Orchestra - Guelph, Ontario - dissolved in 2002
University of Guelph Orchestra - Guelph, Ontario - cancelled in Sept 2005
Eastern Ontario Community Orchestra - Belleville, Ontario - reported in Oct 2006 to have become the Quinte Symphony (a semi-pro/amateur group)

Ontario: Community Brass Bands

Note: This list contains groups both with and without websites.

Brass Conspiracy! - Toronto, Ontario
Brass Roots Band - London, Ontario
Ebytown Brass Band (no website, no e-mail) - near Oxford County, Ontario
Hannaford Community Band - Toronto, Ontario
Intrada Brass - Oakville, Ontario
Kincardine Brass Band (website down Nov14/2008) - Kincardine, Ontario
Maple Leaf Brass Band - Ottawa, Ontario
Metropolitan Silver Band (website down Nov14/10028) - Toronto, Ontario
Plumbing Factory Brass Band - London, Ontario
Southern Winds Brass Quintet - LaSalle, Ontario
Weston Silver Band (old site) - Toronto, Ontario
Whitby Brass Band - Whitby, Ontario

Ontario: Community Big Bands

Note: This list contains groups both with and without websites.

Chinguacousy Swing Band (1) - Brampton, Ontario
Festival City Big Band - Stratford, Ontario
Loretta Hale Big Band - Hamilton, Ontario
Toronto Megacity Swing Band - Toronto, Ontario
Montcrest Band - Toronto, Ontario
Royal City Big Band - Guelph, Ontario
Sophisticated Swing - Burlington, Ontario
The Jazz Pollcats (old site) - Ottawa, Ontario

University Big Bands - that are not restricted to music majors
University of Toronto at Scarborough (UTSC) Jazz Band (no website, tucker[at]utsc.utoronto.ca) - Scarborough, Ontario

Ontario: Other Bands

Haliburton Highlands Silver Flutes Marching Band - Port Perry, Ontario

Ontario: Military / Regimental Bands

Note: This list contains groups both with and without websites.
Note: This list contains only concert bands; pipe bands are not listed here.
Note: Many of these bands are volunteer bands, with both civilian and enlisted members.

22 Wing Band - North Bay, Ontario
7th Toronto Regiment RCA Band (website down Oct/2006, see 1) - Toronto, Ontario
8 Wing Band (2) - Trenton, Ontario
Band of the Royal Regiment of Canada (old) - Toronto, Ontario
Canadian Forces Base Borden Brass and Reed Band - Borden, Ontario
Central Band of the Canadian Forces [professional band] - Ottawa, Ontario
HMCS Star Band - Hamilton, Ontario
HMCS York Band - Toronto, Ontario
Regimental Band of the Governor General's Foot Guards [professional band] (2) - Ottawa, Ontario
Regimental Band of the Governor General's Horse Guards [professional band] (2) - Ottawa, Ontario
Regimental Band of the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry (2) - Hamilton, Ontario
Royal Military College of Canada (RMC) Band [for RMC students] - Kingston, Ontario
The Brockville Rifles Band - Brockville, Ontario
The C & E Garrison Military Band - Kingston, Ontario
The Lincoln & Welland Regiment Band - St. Catherines, Ontario
The Regimental Band and Bugles of the Queen's Own Rifles of Canada (2) - Toronto, Ontario
Windsor Military Band - Windsor, Ontario

Canadian Forces Band Directory (website down Nov 14/2008)

Newfoundland and Labrador

NL: Community Concert Bands
Memorial University Concert Band (2) - St. Johns, Newfoundland

NL: Community Orchestras
Memorial University Cmabre Orchestra - St. Johns, Newfoundland

NL: Military and Regimental Bands

NL: Other groups
Memorial University Jazz Ensemble - St. Johns, Newfoundland

New Brunswick

NB: Community Concert Bands
Codiac Concert Band / Harmonie Codiac - Riverview, New Brunswick

Defunct Bands:
Riverview Citizen's Band - Riverview, New Brunswick - replaced with the Codiac Concert Band (confirmed May 24/2006)
Moncton District Services Band - Moncton, New Brunswick - replaced with Harmonie Codiac Concert Band (confirmed June 1, 2006)

NB: Community Orchestras
New Brunswick Youth Orchestra (semi-pro) - Moncton, New Brunswick

NB: Military and Regimental Bands

NB: Other groups

Nova Scotia

NS: Community Concert Bands
Mersey Band - Liverpool, Nova Scotia
Sackville Concert Band (1) (offline Sept25/2006)- Sackville, Nova Scotia
Truro Concert Band - Truro, Nova Scotia
Yarmouth Citizen's Band (no website, grothwel[at]staff.ednet.ns.ca) - Yarmouth, Nova Scotia

NS: Community Orchestras
Chebucto Symphony - Halifax, Nova Scotia
Pictou County Community Orchestra - Stellerton, Nova Scotia
Yarmouth Orchestra (no website, grothwel[at]staff.ednet.ns.ca) - Yarmouth, Nova Scotia

NS: Military and Regimental Bands

NS: Other groups

Prince Edward Island

PEI: Community Concert Bands

PEI: Community Orchestras
PEI Symphony - Charlottetown, PEI

PEI: Military and Regimental Bands

PEI: Other groups

PQ: Quebec

Community Concert Bands
Kirkland Concert Band - Kirkland, Quebec
Granby Community Band (en francaise) - Granby, Quebec
Harmonie Laval (en francaise) - Laval, Quebec
306 "Maple Leaf" Wing Concert Band - formerly known as the "Black Watch" - Kirkland, Quebec
Knowlton Harmony Band (no website, no e-mail) - Knowlton, Quebec
Lakeshore Concert Band - Montreal, Quebec
Orchestra à Vents Non Identifié - Montreal, Ontario
L'Union Musicale De Shawinigan (en francaise) - Shawinigan, Quebec

PQ: Community Orchestras

PQ: Military and Regimental Bands

PQ: Other groups

Manitoba

MB: Community Concert Bands
Westwood Community Band - Winnipeg, Manitoba

Manitoba Community Band Directory (old site) - maintained by the Manitoba Band Association
Unfortunately most of these groups don't have websites.

MB: Community Orchestras
Brandon Community Orchestra - Brandon, Manitoba
Winnipeg Pops Orchestra - Winnipeg, Manitoba

MB: Big Bands
Westwood Jazz Ensemble - Winnipeg, Manitoba

MB: Military and Regimental Bands
Royal Winipeg Rifles - Winnipeg, Manitoba

Canadian Forces Band Directory (website down Nov 14/2008)

MB: Other groups

Saskatachewan

SK: Community Concert Bands
Regina Lions Band - Regina, Saskatchewan
Saskatoon Community Bands (old website) - Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Saskatoon Concert Band - Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Saskatoon Lions Band - Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
The Band-Its - Regina, Saskatchewan

Defunct Bands:
Holy Cross Adult Community Bands - Saskatoon, Saskatchewan - renamed the Saskatoon Community Bands sometime in 2006

SK: Community Orchestras

SK: Brass Bands:
Saskatoon Brass Band - Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

SK: Military and Regimental Bands

SK: Other groups

Alberta

AB: Community Concert Bands
Black Gold Community Band - Leduc, Alberta
Calgary Concert Band - Calgary, Alberta
Cappy Smart Band - Calgary, Alberta
Cochrane Music Society / Band on the Bow - Cochrane, Alberta
Comospolitan Music Society Band - Edmonton, Alberta
Festival City Winds - Edmonton, Alberta
Foothills Concert Band - Calgary, Alberta
Foothills Music Society (see) - Okotoks, Alberta
Lethbridge Community Band Society - Lethbridge, Alberta
New Edmonton Wind Sinfonia - Edmonton, Alberta
Red Deer Royals - Red Deer, Alberta
Rocky Mountain Concert Band - Calgary, Alberta
Sherwood-Like-To-Play Community Band - Calgary, Alberta
WestWinds Music Society - Calgary, Alberta

Defunct Bands:
Accidental Starts Concert Band - Calgary, Alberta - In 2002 became the Rocky Mountain Concert Band
Chinook Concert Band - Calgary, Alberta - In 2002 became the Rocky Mountain Concert Band

AB: Community Orchestras
Calgary Civic Symphony - Calgary, Alberta
Edmonton Philharmonic Orchestra - Edmonton, Alberta

Calgary Youth Orchestra - Calgary, Alberta

AB: Big Bands
River City Big Band - Edmonton, Alberta
The Oath - Calgary, Alberta
Southern Stardust - Calgary, Alberta

AB: Military and Regimental Bands
The Loyal Edmonton Regiment Band - Edmonton, Alberta

Canadian Forces Band Directory (website down Nov 14/2008)

AB: Other groups
Mill Creek Brass - Edmonton, Alberta
Mission Hill Brass - St. Pierre, Alberta

British Columbia

BC: Community Concert Bands
Campbell River Community Band (no website, phil.cassidy[at]crcn.net) - Campbell River, British Columbia
Comox Valley District Band (1) - Comox Valley, British Columbia
Creston Community Band - Creston, British Columbia
Delta Concert Band - Ladner, British Columbia
Delta Music Makers (old site) - Delta, British Columbia
Greater Victoria Concert Band (old site) - Victoria, British Columbia
Kelowna City Band - Kelowna, British Columbia
Kitimat Community Band (no website, rsluyter[at]sno.net) - Kitimat, British Columbia
Kitsilano Boys Band - Vancouver, British Columbia
Maple Ridge Concert Band (old site) - Maple Ridge, British Columbia
Nanaimo Concert Band - Nanaimo, British Columbia
Pacific Symphonic Wind Ensemble - Vancouver, British Columbia
Penticton Concert Band - Penticton, British Columbia
Port Moody Community Band (contact blyip[at]telus.ney) - Port Moody, British Columbia
Powell River Community Band - Powell River, British Columbia
Prince George Community Band - Prince George, British Columbia
Rainbow Concert Band (old site) - Vancouver, British Columbia
Revelstoke Community Band (no website, genlee[at]mac.com unconfirmed) - Revelstoke, British Columbia
Royal City Concert Band - New Westminster, British Columbia
Smithers Community Band - Smithers, British Columbia
South Fraser Community Band - Surrey, British Columbia
SunCoast Concert Band - Roberts Creek, British Columbia
Terrace Community Band (website down Oct 2006) - Terrace, British Columbia
Vancouver Concert Band - Vancouver, British Columbia
West Vancouver Youth Band - West Vancouver, British Columbia
Westshore Community Concert Band - Victoria, British Columbia
Whalley Legion Band - Surrey, British Columbia

Defunct Bands:
West Point Grey Community Band - Vancouver, British Columbia - renamed the Vancouver Concert Band in October 2007

BC: Community Orchestras
Brock House Orchestra - Vancouver, British Columbia
Chilliwack Symphony Orchestra (1) - Chilliwack, British Columbia
Civic Orchestra of Victoria - Victoria, British Columbia
Cowichan Consort Orchestra & Choir -Cowichan Bay, British Columbia
Delta Youth Orchestra - Delta, British Columbia
Fraser Valley Symphony (website down Oct 2006) - Fraser Valley, British Columbia
New Westminster Symphony Orchestra - New Westminster, British Columbia
Port Moody Community String Orchestra (contact blyip[at]telus.net)- Port Moody, British Columbia
Sooke Philharmonic Society - Sooke, British Columbia
Richmond Orchestra and Chorus - Richmond, British Columbia
Summer Pops Youth Orchestra - Vancouver, British Columbia
Sunshine Coast Community Orchestra Association - Roberts Creek, British Columbia
Vancouver Philharmonic Society - Vancouver, British Columbia
Victoria Chamber Orchestra - Victoria, British Columbia

BC: Brass Bands:
Little Mountain Brass Band - Vancouver, British Columbia

BC: Military and Regimental Bands
5th (BC) Field Regimnet, Royal Canadian Artillery Band - Victoria, British Columbia
Band of the 15th Field Artillery Regiment - Vancouver, British Columbia
British Columbia Regiment Band - Vancouver, British Columbia

Canadian Forces Band Directory (website down Nov 14/2008)

BC: Other groups

Northwest Territories, Yukon and Nunavut

Community Concert Bands

Community Orchestras

Military and Regimental Bands

Other groups

National Groups (Canada)

National: Community Concert Bands
National Youth Band of Canada

National: Community Orchestras
National Youth Orchestra of Canada

National: Military and Regimental Bands

National: Other groups

Other Lists of Bands/Orchestras

Ron Boerger's Community Band/Orchestra Lists

Community Band and Orchestra Home Pages - one of the most extensive lists on the web
Community Band and Orchestra Contact Info - considered to be The List - over 1000 groups listed

Canada Lists

KCB List of Other Community Bands - a list maintained by the Kirkland Community Band, Kirkland, Quebec
Ontario Band Directory - Ontario Chapter of the Canadian Band Association
Anthony's Community Music Pages - focussing on the community music scene near Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Canadian Forces Band Directory
British Columbia Bands - from the BC Band Association

International Lists

Wind, Concert, Military and Marching Band Web Sites - a long list maintained by the IBEW (Internet Bandsman's Everything Within)
Gary Briault's Music Links
Orchestras of Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington and British Columbia
Heritage of Military Bands of the World - another extensive list of bands
Yahoo Community Band Listings (website down Oct 2006)
Connecticut Community Bands - a listing of bands in Conecticut, USA maintained by R.G. Brooks

Miscellaneous

Canadian Community Band and Orchestra Festivals

The Great Canadian Town Band Festival (website broken Oct 2006) - Orono, Ontario

Some International Community Bands

Austin Symphonic Band - Austin, Texas, USA
Band of Her Majesty's Royal Marines (website down Nov/2005) - England (U.K.)
Burlington Concert Band Burlington, Vermont, USA
Carluke Primrose Prize Flute Band - Carluke, Scotland (U.K.)
Civico Corpo Musicale di Vimercate - Vimercate (MI), Italy
The City of Fairfax Band - Fairfax, Virginia, USA
Fermanagh Concert Band - Fermanagh, Northern Ireland
Hot Springs Community Band - Hot Springs, Arkansas, USA
Manawatu Concert Band - Manawatu, New Zealand

Some International Community Orchestras

Buffalo Community Orchestra - Buffalo, Minnesota, USA

Local Pro/Semi-Pro Groups - near Waterloo/Wellington, Ontario, Canada

Concert Band:s
Wellington Winds - Kitchener/Waterloo, Ontario
Orchestras:
Guelph Symphony Orchestra - Guelph, Ontario
Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony - Kitchener/Waterloo, Ontario
Stratford Civic Orchestra - Stratford, Ontario
Big Bands:
Festival City Big Band - Stratford, Ontario
Sophisticated Swing - Burlington, Ontario
Brass Bands / Ensembles:
True North Brass - Etobicoke, Ontario
Other:
Royal City Saxophone Quartet - Guelph, Ontario

Some Notable Symphonic Bands

Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra - more info - Tokyo/Kosei, Japan - in Japanese and English
Gral Wind Orchestra - Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan - in Japanese and English
SAAR Wind Orchestra - Kleinblittersdorf, Germany - in German only
Oxford University Wind Orchestra - Oxford, England, United Kingdom
Eastman Wind Ensemble - Rochester, New York State, USA
Ridgewood Concert Band - Ridgewood, New Jersey, USA
Northshore Concert Band - Chicago, Illinois, USA
Peninsula Symphonic Band - Palo Alto, California, USA
San Jose Wind Symphony - San Jose, California, USA
Dallas Wind Symphony (professional band) - Dallas, Texas, USA
Austin Symphonic Band - Austin, Texas, USA
Texas Wind Symphony (website down Aug/2005) - Arlington, Texas, USA
Toronto Youth Wind Orchestra - Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Some Notable Symphony Orchestras

Orchestra Symphonique de Montreal (English & French) - Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Musical Organizations/Associations

Canadian Amateur Musicians (CAMMAC)
MusicFest Canada
Canadian Band Association
British Columbia Band Association
Canadian Band Association (Ontario branch)
Ontario Band Association
Atlantic Band Festival
International Military Music Society - Canadian Branch (website down Nov/2005)
World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles
Association of Concert Bands
John Philip Sousa Foundation
American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada (website down Oct/2006)
Music Performance Trust Funds

Brass Bands Association of New Zealand - Wellington, New Zealand

Alberta Band Association - Alberta, Canada
British Columbia Band Association - British Columbia
Saskatachewan Band Association - Saskatachewan, Canada
Manitoba Band Association - Manitoba, Canada
Fédération des harmonies et des orchestres symphoniques du Québec - Quebec, Canada
Quebec Band Association - Quebec, Canada
Nova Scotia Band Association - Nova Scotia, Canada

Misc. Community Band/Orchestra Links

International Music Camp - Dunseith, North Dakoda, USA (on the USA/Canada border)

Other Related Local Organizations - Waterloo/Wellington, Ontario, Canada

Guelph Arts Council - 147 Wyndham Street North, Suite 404, Guelph, Ontario, NlH 4E9, (519) 836-3280
Guelph Spring Festival - Edward Johnson Music Foundation - 10-A Carden Street, Guelph, Ontario, (519) 821-3210
Guelph Jazz Festival -123 Woolwich Street, Guelph, Ontario, (519) 763.4952
Guelph Historical Society - 100 Crimea Street, Unit 9-B, Guelph, Ontario, N1H 2Y6
Waterloo Region Arts Council - PO Box 1122, Kitchener, Ontario, N2G 4G1, (519) 744 4552
Central Ontario Musicians' Association - COMA (Musician's Union), Local 226 of AFM - Kitchener, Ontario, (519) 744-4891

Instrument Related Organizations/Resources

Woodwinds:
National Flute Association (USA)
World of Flutes (website down Nov/2005) - a very, very good site (120+ articles)
Larry Krantz Flute Pages - hard to navigate, but useful
Fluteworld [commercial site]
International Double Reed Society
Journal of the International Double Reed Society
www.Bassoon.org
International Clarinet Association
The Clarinet Pages & Klarinet List - www.sneezy.org
The Online Clarinet Resource (website down Nov/2005)
Sherman Friedland's Corner - excellent articles
Michael Moore's Clarinet Page - an "uber-cheesy" page but useful
WKA - World Clarinet Alliance
www.OrchestralClarinetist.com (website down Oct/2005)
North American Saxophone Alliance
Classic Sax Online - The Adolf Sax Institute
The International Saxophone Homepage
Contrabass Mania - an excellent site dedicated to really-low wind instruments
The Woodwind Fingering Guide

Brass:
International Trumpet Guild
Raw Brass - extensive trumpet resources
International Horn Society
The Horn Player's FAQ (temporary page) - a "must read" for horn players
Ron Boerger, Hornist-at-large - a very useful resource for horn players
Hornplayer.net - home of the Horn e-mail list (with archives)
International Trombone Association
Online Trombone Journal
The Trombone Home Page
Trombones Online
Trombone Page of the World (merged into Trombones Online, Oct/2006)
Douglas Yeo, Bass Trombone, Boston Symphony Orchestra - contains 350+ free articles on trombone
International Tuba/Euphonium Association (old site) - aka TUBA: Tubists Universal Brotherhood Association
BMW Baritone Page
Sean Chrisham's TubeNet - Tuba resources
Waldo's Tribute to the Tuba

Strings:
Yahoo's list of violin links
Maestronet - has discussion boards - mostly a violin focus [commercial site]
The Viola Web Site - very extensive site
Internet Cello Society- very extensive site
Bob Gollihur's Double Bass Links Page - very extensive site
OrchestraNet (website hijacked? Aug/2006) - orchestra resources
123greetings.com - "Violin Day" - apparently June 17, is "violin day" (caution: pop-ups)

Percussion:
Percussive Arts Society
Percussion Information - Marc Zoutendijk

Conductor & Wind Ensemble Resources

Band Chat (website down 2004) - online community & repertoire/program database
Internet Bandsman's Everything Within - huge online resource

Mark Heidel's Resources for Wind Band Conductors
Some pages maintained by Andrew Levin

Band Composer/Arranger Related

Gustov Holst - a website by Kenric Taylor
Ralph Vaughn Williams - an extensive website
Percy Grainger - a website by the Percy Graiger Society
Kenneth Alford (website down 2005) - a website about the famous English composer
Alfred Reed (website down 2005)- photos (website down) - information about Alfred Reed
PDQ Bach (and Peter Schickele) (website down 2005)

Administrative/Fundraising Resources

Charity Village - www.charityvillage.com - "Canada's supersite for the non-profit sector."
Charity.ca - www.charity.ca - a useful online donation service for charities in Canada (note: they have ceased operations! Nov/2005)
Helping.org (website hijacked!) - www.helping.org - another online donation service but for charities in the USA only

Band Music Distributors/Publishers

Harknett Musical Services Ltd - Markham, Ontario, Canada
Music Plus Corp. - Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
St. John's Music
Anthony's Community Music Pages - list of music publishers
Eigth Note Publications
Northdale Music Press Ltd

Rosewood Publications
Jeremy Irish Music
Comprint, Original Canadian Composition

Miscellaneous Resources

Directory of Musical e-mail Lists - a fairly extensive list with subscription information
The Community Music E-mail List - mailing list maintained by Ron Boerger

Online Music Streaming

Wind Band FM (a subsidiary of SLT Radio) - a "Live 365" online streaming music station

Recordings

eConcertband.com (website hijacked? - 2005) - a online tool for locating recordings of concert band music

A Few Half-Decent Local Music Shops - Ontario, Canada

Waterloo Music - 3 Regina Street North, Waterloo, Ontario, (800) 563-9683
Music Plus - 5 Michael Street, Kitchener, Ontario, (800) 608-5205
Music Aid - 311 Horton Street, London, Ontario, (519) 433-3343
Music Lab Ltd - 3869 Chesswood Drive, Toronto, Ontario, (416) 636-8722

Clarinet Specialists - Canada

Steve Fox Clarinets (Steve Fox) - Toronto, Ontario - (905) 737-7263
Gary Armstrong Woodwinds (Gary Armstrong) - Toronto, Ontario - (800) 356-4025
Michael Shermann - Toronto, Ontario - (416) 398-5454
The Clarinet Centre (Peter Spriggs) - Penticton, British Columbia, (250) 497-8200

Miscellaneous / Humour

Musical Instrument Jokes
New Zealand Symphony Orchestra Amusements - a snapshot of their old website as it was in Jan 2000
Toronto Symphony Orchestra Musicians: Jokes (website down Nov/2005)
OXymoron Humour Archive: Music
A Band That Money Couldn't Buy
Bitcheril(tm) (di-tetraethyl-primadonna-bitchenhydrazine sulfate USP)

An In Depth Appraisal of Orchestral Sections
Hosaphone Headquarters
The Constant Clarinet - a miscellany of references to the clarinet

Professional & Semi-Pro Concert Bands - Canada

Semi-Pro

Stratford Concert Band - Stratford, Ontario
Toronto Wind Orchestra - Toronto, Ontario
Wellington Winds - Waterloo, Ontario

Professional & Semi-Pro Orchestras - Canada

I've included this category since once a community orchestra seems to get any good it goes pro. This category also covers orchestras that are pro and have always been pro groups.

Professional

Ontario:
Toronto Symphony Orchestra - Toronto, Ontario
New Brunswick:
Symphony New Brunswick - St. John, New Brunswick
Newfoundland & Labrador
Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra - St. Johns, Newfoundland

Semi-Pro

Ontario:
Stratford Civic Orchestra - Stratford, Ontario

Updates / Adding your Group

The links on this page were last verified/checked on October 9, 2006.

The Ontario Band/Orchestra links were last verified/checked on November 14, 2008.

Want a link to your Community Band/Orchestra added?
If you would like to see your community band and/or orchestra listed on this page, please just drop me an note and I'll do my best to add it..

Administrivia

Why this List?
Having a website is essential for a community music group to succeed in this day and age. A website enables a group to easily promote itself, attract new members, advertise concerts, attract sponsors and generally grow. My hope is that this list will encourage all Canadian community bands and orchestras to invest in establishing and maintaining websites.

A secondary goal is to act as a resource for Canadian amateur musicians, who play band and/or orchestral instruments, to find places to play.

If you are looking for more detailed contact information for a specific community band or orchestra (i.e., their website lacks information, or is not listed here), please have a look at Ron Boerger's community band and orchestra contact info list - his focus is more on contact information rather than just websites; he also lists community bands and orchestras from all over the world. For Ontario bands, there are also directories maintained by the CBA Ontario Branch and the WhoteNote.

How do I establish a website for my group?
Putting together a website for your group is not as much work as you think. In a nutshell, you need 4 things: (a) a website address (e.g. www.YourGroupName.org), (b) a place to host it (a webserver account), (c) someone to create the website, and (d) someone to update it over time. If you do a google search, you can find various information/tutorials on how to do this. If are looking for some help, or are looking for someone to host your new website, you can also check out this page for more information.

About this Page:
I have been maintaining and adding to this list since sometime back in 1998. At the time I found it extremely difficult to get information about the bands around me. I decided to do seomthing about it so i started this list.Over time the list has grown, and has become a pet project of mine. I still enjoy updating this list from time to time. All the best in finding a community music group to get involved with.

Copying & Copyright
Please do not use the the data on this page to make your own lists. Instead of making your own derivative lists, it is a lot more effective to just direct people to my page. If you find an error on this page, please let me know so I can correct it. Collecting and keeping the data on this page is a lot of work for me and I take a lot of pride doing so. I ask that you please respect this. On the otherhand, if you are a printing a directory of bands, please contact me - I would be happy to contribute some content to it in exhange for a proper acknowledgement.

Note: If I contribute content to a publication and you are the publisher of that publication, please do not turn around one year later and then claim to own the data that you got from me. Doing so is very tacky, not to mention displays a complete lack of understanding of copyright law.

With that said, if you want to use some data from my list just ask! Just drop me an e-mail and I'll do my best to accomodate your request. Don't worry, I don't bite :)

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Page first created in January 1998.
Last updated: May 10, 2009