Follow the link below for more information on how to become a member of the Valley Winds Music Association.
History
Updated: March 30, 2009 by NHValley Winds Big Band performing in Rolston Hall at The Banff Centre, May 2010.
The Valley Winds was started in the fall of 1994. Bob Aishford, who was then the president of the Rotary Club of Canmore, went to his club with the idea of starting a band in Canmore as a legacy project. Music and bands had been a big part of Canmore's history during the coal mining days. The Rotary Club agreed to give the band the initial seed money to launch the first season.
The concept for the community band was adapted from the Westwinds Music Association in Calgary. Bob had been a member of this group for the two years prior to starting the Valley Winds. With the assistance of a director from Calgary the Valley Winds Concert Band was started.
The goal during the first couple of years was simple. Let's have fun and make music. Interested participants were encouraged to look in their closets for an instrument that they or possibly a family member used to play. In order to "level the field" participants were not allowed to play an instrument that they were already proficient on. For example, Russ Peardon was asked to play the euphonium because he was an accomplished clarinet player. Funding from the Rotary Club allowed the association to rent instruments for members that could otherwise not afford to be members.
