As we finally move into spring, the arts scene will feature performances by our brand new community band which will celebrate its successful first year with a concert on June 14 at 7 pm at the North Peace Cultural Centre. It will be An Evening at the Movies and will feature music from many blockbuster movies and some original concert band music.

The Northern Winds Community Band started in September with less than ten members, and has grown to 20 over the course of the year. As the band grew in size, band leader, Sabrina Bailey, scheduled several concerts in the community to build exposure. The first concert was a collaboration with the Fort St. John Alliance Church and the Northern Lights Youth Choir for Remembrance Day. After that concert, our saxophone and clarinet sections grew in size. Our Christmas concert was in the hospital foyer, where we played a full concert for staff and patients at the care home. After that concert we got a bassoon, french horn, flute and percussionist!

January was spent volunteering time to help Sandra Gunn's school band with the Dr. Kearny musical Anne of Green Gables. In March, the band participated in the annual CDC Talent Show, where they were met with thunderous applause. April was a serious month as we prepared for, and played in the Peace River North Festival of the Arts. Literally the next day, our trumpet and percussion sections doubled in size! The band receive warm praise from adjudicator, John White, who was impressed with the band’s repertoire and the ability shown by this relatively small group. They were awarded for their efforts by being given the honor of playing in the Best of the Fest concert afterwards. After this, another baritone sax joined us.

In May, we join forces with the Northern Lights Youth Choir for their Spring Concert, Spring Sing, on May 12 at 2:00 pm at the Cultural Centre. We have yet to see what new members this may attract!

The Northern Winds Community Band invites everyone to join them for their Spring Concert to enjoy an evening of music and to see how far this wonderful addition to the Fort St. John arts scene has come in less than one year.
 

The 2013 edition of the Peace River North Festival came to a close on Sunday night with the "Best fo the Fest" Honour Concert, a sampling of some outstanding performances from the week of the festival as chosen by adjudicators Sylvia Shadick-Taylor, John White, Heath Onstine, Kerry Lynn Turner and Julie Tomaino. The adjudicators may not have enjoyed our weather, but they had nothing but praise for the efforts the performing artists of the region. The evening included the Northern Lights Youth Choir and, for the first time, the Northern Winds Community Band along with performance in piano, violin, guitar, banjo, speech, trumpet and many forms of dance by dancers from Fort St. John, Dawson Creek and Fort Nelson. Some of the dancers of Aurora Dance Centre in Fort Nelson had driven as far as Wonowon when they got the word that they had been chosen for the show, and they turned around and came back to be a part of the evening.

The final evening also included the announcement of our provincial delegates and presentation of the major awards of the festival. Our region will be represented at the BC Performing Arts Festival in Chilliwack by a talented group of delegates, as follows:

Music Awards

Dance Awards