Harbour Quay in Southport will be filled with live music this Saturday, July 21 at 6:30 p.m. as the Port Alberni Centennial Committee presents the Nanaimo Concert Band in a free outdoor performance.
Bring your own chair, relax and listen to Canada’s oldest continuously operating concert band.
The Nanaimo Concert Band is recognized as one of the finest groups in the country, and has attracted some of the most experienced music directors in Canada.
The band was established in 1872, founded and conducted by Reverend James Reynard.
The first name given to the band was “The Nanaimo Junior Brass Band” but shortly thereafter it was renamed the “Nanaimo Brass Band”.
The band’s second conductor was Mark Bate, who was also the band’s president and the first Mayor of Nanaimo.
In 1889, the band was renamed the “Nanaimo Silver Cornet Band” after the distinctive silver-plated instruments purchased from J.W Pepper in the United States.
In the 1920s the band was known for the many honours its members won in competitions and was nicknamed the “Nanaimo Silver Cornet Prize Band”. It wasn’t until 1950 that it was renamed to the current name “ Nanaimo Concert Band”.
Saturday’s concert will be approximately two hours long. Pick up a drink or a snack from one of the Harbour Quay merchants and relax on Port Alberni’s waterfront.