About Encore...The Concert Band

"Encore…The Concert Band" was established in 1993 to perform, preserve and enhance concert band music in the Greater London area. To accomplish this goal Encore performs a series of 6 concerts every year, including a special annual Christmas concert the proceeds of which are donated to Mission Services of London. All concerts are scheduled on Sunday afternoons and take place in downtown London in the auditorium of Central Secondary School. Audiences for each concert usually exceed 450 and have reached the auditorium capacity of 525.

The 65 musicians playing in Encore come not only from London, but also from Strathroy, Grand Bend, Dorchester, Aylmer and Brights Grove, and represent all walks of life drawn from the community at large. Eleven are active/retired music educators. Additionally Encore provides places for talented high school music students who have been recommended by their band director. This enables them to play at a higher performance level than in their school and increases their confidence level in all phases of their music education. All band musicians are volunteers and do not receive pay for their performances.

The administration, planning and policy of the band are directed by a core volunteer board of 12 members from both inside and outside the band. Each concert requires a further 25 volunteers and usually 10 are high school music students fulfilling their community hours. Another volunteer committee of music educators is responsible for concert programming and their choice of repertoire is selected for audiences of varied ages and musical tastes. The programs contain, as often as possible, music composed by Canadian composers including London local composers and arrangers. A publicity committee advises patrons of concerts by mailing out brochures, ads placed in the London Free Press, posters posted in senior residences, seniors community centers, in public places downtown and in shopping malls. Patrons attending concerts receive programs with background details of music that will be performed as well as guest artist information.

The conductor, Gwyn Beynon, is one of SW Ontario's best-known musicians and is an outstanding music educator, conductor, arranger and performer.

Encore has made three CD's - the first in 1998, the second in 2000 and the third in 2004 to celebrate the band's 10th anniversary.

Encores vision is:

1 Provide an environment for dedicated and highly skilled musicians to develop and excel at their craft through rehearsal and performance.
2 Be a musical institution that preserves and enhances concert band music.
3 Be a community asset that enriches the cultural and social life of the Greater London area.

Audience numbers over the last five years suggest the vision is being fulfilled.

Encore…The Concert Band is a registered non-profit organization. Charitable Donation # is 88567-7237-RR0001.

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