Spring Interlude: A Community Music Showcase

The Campbell River Community Band has prepared an upbeat and fun set of medleys highlighting rock, funk, and Motown classics from the mid 1960’s and 70’s. You’ll hear selections by The Jackson 5, Tower of Power, Electric Light Orchestra, and Led Zeppelin. Don’t miss out hearing these unique medlies of monumental artists that have had a profound effect on the music industry since their conceptions!

The Campbell River Community Band was founded in January of 1996 by its then director, Céline Ouellette. Over those twenty-seven years, players from Campbell River, the Comox Valley and Quadra Island have met on Wednesday nights to enjoy the wonderful world of concert band music. Members range in age from students to pensioners. Several couples are band members, and on many occasions parents and their children have played together. Many of the musicians have been playing in the band since its first rehearsal: A true community ensemble!

The Campbell River Community band is currently under the direction of Kolya Kowalchuk, who holds two bachelor degrees from McGill University, one in composition and another in music education. During his studies, he had the pleasure of conducting the McGill wind symphony, McGill symphonic band, Winnipeg Wind Ensemble, and McGill Fight Band. More recently, Kolya completed a master’s in music curriculum and instruction from Acadia University as a student of Dale Lonis and Ardith Haley. Kolya’s principal instruments are classical piano, and percussion. He maintains his musical skills by teaching and leading bands atÉcole Phoenix Middle School and Carihi Secondary School.

The Strathcona Big Band will be bringing you a set of music that pays homage to our roots when we were known as the CAMPA Big Band in the 1970’s. The CAMPA Big Band was a collection of the finest musicians from all over Vancouver Island. They had a vast library of big band music that The Strathcona Band was fortunate enough to inherit. We will be bringing you a selection of tunes from this amazing library that feature many of the big band era’s greatest hits including Glenn Miller’s “In The Mood”, Woody Herman’s “Woodchoppers Ball”, and Frank Sinatra’s version of “Come Fly With Me”.

The Strathcona Big Band is led by Erin Dwyer, a born and raised “Campbell Riverite” who pursued a music education in Jazz Studies at both Vancouver Island University and Camosun College. The Strathcona Big band is made up of regular people who are immensely talented and enjoy making music together. We currently feature members who have been with us since our CAMPA Big Band days, as well as students from Carihi, and some new faces who have recently moved to the north island.

Erin and Kolya are old friends from high school who have joined forces in Campbell River to make it a more musical place, and connect people of all ages who enjoy creating and playing together. We can’t wait to share this show with the community. See you there!

Tickets: $15 Admission (+applicable taxes & fees)