Woodinville Community Band Performs Saturday Night in Redmond

The Woodinville Community Band will perform a mix of classical and holiday music in a unique concert at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Performing Arts Center. Holst, Gould, Ticheli, Reineke, are just a few of the composers who music will be heard during the evening performance directed by Leah MacDuffie.

Woodinville Community Band, for 18 years one of the best and most respected ensembles in Puget Sound, the band performs for the love of music. In other words, none of the 50-60 members of the nonprofit band gets paid for his or her efforts. Saturday’s concert is free, but donations will gratefully be accepted, according to Greg Gagle, bass clarinet player and band marketing director.

The band has a long history in Woodinville; it was begun in 1993 when Carol Edwards put an ad in her paper, the Woodinville Weekly, calling for musicians to form a community band in the newly incorporated city. More than 40 musicians answered the call, according to the band’s website.

Around 1997, the first Jazz band was formed, Tsunami Big Band, which has since gone on to success as an independent group.The second and current jazz band, The Eastside Modern Jazz Orchestra (formerly The Woodinville Jazz Ensemble), formed in 2002. The WCB has encouraged members to form smaller performance ensembles which include Brass5 (2004), The Whistling Cricket Bayou Dixieland Band (2005), Professor Gadget Sax Quartet (2006) and others.

The Concert Band, the original ensemble and face of the WCB, is a traditional wind symphony featuring woodwind, brass, percussion and stringed basses. Led by director Leah MacDuffie, the band plays classical music, show tunes, marches and contemporary pieces.

The Redmond High School Performing Arts Center is located at 17272 Northeast 104th Street in Redmond.

Brian Soergel contributed to this story.