The Abbotsford Concert Band returns to Fraser River Heritage Park in Mission for the Envision Twilight Concert Series on Friday, June 15 from 7 to 8 p.m.
The Abbotsford Concert Band has been a part of the music community in the Fraser Valley for 50 years, playing a wide assortment of music from marches to dance music to symphonic festival pieces.
They have played at festivals, concerts, parades, and the band currently has about 40 members ranging in age from teens to 80s.
The band started in 1960 with eight young musicians and grew to more than 60 members in the first year.
In 1965, an adult band that had been playing as a small group amalgamated with the junior band, forming the nucleus of the Abbotsford Concert Band.
They performed regular summer concerts at Jubilee Park and also travelled as musical ambassadors, playing in parades and concerts in B.C., Alberta, Washington and farther, including Expo 86 and Expo 74.
Currently, the band performs at more than a dozen engagements each year, from community events and fundraisers to festivals and concerts.
Next week, the concert series features Arnold Shoichet on Wednesday, June 20 from 7 to 8 p.m.
Long known to Mission as a songwriter, musician, and family doctor, Shoichet returns to the Twilight Series with an extensive repertoire of original songs. His writing explores a wide range of ideas and musical styles, and reflects his love of harmony and rhythm, and his reverence for simple language.
He also brings to the songwriter’s art an uncommon perspective, having spent much of his adult life as a small-town family doctor, intimate with the joys and hardships of many lives.
Admission to Envision Twilight concerts are by donation. Fraser River Heritage Park is located at 7494 Mary St. in Mission. For more information, call 604-826-0277.