DON’T MISS A BEAT!
Do you want to receive an email update for upcoming WCB concerts? If so, simply click this link to provide us with your name and email, and we will send you an email notification prior to any concerts! Don’t miss a beat, and be the first to know about WCB concerts.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
Click here to view our WCB calendar of upcoming events. As we have more information for you, posters will be added below with all of the details. Stay tuned!
In the Christmas Mood ~ Tuesday, December 9, 2025
Our annual Christmas concerts are fast approaching – Mark your calendars! This will be our second of two Christmas concerts for 2025, with this one being held in Dresden. We’ve got some phenomenal music on the playlist and as usual, some very special surprises! A WCB concert is NEVER just a concert!
In the Christmas Mood ~ Saturday, December 6, 2025
Here it is! Get the date on your calendar. Our Wallaceburg Concert Bands’ first of two annual Christmas concerts, with this one being held in our home town of Wallaceburg. We’ve got some phenomenal music on the playlist and as usual, some very special surprises! A WCB concert is NEVER just a concert, another reason we attract so many out of town supporters. Later this week, we’ll be starting our annual fall fundraising initiative which always sells out quickly. This year it will be the Toronto Maple Leafs vs Edmonton Oilers on Sat Dec 13th. Details coming soon.
PAST EVENTS
Did you miss our April 26th concert in Wallaceburg? No fear – come and join us in Blenheim, Sunday June 1st!
On With the Show! ~ Saturday, April 26, 2025
Don’t forget about our upcoming show! Have a listen to Dave’s interview on CKXS!
The anticipation for this concert by our members is off the charts. We say it every time….”this will be our best show yet” and it’s never been truer than for this show!. We continue to add new members, raise the bar of our performances, and add elements that you never expect to see or hear at this kind of a concert. Remember…”this isn’t your grandfather’s concert band” ! On top of our fantastic band, we will be welcoming no less than 5 very special guest artists who will be taking part in this show, and this will likely be your only opportunity to catch them. Seriously….don’t miss this concert, and drag a few friends along with you. While it’s rare for us to play our hand, here are a few questions that may clue you in to what’s on the playbill…..Are you a Gordon Lightfoot fan? Do you know who Steveland Morris is? Do you want to see local radio legend Greg Hetherington use those golden vocal chords in an unusual way? Do you like Guns ‘n Roses? Do you like funk music? Are you up on your 70’s disco music? Can you even imagine a concert band doing justice to a legendary country music song? Can you name any of the hits the revered songwriter Jimmy Webb has penned? Have you seen the movie La La Land? Who is Craig Pierce? Have you ever watched Looney Toons? It’s almost showtime! “Overture, cut the lights…..”
On With the Show! ~ Saturday, April 26, 2025
Hot off of the press….the poster for our upcoming concert. Yes, this will be our best, and most eclectic show to-date. Be sure to be a part of the audience that will be talking about this show the day after. Not only will the music be great, but we have some very special guest artists joining us who will help take you on a wild ride! We’re also planning to introduce a new concert set-up that will improve sight lines and hopefully better distribute our huge sound. Come and experience the richest sounding concert band around.
Well, it’s now 2025….Happy New Year! The first half of our 2024-2025 season was crazy busy for us. Traditionally, our fall season has been focused on preparing for our Christmas concerts, but this year, silly me decided to insert an additional concert that we presented at St. Paul’s Congregational Church in Chatham back in mid-October. That put Christmas preparations into panic mode once our “Autumn Adventure” in Chatham concluded. But this amazing band of musicians put out a Hurculean effort in getting our Christmas music ready in time for our Christmas concerts at the Capitol, and then again the following week here in Wallaceburg. The effort this group puts out never ceases to amaze me.
While some may wonder why we only perform a few times each year in Wallaceburg, it needs to be understood that unlike most bands, our history is short enough that the majority of the music we prepare is completely new to us each concert. Established bands, with established membership, have the luxury of pulling out material that they have performed previously and the prep time for that is minimal. We’ve arrived at our nine-year mark and now I will occasionally re-visit a score that we have performed before and know first-hand how much less time is required to whip those scores into playing shape. Speaking of being around for 9 years, NEXT season will be our 10th anniversary and we’re already mulling over how to celebrate this first milestone of our existence.
This week we will re-convene with folio’s packed with all-new music that we will begin preparing for our April 26th spring concert. Our best concert is always our next concert and as I always promise, this one will feature some unique offerings. Long-time supporters know that we always add an unexpected element or two that most would not envision a concert band playing. This keeps our audience’s guessing. “Expect the unexpected”. I don’t suggest that you miss what is on-tap for April. You will leave smiling…..I guarantee it. Remember…..this is not your grandfather’s concert band!
Dave
Adventum ~ Sunday December 1, 2024 ~ Chatham Capitol Theatre
Adventum ~ Saturday December 7, 2024 ~ Wallaceburg W.D.S.S.
Our Wallaceburg Concert Band has now concluded our Christmas concerts for this season, and what a glorious season it was! People frequently ask me afterward, “how did it go”? That is really a question that should be asked to someone who attended the concert instead of me. My role as Music Director compels me to listen to our concerts from a different perspective than that of a supporter in the audience. I always have the “best seat in the house” at the focal point of the bands gorgeous blend. By concert time, I’ve listened to the arrangements dozens of time from a constructively critical standpoint so I’m so close to the material that I’m not the one to ask “how did it go”? I exist merely to constantly provide feedback to make the music better in rehearsals and then wave my arms in a effort to keep everything together in our concerts. In attempting to put things into perspective, little things aside, I will say that the concerts were the pinnacle of our near decade-long existence. I always rave about the privilege I have to stand in front of these amazing musicians who have all become great friends to boot. Let it be known that this is not a collection of “band geeks”, but an assembly of wonderful musicians who are dedicated to their craft and take great pride in what they do. We seek musical challenges and great arrangements that take advantage of our extremely well-balanced instrumentation and we continue to raise the bar for ourselves. We concluded our Christmas season last evening and my mind has already turned to our spring concerts. Being required to work months in advance, much of our new music is either ordered or has already arrived and we’ll hit the ground running on January 7th with a pile of new, challenging scores on our stands, and these musicians welcome the challenge. I always like to think that our next concert will present our “best music yet” and spring 2025 will be no different.
I must tip my hat to our members who for the last week have moved more equipment than a construction company. While every band has to put in-place chairs and music stands, if you’ve yet to attend one of our concerts you have no idea just how much gear we move every concert and the effort we put in to make our concerts an “experience” beyond just the music. We have a whack of tiered staging, a backdrop, usually go to a lot of effort to decorate our stage, utilize our own screen and projection system, have our own lighting equipment, and a sophisticated sound system on top of large, heavy musical gear including a marimba, vibraphone, drum kit, 3 timpani, glock, congas, bongos, keyboard, and a host of other smaller hand percussion. We had so much gear at our Capitol concert that we were forced to rent 3 U-Haul trucks to move it all! But then, we need dozens and dozens of hands to load it all, set-it all up, then reverse the process after the gig is finished. If the general public could only witness the effort these people put in to make our presentations more than “just a concert”. This band is so incredibly unique that I will go out on a limb and suggest that there isn’t a community concert band ANYWHERE betwen here and Texas that puts as much physical effort into presenting a concert as this one does. And it happens here in little old Wallaceburg! The effort needs to be seen to be appreciated.
Anyway, thank you to everyone who took the time to attend one of our concerts over the past week. We were privileged to have you in our audience and hope that we’ve helped you “get your Christmas on” and wish you all the blessings of the season. Merry Christmas from all 56 of us!
Dave
The Wallaceburg Concert Band is back at it, for a new season, and is preparing for our next concert, Saturday October 19, 2024 at 7:00pm. This will be a concert like you have not heard before from the WCB. We hope you will join us. Please see the video or poster below for more information.
Did you miss our concert on April 13th? The band absolutely rocked the place and we’re going to do it all again….with the addition of even a few more songs….in a much more comfortable location. Plan to join us on Sunday afternoon, June 2nd at 2 pm in North Buxton. It is going to be a HUGE, rockin’ party! Bring your lawn chairs and join us on the grounds of the Buxton National Historic Site and Museum. They have a huge pavilion for us to play under, the grounds are huge, and unlike any other park we play in, food will be available! They are excited to host us in Buxton and we’re every bit as excited to bring our music to them! If you enjoyed our “Rock, Roll and Remember Concert in Wallaceburg, why not come out and hear it again before we pack the music away? Make the drive on a lazy Sunday afternoon and have a blast with us! You’ll hear music by The Stones, Michael Jackson, Toto, Paul McCartney, Steppenwolf, Chicago, Elton John, Deep Purple, Michael Buble, the Beatles, Aretha Franklin, music of the 50’s and 60’s, Frank Sinatra and some great vocals!
The WCB is proud to present their 2024 Spring Concert. This is a concert you will not want to miss, and most definitely be our best to date, with some of the best and different material we have ever presented! Mark you calendars now! We hope to see you there.
Did you miss our concert last Saturday? Good news…, we will be performing the same concert in Dresden, this coming Tuesday, December 12, 2023. Hope to see you there!
We hope you are going to come out and join us for this absolutely magical Christmas concert Saturday December 2, 2023!
One More Time ~ Sunday October 1, 2023
Were you unable to make it out to our May 27, 2023 concert? No need to fret! Come on out to Brander Park on Sunday October 1, 2023. Bring your lawn chair, sit back and relax, and take in the sounds of the Wallaceburg Concert Band as we share much of the May concert music “One More Time,” with a few slight changes. We are hoping to see you there!
Nothing But Hits ~ WCB Concert ~ May 27, 2023
The Wallaceburg Concert Band is happy to announce their next upcoming concert, titled “Nothing But Hits.”
Conductor Dave Babbitt recently shared some details on the WCB Facebook page:
Since we returned after our Christmas Break, we’ve had our sights set on our Spring Concert. It has been a long, hard winter of rehearsals but things are really starting to whip into shape. Our long-time supporters will know that I don’t like tossing around superlatives just to get people to our concerts. Honesty is important to me as I want to earn your trust. You will also know that we attempt to outdo ourselves on each successive outing by raising the bar of our playing through both hard work, and the choice of increasingly better, more challenging arrangements. Having said all of that, I truly believe that THIS music will be our finest to-date, and you’ll want to reserve the date of Saturday, May 27th right now. Long-time supporters will also know that it is a personal policy not to reveal what we will be playing in order to maintain an element of surprise at each concert. I’m actually so excited about this concert that I’m going to breach my own rule and “spill the beans” on at least SOME of our upcoming offerings. For example…Can you name the top 3 grossing Broadway musicals of all-time? How about the “world’s favourite musical ” Les Misérables”? Then there was “The Phantom of the Opera” and it’s glorious music, and then the biggest box-office generator of all-time. ”The Lion King”! We are determined to turn younger people on to our music so if The Lion King and it’s catchy African rhythm’s doesn’t attract your kids and grandkids, how about music from ”Aladdin”, the late Robin Williams/Disney Masterpiece. We’re also going to present music from maybe the musical with the catchiest melodies of all-time, ”Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat”. Our band anticipates rehearsing this score every week. We’re also going to do a mini-tribute to the late Andy Botai of WDSS fame by playing 3 classic arrangements that several of us played for him back in high school. One score will features the music of the recently passed Burt Bacharach, one will feature incredible music from Italian movies (you may not know them all by name, but you have heard them!) and one will feature the trumpet skills of Meighan Lung in a medley of old songs that I used to play. (Guaranteed that you will smile!) THEN…we’re going to feature a unique instrument that has been extremely rare in these parts for decades….the bassoon. We have been so fortunate to have bassoon player Fr. Chris Gillespie of the local Roman Catholic parish in our band for several years now, and I decided that it’s time to feature him and this unique instrument. Once again, you’ll smile and while I won’t reveal what the song is, old-timers will recognize it instantly. Topping it all off is a medley of hits by the supergroup consisting of Agnetha, Bjorn, Benny and Anni-Frid! Figured that one out yet? There are a couple other unique things that we’ll be presenting BUT there is only ONE opportunity to hear all of this music as we play all-new scores each outing…..then move on. If we attract the same crowd we had at the Chatham Capitol Theatre back in December, you will be competing for a seat and many will surely miss-out, but you can reserve the date right now!
As we begin to wind down from the hustle and bustle of rehearsals and concerts for our holiday break, the WCB would like to send out a very large thank you to all who supported us by attending our concerts, donating to the Salvation Army and our local food drives. We would also like to share our congratulations to the winner of our annual hockey ticket raffle, drawn by Dave Babbitt at our December 3rd concert. Congratulations goes to Marcia Simpson, the lucky winner of the hockey tickets and cash, with a total prize value of $1200.00.
Did you catch Jay’s interview on CKXS with WCB Conductor Dave Babbitt, and Stage Director Dan White? Listen to the interview here, to hear exciting updates and information about the two upcoming Wallaceburg Concert Band performances!
We are so very excited to share with you that the Wallaceburg Concert Band will be presenting two Christmas concerts this December. We are hoping you will come out and enjoy the sounds of the season presented by the WCB at either of our two shows, or maybe even both! We are also thrilled to announce that the Brass Factory Big Band will also be featured at our Chatham concert. Mark you calendars and come on out!
The WCB is happy to present their first concert after a more than 2 year absence. We are so very excited, and hope to see you all there. Read more in the Chatham Daily News.
We are extremely thrilled to share with you that exciting things are on the horizon. If you are just as excited, and don’t want to miss out on any upcoming W.C.B. concert events, make sure to subscribe to the upcoming events mailing list on the W.D.C.A. website.
WCB INFORMATION NIGHT
We’re back!
With our regular members shaking off the rust after a two year hiatus, we are enjoying getting back to rehearsals, and working toward upcoming concerts.
We are also very excited about restarting our Learn-to-Play program, as well as starting a brand new Return-to-Play program this fall. Planning is already underway, as there is lots to prepare for these programs.
If you are interested in joining the Wallaceburg Concert Band this fall, and would like to learn more about our different programs, please join us for an information session Wednesday April 27, 2022.
Read Dave’s recent column in the Courier Press for more information.
With rehearsals currently on a hiatus due to the pandemic, we apologize that all concerts and events for the WCB are currently on hold.
Stay tuned for an updated list of upcoming concerts and events!
Please enjoy this special little video in the meantime (click the link below):
A Million Dreams – WCB
MURDER MYSTERY DINNER THEATRE FUNDRAISER
February 14, 2020 ~ What a wonderful turn out! The murder mystery dinner theatre was a great success, and it sure looked like everyone had tons of fun.
CHRISTMAS TIME IS HERE
Thank you to all who came out to support and enjoy our WCB Intermediate Band Premiere Concert, December 17, 2019.
A WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS TIME ~ 2
December 3, 2019 ~ Another fabulous turn-out for our first ever concert in Dresden! Thank you for being so warm and welcoming. We truly enjoyed playing for you all!
A WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS TIME
November 30, 2019 ~ What a night! A wonderful evening, with a pretty cool “mystery selection,” that everyone seemed to love. Thank you all, who came out to support us once again. We hope you enjoyed it as much as we did. Merry Christmas to you all!
MUSIC IN BRANDER PARK
September 29, 2019 ~ Thank you to everyone who endured the rainy weather, to come and hear us play. We appreciated the great turn-out! Thanks so much for your support.
SPIES, SWASHBUCKLERS AND SUPERHEROES
Thank you to everyone who came out to join us Saturday May the fourth, 2019, for our spring concert – “Spies, Swashbucklers and Superheroes.”
FAMILY DAY BRUNCH!
Thank you to all who came out in support of the Wallaceburg Concert Band this past Family Day ~ Monday February 18, 2019, at The Clubhouse at Baldoon. The proceeds will help to further purchase much needed instruments.
2018 Christmas Concert
A CHRISTMAS SLEIGH RIDE
Our recent Christmas concert that took place Saturday December 1, 2018 resulted in a full house. Thank you to all who attended, and helped to make it such a huge success. We (the WCB) were all blessed beyond measure with the phenomenal turn-out and the positive feedback that was received.
New Members Night
It’s that time of year again…, The Wallaceburg Concert Band is accepting new members for the 2018-2019 concert season. Please come out and join us Monday June 11, 2018 at the WDSS music room, meet the band, see what we are all about, and consider joining us for our upcoming season!
Summer Concert
Our first ever outdoor concert, Sunday June 10, 2018 was a great success. Although extremely windy, we had a wonderful turnout. Thanks for joining us!
2018: A MUSICAL ODYSSEY
Our 2018 spring concert, held on Saturday April 28, 2018, was a huge success. Thank you to all who came out to support our Wallaceburg Concert Band.
Read the pre-concert feature article in the Sydenham Current.
Boston Pizza Fundraiser
Thank you to all who came out, enjoyed some fabulous food, and supported our fundraiser, Monday March 19, 2018.
Clubhouse at Baldoon Family Day Brunch Fundraiser
Thank you to those who were able to join and support the Wallaceburg Concert Band at this fabulous Family Day Brunch.
A special thank you to 99.1 FM CKXS, for promoting our fundraiser on your Facebook page with a contest to win 2 tickets for the brunch that took place Monday February 19, 2018.
Tickets were also sold at the door of the Clubhouse at Baldoon during the event.
CHRISTMAS COMES TO TOWN
The Wallaceburg Concert Band presented its’ first official public Christmas concert “Christmas Comes To Town,” on Saturday December 9, 2017. It was a full house, and we are all so very appreciative of the kind words shared by the community.
Check out the pre-concert Courier Press feature article.
Have a listen to the live interview with Dave and Mark on 99.1 FM CKXS prior to the concert.
NEW MEMBER’S NIGHT!
As advertised in the Wallaceburg Courier Press, the Wallaceburg Concert Band held its’ “New Members Night” on Monday September 18’th, 2017, at 7:00 pm in the WDSS Music Room.
Musical Director, Mr. Dave Babbitt was there to give an overview of the program which is entirely free. There were many in attendance, and we are extremely excited about the new musicians joining us. This looks like an exciting season for the Wallaceburg Concert Band!
THE MUSIC AWAKENS!
The Wallaceburg Concert Band held its’ first public concert titled “THE MUSIC AWAKENS!” on Tuesday May 30’th, 2017, in the W.D.S.S. Auditorium. Read all about it in the following Sydenham Current, and Wallaceburg Courier Press attached links:
- WCB Holding Free Concert At WDSS
- Thrilling Debut for WCB
- Free Concert With The WCB
- Community Concert Band to Perform Free Concert
OUR FIRST “UNOFFICIAL” PERFORMANCE
Although only together for a very short time, the Wallaceburg Concert Band treated the Oak’s Retirement Village to a small Christmas Concert, on Tuesday December 6, 2016. It was a packed house, and a thrill for all of us to perform for this amazing audience.
HELPING HANDS
Thanks to Union Gas – Helping Hands, and to the many band members who dedicated their time and energy to cleaning instruments, and cleaning and organizing the music room, in preparation of our growing new community concert band! Read more about it in the Chatham Daily News.
Wallaceburg Concert Band 