Boston Festival of Bands

On Saturday, June 10th, 2023 in Boston’s famed Faneuil Hall, the MetWinds invite you to its 33rd annual Boston Festival of Bands! Admission is free. Seven of New England’s finest wind ensembles will take the stage between 11:00am and 6:00pm. Listen to the talented bands performing and enjoy a day of music, shopping, dining, and more in the heart of Faneuil Hall near Boston Harbor. You will hear concert bands of all kinds and sizes, and you will join the fun with many band-loving audience members who come each year to hear this exciting potpourri of wind bands.

Schedule of Bands

11:00 Seacoast Wind Ensemble, Kittery, ME

Dr. Mark Stickney, Artistic Director. A community band with approximately 55 members with diverse backgrounds serving New Hampshire, Northern MA, and Southern ME.

12:00 Charles River Wind Ensemble, Chestnut Hill, MA

Matthew M. Marsit, Conductor. Founded in 1998, a music group with the mission of promoting the performance, appreciation, and composition of classical and contemporary wind ensemble music.

1:00 Metropolitan Wind Symphony, Boston, MA

Richard Wyman, Music Director. Founded in 1971, a 70 member concert band based in Greater Boston that is the founder/host of the Festival.

2:00 Amherst Community Band, Amherst, MA

Dr. Timothy Todd Anderson, Conductor. A band made up of people of all ages who rehearse and perform unique concerts each summer for free in Amherst.

3:00 The American Band, Providence, RI

Dr. Brian Cardany, Conductor. Founded in 1837, a symphonic concert band comprised of over 50 adult musicians from Rhode Island and nearby Connecticut and Massachusetts.

4:00 Chelmsford Community Band, Chelmsford, MA

Eric Linsner, Conductor. Founded in 1972, the Chelmsford Community Concert Band is a nonprofit, volunteer band comprised of 60 woodwind, brass, and percussion instrumentalists from all walks of life, including professional musicians, educators, engineers, and small business owners.

5:00 Concord Band, Concord, MA

James O’Dell, Music Director. The Concord Band was founded in 1959 as a marching unit for Concord’s Patriots’ Day parade, and has been, since 1970, exclusively a concert organization. The sixty-five-member band performs more than fourteen concerts each year at the 51 Walden Performing Arts Center.

The entire festival is free of charge. There are no tickets but voluntary donations will be gratefully accepted. Please note that you may enter the hall at any time throughout the day. There will be a 20 minute break between each performance to reset the stage and allow time for the next band to warm up in the hall.

Visit the MetWinds web page at http://www.metwinds.org or call the MetWinds Concert Line at (978) 419-1697 for more information. Email mws@mws-boston.org with any questions.

Founded by Jerry Gardner in 1971, the Metropolitan Wind Symphony, a concert band, is currently celebrating its 51st anniversary. The MetWinds comprises over 70 talented woodwind, brass, and percussion instrumentalists who audition for membership and seating. It makes a significant contribution to the cultural life of the Greater Boston community by providing its audiences with high quality concerts and its members with opportunities for musical growth.

This and other concerts by the MetWinds are funded in part by the Massachusetts Cultural Council and the National Endowment for the Arts.