Sackville Community Band Society

The Sackville Concert Band was established in September 2002 under the auspices of the Sackville Community Band Society. Instrumentalists from all walks of life including former and current musicians of the Canadian Armed Forces, music educators and a myriad of other experienced wind and percussion instrumentalists are included in the band’s roster. Many of the musicians write and arrange music, some sing and play secondary instruments and others help administratively. The Society also sponsors the 9am Band which is made up of junior and senior high school musicians, adults who had played in school and community ensembles when they were younger and adults who have taken up learning to play wind and percussion instruments later in life.

The mission of the Society’s ensembles is to act as goodwill musical ambassadors for Nova Scotia through high standards of performance, to foster pride throughout the communities of Halifax, Dartmouth, Bedford and Sackville and to promote the artistic development of young instrumentalists. The band appears at many community functions and performs a variety of challenging and entertaining repertoire.

The Sackville Concert Band’s Principal Conductor is Jim Forde, a former Stadacona Band Director, former Producer of the Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo and a Past-President of the Nova Scotia and Canadian Band Associations. Associate Conductor and arranger Peter van der Horden is also a former Stadacona Band Director and a long-time instrumentalist, arranger and conductor with the Salvation Army. The 9am Band is directed and conducted by Danielle Chute a music educator originally from Newfoundland. Danielle holds a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Acadia University. The Sackville Community Band Society is guided by a 13 member Board of Directors – the current Society President is Kerri Dorey.

Information on future performances and vacancies in the Sackville Concert Band, and the 9am Band, can be obtained by visiting the Society’s website at www.sackvilleband.com or by e-mailing sackvilleband@gmail.com.