The Second Wind Community Band was founded to give a space for the community’s music professionals, former students of the school band programs, and new adult musicians. Under the direction of Laura Mercer and Sean McLennon, the band gets together for practice on Thursday nights.
Second Wind will host the Cape Breton Community Band Fall Festival in Sydney on September 24 to 26. The “bandfest” is an annual event that welcomes community bands from across the Maritimes to have a weekend of practicing together, with a Sunday concert to show off the bands’ hard work. Workshops and warm-up spaces will be situated at Malcolm Munroe, and the final concert will be held at the Wentworth Park bandshell. The festival will have Rowan Fitzgerald of Charlottetown, PEI as this year’s guest conductor.
The festival will also be a gathering space for the Ron McKay Music For Life French Horn Choir, with a membership across four provinces. It was formed at last year’s Bandfest in memory of McKay, a well-loved Nova Scotia band teacher. The French Horn Choir convenes several times a year to practice and perform together.
Registration for the Second Wind Community Band takes place in the Malcolm Munroe school lobby on Thursday, September 2 at 6:30-8:30pm, and September 9 at 6:30-7:30. For more information about the Second Wind, Bandfest, or the French Horn choir, visit www.secondwindcommunityband.ca.
