HALDIMAND—It’s been a great 70 years of entertaining the community since the Haldimand-Norfolk Concert Band first formed under the roof of the Christian Reformed Church in Jarvis back in 1955.
The original group, dubbed the Jarvis Christian Band Crescendo, consisted of Dutch immigrants. A brass-only band at first, the group would eventually morph into the Jarvis Concert Band in the 1980s as new instruments such as woodwind and percussion joined the mix.
New instruments weren’t the only fresh ingredient in the band, however, as members from all around Haldimand and Norfolk started to join up, prompting a name change to the current title in the early 1990s.
“Our whole objective is to entertain folks, we do it in Haldimand and Norfolk counties. We play a lot of churches, retirement homes, the Santa Claus parade in Hagersville, wherever our schedule allows, and somebody wants us,” said band member Gary Ferris.
To mark that long history, the band has dubbed their 2025 summer concert series their 70th Anniversary Tour.
That annual run of shows is the culmination of a year’s worth of effort for the band.
“We rehearse at Hagersville Secondary School from September to the end of April. Our summer concert season starts in May and we have 10 concerts throughout Haldimand and Norfolk County,” said Ferris.
Currently, the band consists of 51 members. In addition to a full complement of woodwinds, the band also features clarinets, saxophones, oboes, bassoons, French horns, trumpets, trombones, percussion, and a tuba for good measure, with Music Director Joanne Romanow at the helm.
While the core of the group is drawn from local communities including Fisherville, Selkirk, Hagersville, Dunnville, Port Rowan, and Port Dover, many out of town members make the weekly commute from Brantford, Hamilton, and Tilsonburg.
“We have quite a range of musicians. Some of them are musicians in terms of a profession, a couple of them are music teachers, the rest of us have just played over the years. My wife and I played with the United Alumni Drum Corps until it folded,” said Ferris. “We had nothing to do until we saw a couple members of Haldimand Norfolk Concert Band.”
Joining up, both Ferris and his wife were handed instruments they not overly familiar with, a French horn and a saxophone respectively.
“It was a bit of a learning curve but everybody was helpful,” he said.
In fact, that seems to be theme for members, “It’s a very friendly, very helpful group. We have all ages. I think our youngest is 17 and our oldest is well into their 80s.”
As for music, the band likes to stretch their muscles, tackling a wide variety of genres from international marches, to classical, to nolstagic pop music like The Beach Boys, to pieces from modern films such as How To Train Your Dragon.
While the band rarely travels outside Haldimand-Norfolk’s borders, “technically we go to different countries with the pieces we’re playing.”
Ferris summed up why the band remains popular and vital in the community seven decades later, noting how following performances, band members mingle with the audience and receive accolades.
“Maybe they heard a favourite piece they haven’t heard in years, it might remind them of something from the past. It feels good to just put a smile on people’s face and entertain them for an hour and half,” he said.
The band can be seen next at Faith Centennial United Church in Selkirk on May 29 at 7:30 p.m. Their 70th anniversary tour continues throughout June with dates in Simcoe, Port Dover, and Waterford. For more information, search for the band on Facebook, where the full tour schedule can be found. Performances are free of charge, with the band encouraging donations to the church venues they perform at.
