Orange County Preservation Bands Inc

To provide an environment where concert band and swing band music is preserved for the enjoyment of the listening public as well as the musicians who perform this style of music, and to keep this style of music alive and accessable for both the audience member and the musician.

Orange County Concert band was formed in 1971 by Randall coleman, the band director at Villa Park High School, at the request of Denis Finnegan, a recent graduate. Dr. Gary Lester was able to secure funding from the Orange City Council, who funded the band for several years. Several years later the Orange County Swing band was formed, and in April of 2008 both bands incorporated as the Orange County Preservation Bands, Inc. Currently, the Orange County Preservation Bands, Inc. provides a place for musicians to practice and perform both concert band and swing band music, as well as for audiences of all types to enjoy listening to this style of music. Through our connections to the local school districts, we are able to encourage the youth of orange county to become musicians and help preserve concert band and swing band music. We have even been able to budget scholarship money to assist Orange County students in attending the college of their choice.

The Orange County Preservation Bands, Inc. had a very successful 2022. In addition to our normal rehearsals and concerts, we were able to:
1. Commission a new piece of concert band music called "Orbits", by Sean Ivory, and Premier this music under the direction of Mr. Ivory.
2. Begin a new relationship with the Yorba Linda Cultural Arts Center in order to have a nice theater for musical performances.
3. Extend our relationship with the Orange Unified School District, performing with and assisting Orange High School and Santiago Charter Middle School.
For 2023, the Orange County Preservation Bands, Inc. has many goals, including:
1. Instituting $3,000 in scholarships for students to attend the college of their choice.
2. Featuring professional musicians to perform in concerts with us, including a vocalist from the LA Opera.
3. Continuing with and extending our relationships to other music programs including Orange Unified School District, as well as other community music organizations in Orange County.

Our budget for 2023 is about $15,000 with about $8,000 cash on hand. We need to cover the $7,000 deficit to:
1. Continue paying the salary of two conductors.
2. Purchase new music.
3. Pay operating expenses, including room fees, insurance, and supplies and repairs.
4. Provide scholarships to college students.
5. Provide funding to feature professional artists at concerts.

We primarily serve Orange County, although our director and some members are from Los Angeles County, and we have members from Riverside County. We have performed in all three counties.

The Orange County Concert Band and Orange County Swing Band, as two part of the Orange County Preservation Bands, Inc., are among the longest standing and experienced bands in Orange County. For 50 years we have provided extraordinary music for our audiences, often without charging a fee.

Although some musicians continue playing and/or singing into college, many musicians stop after high school. Churches and community choirs provide a venue for vocalists to continue singing, but there are not as many opportunities for band musicians to continue using their skills. This has a stifling effect on the genre of concert band and swing band music. Audiences don't have many opportunities to hear this style of music, so they don't add it to their spotify playlists, and the genre shrinks in comparison to other forms of music.

The Orange County Preservation Bands, Inc. helps to mitigate this loss. We provide an opportunity for average level adult musicians to engage with the community using their skills, and help to keep concert band and swing band music alive. And by coordinating with the local schools, we provide a bridge for students to continue as musicians into adulthood.