Who we are
The Chesapeake Bay Wind Ensemble is an all-volunteer, non-profit concert band, which performs approximately six concerts per year for communities in the Hampton Roads area. As a non-profit, the Ensemble tries to give more than just music to its community. Since its founding, the band has given over five thousand dollars in scholarships to promising young musicians permitting them to further their education. With a variety of performers, the Chesapeake Bay Wind Ensemble has touched all ages on the Virginia Peninsula, while permitting the younger members to learn from the extensive experience of the older members. The Chesapeake Bay Wind Ensemble is a member of the Association of Concert Bands.
For more financial information about the ensemble, please click here for our 2018 annual report.
For more financial information about the ensemble, please click here for our 2018 annual report.
our mission
We strive to provide quality American Wind Music and promote adult bands in Hampton Roads and neighboring communities. We endeavor to accomplish this by offering high quality performances that engage and inspire all our listeners.
We engage the members of The Chesapeake Bay Wind Ensemble in an opportunity for individual and collective musical expression, artistic growth, and camaraderie.
We are strongly committed to the musical education of young people by providing the opportunity to hear, experience, and participate in live performances. We also award grants and other financial assistance to promising young musicians who have participated in the ensemble and indicate a desire to continue in music or the performing arts fields.
We engage the members of The Chesapeake Bay Wind Ensemble in an opportunity for individual and collective musical expression, artistic growth, and camaraderie.
We are strongly committed to the musical education of young people by providing the opportunity to hear, experience, and participate in live performances. We also award grants and other financial assistance to promising young musicians who have participated in the ensemble and indicate a desire to continue in music or the performing arts fields.
music vision
The Chesapeake Bay Wind Ensemble will emphasize genuinely American Music. This will include wind band music that portrays the various styles that have become synonymous with our country – Jazz, Ragtime, Blues, Popular Idiom (Country, Classic Rock & Roll etc), Cultural Styles, Musicals, Folk Songs, Dance Music from an Older Era, and, of course, Our Patriotic Heritage
There is a sound, a style that has developed that is distinctly American. It has grown out of the vast mixtures of cultures that embody our Nation. It has a vivaciousness and character unlike any other music in history. It conveys the story, the tragedy, and the joy of a young and searching country. American music cannot be categorized. It cannot be pinned down and labeled. It is the sum of all who were here and all who have come to this phenomenal Land.
There is a sound, a style that has developed that is distinctly American. It has grown out of the vast mixtures of cultures that embody our Nation. It has a vivaciousness and character unlike any other music in history. It conveys the story, the tragedy, and the joy of a young and searching country. American music cannot be categorized. It cannot be pinned down and labeled. It is the sum of all who were here and all who have come to this phenomenal Land.
OUR HISTORY
In 1998, local Virginia musicians Robert Arledge and (the late) Jim Paschall formed the Chesapeake Bay Wind Ensemble. This allowed the many exceptional local amateur, professional and semi-professional musicians to perform and share their musical expertise with the local community. Since inception, the Ensemble has become the Peninsula’s premier community-based performing group, currently including almost 60 musicians and focusing on symphonic works of American origin.