About the Band
Community Bands have been an enduring part
of Americana. The San Diego Concert Band proudly continues
that tradition. Based in East County, we serve San Diego and neighboring
counties, and have acted as cultural ambassadors in performances
overseas.
Originally founded as the La Mesa Community Band
in 1989 by Charles D. Yates and Warren Torns, the San Diego Concert
Band continues to provide the best in concert band music to audiences
in San Diego and abroad. Celebrating two decades of entertaining
San Diego residents, this band has an exciting schedule of concerts
planned this year. Over the years, the annual spring and winter
concerts have been performed throughout the county, including East
County Performing Arts Center, the beautiful setting of Point Loma
Nazarene University and the Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community
Center. A more casual summer series of "concerts in the park" are
performed at the Southern California Community Band Festival (in
Poway), La Mesa's Harry Griffen Park, La Jolla Cove, and Balboa
Park. The band frequently features solos, full sections and small
ensembles. A wide range of music is performed, from show tunes,
movie scores and marches to concert pieces for symphonic band.
At its peak, the Band sold out the 1,200 seat East County Performing
Arts Center (ECPAC) twice in 1991. At the time, the Band membership
included well over 100 local musicians.
Our Conductor - Abelardo D. Flores,
a published composer, received
his Bachelor of Arts degree in music from San Diego State University,
where he studied composition with David Ward-Steinman and Merle
Hogg. His original compositions and arrangements have been programmed
by groups such as the United States Air Force Band in Washington
D.C., the First Marine Division Band, the Tifereth Israel Community
Orchestra, The Charleston Symphony Wind Quintet, the Mansfield
University Concert Wind Ensemble, the Western New England Brass
Choir, the Curtis Institute of Music Brass Ensemble, the Angelo
State University Wind Ensemble, the Kearny Mesa Concert Band, and
many others. His orchestration of Lazare Saminsky's "The Vow" has
been recorded by pianist Barry Goldsmith and the Royal Scottish
National Orchestra on the Kleos Classics label. Mr. Flores' concert
band works have also been featured at the National Concert Band
Festival in Indianapolis. He composed the "Curtain Raiser" which
opens every concert of the San Diego Concert Band. His compositions
are available through TRN Music, Wehr's Music House, and BAS Publishing.
He also serves as a music educator in San Diego. He has been the
Music Director of the San Diego Concert Band since 2001.
For rehearsal information Click
here