On June 22, the Brantford Memorial Concert at Bell Homestead brought over 100 people together for an afternoon of music in the sun.

The band sat picturesquely poised beneath a willow tree, playing their spring repertoire while dandelion poofs rhythmically decorated the sky around them.

According to Brian Wood, curator at the Bell Homestead, the Brantford Memorial Concert Band has been performing at the Homestead for approximately the past five years. He states, “It’s a way of highlighting another community organization, like the Memorial Concert Band. [It’s] all part of the Brantford School of Instrumental Music, and a lot of people don’t know that it still exists … And it’s another way of bringing people to the site, to the Homestead.”

The Brantford Memorial Band plays four major concerts a year, and then plays for four seniors’ homes in the month of June—coincidentally coinciding with seniors’ month.

Conductor Sean Colwell says, “We like to see people come out and listen, and [the band] loves to play.” The Brantford Memorial Concert Band will be taking the months of July and August off, and will then practice their fall repertoire to prepare for their concert in October.

The outdoor concert brought some much-desired attention to the Bell Homestead, and drew attention to the Bell Summer Theatre Festival. The theatre festival starts on July 4, and continues into August.

To learn more about the Bell Summer Theatre Festival and Bell Homestead, click here.

For more information about the BrantfordMemorial Concert Band and the Brantford School of Instrumental Music, click here.

www.bsim.ca/.