The following is a news release from the City of Lubbock:

Mayor Dan Pope will recognize the Westwinds Brass Band for their commitment to bringing music to the people of Lubbock at their Sunday Concert in the Park on Sunday, June 24, 2018, at 8:00 p.m. at Wagner Park. Mayor Pope will present a Special Recognition to the Westwinds Brass Band to commemorate their 53 years of providing summer concerts in Lubbock parks. Each summer, the Band holds a Sunday concert at Wagner Park for seven consecutive weeks beginning with the first Sunday in June. James Nance is the current Conductor of the Westwinds Brass Band, and he has provided a brief history of the group (see below).

“Over the past 53 years, the Westwind Brass Band has provided our citizens with terrific musical performances as part of the Concert in the Park series. Relaxing and listening to the Westwind Brass Band is a great way to enjoy a Sunday evening at Wagner Park, and I look forward to recognizing and honoring this very special musical legacy,” Mayor Pope said. “I encourage all residents to make plans to attend this Sunday’s concert, or to attend a future summer Sunday concert performance by the Westwind Brass Band at Wagner Park.” 

The Sunday Concerts in the Park will continue at Wagner Park at 8:00 p.m. on July 1, 8 and 15.  Participants are encouraged to bring their blankets, lawn chairs, and picnics as they enjoy this annual musical tradition.  Wagner Park is located at 26th Street and Flint Avenue. 

History of the Westwinds Brass Band:

Westwinds Brass Band is an outgrowth of the Lubbock Municipal Band founded in 1961 by Dean Killion who, at that time, was Director of Bands at Texas Tech University. The city band performed summer concerts until 1986 when Killion and Dick Tolley, a trumpet teacher at Tech, began experimenting with an all brass band that would be well suited for outside performances in West Texas.

The sounds of brass instruments can be heard above outdoor noises such as wind and traffic while the softer woodwinds cannot. The directors chose to pattern the band after the famous British Brass Bands, which include instruments of a conical bore which produce a round, mellow sound. Cornets are used instead of trumpets and alto horns in place of French horns.

The band is now in its 53rd year of performing the Concert in the Park series. In the beginning, performances were held each Sunday evening during June and July outside the Lubbock Garden and Arts Center. Later the concerts were moved to Wagner Park.

In addition to the summer concerts, the band performs in rest homes, retirement homes, the Civic Center, the 4th on Broadway celebration, the Lion’s Club Pancake Breakfast, the noon concerts in the Court House Gazebo, and at numerous surrounding towns such as Levelland, Sudan, Lamesa, Plainview, Lockney, and Dickens. The band represented Lubbock and Texas at a brass band festival in Las Vegas.

The first Dean Killion Scholarship Concert began on December 8, 1998, at the Cactus Theater in Lubbock, presenting a Christmas program.  The 1999 fundraiser moved to Texas Tech’s Hemmlie Hall where it remains today.

Without a permanent home, the Garden and Arts Center, Monterey High School, Lubbock Christian University, and Westmont Christian Church have provided rehearsal space. Currently the band rehearses at Coronado High School band hall during the winter and at Lubbock Christian School during the summer.

Dean Killion died in 1997. Phil Anthony assumed directorship in the summer and fall of 1997 with assistance from Richard Crawley of Lamesa. Crawley also made special arrangements for Westwinds instrumentation. Crawley passed away in June 2006.  Phil Anthony continued as conductor until January 2017 when the baton was passed to James Nance.

The band is incorporated as a tax-exempt non-profit organization with a board of directors. The group is all-volunteer and none of the members or directors are paid. Income is derived solely from donations.

(News release from the City of Lubbock)