Building Community Through Music
The Alexandria Citizens Band is an all-volunteer community band that has been serving the community since 1912.
Our Story
We were founded in 1912, and made our first public appearance in the George Washington Birthday Celebration Parade of 1914. We have been continuously active ever since, and today we are as vibrant as our hometown of Alexandria.
Not only are we one of the oldest community bands in America, but we have one of the largest libraries of music, thanks to a donation by our late conductor, John Pickerel. We hold his private collection of musical compositions, which span all genres of band music and all skill levels.
Now in our 109th season, we play concerts throughout the year that are popular and fun. We play music people love to hear, and our 25 band members love to play – Broadway, movies, jazz, patriotic, and classic band music.
We are led by the very gifted Mike Evans, a music instructor and Army Reserve musician. By day our diverse volunteer musicians are teachers, small business owners, service members, lawyers, rocket scientists, housewives, retirees, construction workers, engineers, diplomats, and Uber drivers and other professions.
We come together to practice most Friday evenings, and share our passion for music.
Every year we perform our own series of free winter, spring, and summer bashes; hold a very popular annual Holiday Sing-Along that has been featured in the Washington Post: and perform at neighborhood events, such as Del Ray’s Art on the Avenue.
We enjoy bringing music to a new generation of listeners, as well as visiting senior homes to make music accessible to all. Our concerts are often broadcast live on social media.
In addition to our concert band, we also have a 10-member swing band that was formed in the early 1980s. Led by Martin Horn, it specializes in performing music of the ’40, ‘50s, ‘60s, and ‘70s. For the past several years, the swing band has been privileged to perform as part of the Honor Flight program, saluting veterans when they arrive at the airport as they visit war memorials in Washington D.C.
Our program is generously funded through a grant by the City of Alexandria, Office of the Arts’ Arts Grant Program. We also are grateful to Del Ray United Methodist Church for hosting us!
