About Us
Concerts
We perform 9–12 free concerts per year: formal fall, winter, and spring concerts, festive Christmas concerts, and a summer concert series.
Our repertoire draws on many wind band subgenres, such as modern and period works, orchestral transcriptions, marches, and showtunes. We strive for a balanced blend of music that pleases and challenges audience and performer alike.
No tickets needed. See our calendar for upcoming events.
Most concerts are hosted by the Norris Cultural Arts Center in St. Charles and take place on a Sunday afternoon. See our schedule for more details.
Join the Band
Come try us out for a few rehearsals before you audition!
We rehearse Tuesday nights from 7:30–9:30, year-round, with rehearsal breaks in late December and August in St. Charles, Geneva, and Batavia, Illinois.
For auditions, prepare the current ILMEA scale sheet. Some instrument sections have additional audition requirements, but most sections currently have openings.
Contact Us
Fox Valley Concert Band
PO Box 1422
St. Charles, IL 60174
To book the Band
Contact Brian Liska, our current president, for availability, at president@fvcb.org.
Band History
The Fox Valley Concert Band was founded in January of 1983. Created from a smaller ensemble sponsored by the St. Charles Park District, this community band was composed of volunteers and a paid musical director. From the start, we had a vision:
- ‣ The Band would be “The Fox Valley’s Own” and bring music to area residents of all ages.
- ‣ The Band would perform throughout the year.
- ‣ The Band would seek members drawn to the practice and performance of the best in concert band music.
- ‣ The Band would be built on the generosity, volunteering, and camaraderie of its community.
Our first rehearsal was in the St. Charles High School band room with Bruce R. Patzer, who had served as conductor of the district band. Our first concert was May 1983 in the St. Charles Norris Cultural Arts Center, where we still perform today.
In 1984 Richard K. Radek, principal trumpet, was selected as conductor, and Mr. Patzer became principal percussionist. Under Mr. Radek, the Band was incorporated as an Illinois not-for-profit organization. Frank V. Bibb was appointed conductor in 1988. He directed through mid-1989 and, after a series of guest conductors, was succeeded by Craig Roselieb in mid-1990.
The current conductor of the Band, Dr. Colin Holman, mounted the podium in 1993 and has seen us into our 40th season.
We hoped the Fox Valley community would support us. And support us, the community has! Individuals, businesses, and groups throughout the Fox Valley have contributed to our mission. The Band has received grants from the cities of St. Charles and Geneva, the United Arts Board of the Fox Valley, and the Illinois Arts Council.
While the first roster had 40 members, the Band now has over 75 musicians and draws from more than 30 communities in the suburbs of Chicago (mostly St. Charles, Naperville, Aurora, and Elgin).
Many members have been part of the Band for decades. We are music teachers, business professionals, engineers, administrators, students—on concert day we are percussion movers, stage decorators, refreshment preppers, and very, very excited to share the concert experience with you.