The Sillars Windband is a group of about 20 amateur woodwind and brass players based in Norwich, Norfolk.

The windband was formed in 2005. It specialises in entertaining the elderly in residential homes in and around Norwich, but it also performs in churches and other venues. It takes its name from Archie Sillars, who founded the Sillars Light Orchestra in 1926.

Our repertoire

Aiming for variety, we play short  pieces which are easy to listen to and often well-known.

Recent pieces were..

Pirates of the Caribbean
Bolero (Ravel)
Ashokan Farewell
Turkish March (Beethoven)
Carmen Selection
Theme from "The Godfather"
Mamma Mia! (ABBA film selection)
My Heart Will Go On (TITANIC Theme)
Show Boat Selection

Recent Concerts

Tuesday 5th December:  Friends and family.

Tuesday 12th December: Daisy Hill Court 

Tuesday 19th December: Acle Methodist Church

Future Concerts

1. Tuesday 21st May, 7:30pm. Acle Methodist Church: 2 Bridewell Ln, Acle, Norwich NR13 3RA. 

2. Saturday 22nd June, 7:30pm. St David's Church: Plumstead Rd, Thorpe End, Norwich NR13 5BF. (Concert in aid of guide dogs charity)

3. Tuesday 9th July, 7:30pm. Daisy Hill Court Westfield View, Bluebell Rd, Eaton, Norwich NR4 7FL.

4. Tuesday 16th July, 7:30pm. Ipswich Road Reformed Church (usual rehearsal venue). Friends and family concert and the last session before the summer break. Nibbles and drinks to be arranged nearer the time. 

We usually share our concerts with guest singers or soloists in order to provide a varied programme.  We would be pleased to be approached by groups  or soloists wishing to share concerts.

The windband  plays  in residential homes and also performs concerts in order to help community groups and churches to raise funds. If your organisation is interested in hosting a concert, please contact us. We do not charge for performances. However, most of our hosts do provide us with a donation to help towards  expenses such as  the costs of sheet music.

Vacancies for players

We aim to keep the windband  small in order to be able to fit comfortably in our preferred venues : residential homes, churches etc.  However, we can often accept some extra players. 

We do not hold formal auditions or specify a  particular standard. New players are invited to rehearsals to see how we suit each other. We extend a warm welcome to players who will show commitment and enthusiasm.

If you are interested in joining us, come along for a free taster session before committing yourself.

You can contact us by an email Click Here  

Rehearsals

We meet on Tuesday evenings at 7.30 during school term times.

Rehearsal dates for 2024 are:

January - 9th, 16th, 23rd, 30th

February - 6th, 13th, 27th

March - 5th, 12th, 19th, 26th

April - 15th, 22nd, 29th 

We rehearse at the Ipswich Road United Reformed Church, 40 - 42 Ipswich Road, NR4 6QF. The church is situated on Constable Road, parallel to the Ipswich Road  

Our Facebook Page is at

https://www.facebook.com/SillarsWindband/

Covid Precautions

We comply with all current regulations and recommendations.