Email mjbandandchoral@gmail.com
Join us for a journey down memory lane as we explore the history of our festival through photos and newspaper clippings.
Feel free to email archived photos of your community band or choir to be included on our timeline
1949

1950s



1960s


Bobby Gimby, composer of Canada’s Centennial song, “CA-NA-DA”,
has probably been the festival’s most notable guest.
Times have certainly changed! Baton twirling was a big event,
including judged competitions, in 1967.
1970s






1980s



1990s
1995 marked a big change in our festival. The Kinsmen Club was dwindling in size and, provincially, they were focusing their energies on TeleMiracle. The decision was made by the club to either end the festival that year, or pass on the responsibility to another service group or group of interested citizens. It was picked up by a group of concerned citizens and participants felt no more than a blip on the radar.


2000s
Not long after initiating the Saturday concerts on Main Street it was evident to the committee that bands were less and less willing to participate in a festival that ran during the May long weekend. Festival events were bumped back to the middle of the week. In 2015 it became necessary to add another day to the concert band venues, thus running from Monday to Thursday.

2010s
Demand for concert bands resulted in adding an extra day to those venues. The festival then ran Monday to Thursday.


2019 saw a new festival event, “Moosic in the Park”. Many bands seized the opportunity to perform in the amphitheatre in Crescent Park. The weather cooperated!

A third concert band venue was needed and St Andrew United Church was chosen because of its location and appropriateness. In 2020 our concert band festival was planned to involve 12 days, which had doubled since 2009.
2020
After 70 years of music making, due to the Covid 19 virus, our 2020 festival was cancelled. Groups that had registered and were preparing for a great week in Moose Jaw were guaranteed slots in the 2021 festival. Clinicians and night shows were rebooked. We missed the music in person but the students kept playing.