Golden Eagle Concert Band

Background Statement

The Golden Eagle Concert Band (GECB) is based in Wheat Ridge, Colorado. We are an all-volunteer adult community band consisting of 70 members that include people of all ages and backgrounds. The GECB is active throughout the Denver Metropolitan Area and the state of Colorado. The versatility of the GECB music collection includes Marches, Patriotic, Pop, Classical, Jazz, Rock, Broadway show tunes, TV themes, Big Band music, and more.

Our performances include three formal concerts each year at Wheat Ridge Center for Music and Arts. The band also performs many indoor and outdoor concerts during the summer for the general public, retirement communities, festivals, churches, and private organizations. The band recently performed at the City of Golden July 4th festivities.

Our History

Founded in 1977, the GECB was originally called the Gold Nugget Brass Band, and was owned and directed by Don Smith, a former circus trumpet player. After fourteen years, Don Smith decided to retire and started to dissolve the band. The band members wanted to continue playing, so the name was changed to the Golden Eagle Brass Band and the non-profit organization was formed in 1991. Dorsey Hudson directed the band for three and one-half years, then various band members directed for about six months. In January of 1995, John R. Williams was appointed Music Director and Principal Conductor. In 2007, the band changed its name to the Golden Eagle Concert Band, which more accurately represented the instrumentation of the band. The GECB became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in 1996 and has been a part of the Scientific & Cultural Facilities District (SCFD), Tier Ill, since 1996. The band is supported in part by grants from several County Cultural Councils.