The Four Corners Community Band marked its 25th anniversary in 2025 with a special concert and has since grown enough to move to a larger venue.
Founded in 1999, the band marked its anniversary with a themed “Concert of Firsts” in March 2025 at the Montezuma‑Cortez High School auditorium. The program highlighted works tied to “firsts,” including the band’s inaugural 2001 piece, its first commissioned work, a composition honoring Amelia Earhart and Billy Joel’s breakout hit “Piano Man.”
Past members were invited as special guests.
Membership grew from 25 to 45 in a year, with musicians ages 15 to 84 and at least 10 high school students. Director Karen Steele said the band now spans every decade.
“It’s fun, because our whole motto of connecting generations through music just comes to life with that,” Steele told The Journal.
To accommodate the growth, the band moved rehearsals to the Lamp Post Creative Learning Center in Cortez.
The ensemble uses standard concert band instrumentation, including flutes, clarinets, saxophones, trumpets, trombones, French horns, tubas and percussion. Steele said the band could especially use more alto saxophones and clarinets. The trumpet section recently expanded from two players to seven, which she said better supports traditional three‑part arrangements.
Rehearsals take place Monday nights from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Lamp Post. Prospective members who can play at a high school level are encouraged to attend for up to three weeks before deciding whether to join.
“We always give people a three‑week window to come and try it out. If you like it, great – sign up on a long‑term basis. If you don’t, that’s OK. Return your music, and at least you tried,” Steele said.
She added that a few newcomers have taken advantage of the trial period and emphasized, “If you don’t try, you’ll never know.”
The band welcomes new members and has no set maximum size. Steele described the group as close‑knit.
“We are a fun, loving group of people that feels to me, feels more like a family,” she said.
More information is available at www.fourcornerscommunityband.org.
The band has a spring concert titled “A Musical Journey Around the World” on Wednesday, April 8 at 7 p.m. at Lamp Post. It will also play the Cortez Farmers Market opening on Saturday, May 30 and return to Rico for its traditional Fourth of July parade and firehouse concert.
