In February of 1922, the citizens of Charlottesville celebrated the failure of a state bill that would have moved the UVA Medical School to Richmond. As a jubilant crowd formed in the streets, someone hoisted an upright piano onto the back of an old flatbed wagon pulled by a mule, and several others joined in playing saxophone, banjo, violin, and drums. When two local businessmen saw this impromptu group of musicians, they decided that Charlottesville should have a real band for occasions just like this one. In August of that year, the Municipal Band of Charlottesville was born.

Now called simply The Charlottesville Band, the group has grown from an enthusiastic, but inexperienced, group of citizen musicians in 1922 to an accomplished and dedicated team of women and men today. Seven music directors have guided hundreds of Band members through the years, expanding the musical repertoire and diversifying the membership along the way. The Band persisted through the highs and lows of the twentieth century and continues to serve our community in the twenty-first. Here are some of the highlights from the Band’s history.