About the Band

photo credit: Daniel Hayes www.drhayesphoto.com


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Season 2023-2024

The Arkansas Winds Concert Band is a non-profit, tax-exempt, all-volunteer organization dedicated to providing concerts to our community and to providing a place for musicians to practice their skills.

The Band was originally founded in 1988 by Professor Eldon Janzen, Professor Emeritus at the University of Arkansas. Mr. Janzen has had a long and distinguished career in music. His professional affiliations include American Bandmasters Association, Music Educators National Conference, College Band Directors National Association, Kappa Kappa Psi, Tau Beta Sigma, and Lions International. Mr. Janzen has served as President of Texas Bandmasters Association, President of Southwest Division of CBDNA, President of Arkansas Bandmasters Association and President of Phi Beta Mu International.

The band was incorporated as a non-profit organization in 1994, under the administrative leadership of President Nancy Sloan, Treasurer Russ Greene, Secretary Otis Robinson, and conductor Eldon Janzen. Allen Fields has been President of the group since 1995 and our current conductor, Michael Ferguson, has been the Musical Director since 1998. Past conductors have included Eldon Janzen, Chalon Ragsdale, Jerry Boseman, W. Dale Warren, Tony Falcone, Joel Sillavan and Russell Robinson.

The band is excited to have the Farmington Performing Arts Center as our home performance venue. Before moving to Farmington in 2013, the band did not have a permanent home venue and performed at many sites including Ramay Junior High gym, Wilson Park, Central United Methodist, Arts Center of the Ozarks, Jones Center, Walton Arts Center and many other venues.

The band has performed annually at Butterfield Trail Village since 1990, Orchards Park in Bentonville since it opened in 2010, Univeristy of Arkansas Commencements since 1985, and the University of Arkansas Band Camp since the mid 1990’s.

The Winds was previously honored to perform at the Arkansas Band Educators State conferences in 2008, 2010 and 2014, and the National Association of Concert Bands Annual Conventions in Hot Springs, Arkansas in 2004, in Richardson, Texas in 2010, and in Fort Smith, Arkansas in 2025.

photo credit: Kate Sutterfield
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Season 2015-2016