About the Band

photo credit: Daniel Hayes www.drhayesphoto.com


Click on image to enlarge
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, and conductor Chal Ragsdale. Past conductors have also included Jerry Boseman, W. Dale Warren and Tony Falcone.

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

The band has performed annually at Butterfield Trail Village since our early years, the Botanical Gardens of the Ozarks since 2008, Orchards Park in Bentonville since 2010, 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, the National Association of Concert Bands 26th Annual Convention in Hot Springs, Arkansas in 2004, and the Association of Concert Bands 32nd Annual Convention in Richardson, Texas in 2010.

photo credit: Kate Sutterfield
click on image to enlarge
Season 2015-2016