History of the Band

Willoughby Band has been a leading A Grade Brass Band in NSW for over 30 years. The Senior Band has won the NSW Championships 19 times and been second on four occasions, and the Juniors have been victors at 23 contests and runners up thrice. At a national level, the Senior Band has won four titles with numerous second places, while the Juniors have won 22 times.

The band was formed in 1959 under the guidance and direction of Reg Bishop OAM and was known as the Chatswood District Band.
In 1961 Councilor R. Dougherty secured funding for the band through Willoughby Council and the Band changed its name to the Willoughby Municipal Band. In 1971 Peter Walmsley OAM took over as musical director of Willoughby Municipal Band.

As well as attending every major competition in Australia, the band has competed with distinction in New Zealand on three occasions, being runners-up in 1990, and in 2001, the Junior Band won New Zealand’s Open C Grade Championship.

In 1992 Willoughby City Band travelled to Tokyo, Japan, on a highly successful concert tour as part of the Willoughby Council ‘Sister City’ cultural exchange.

Since 1973, the Willoughby Band has had a successful concert series, and performs regularly at civic functions and corporate events. The band has also recorded on numerous occasions and has been featured often on ABC radio.

Willoughby Band prides itself on its musical excellence. A feature of the band’s history has been the success of its players in solo competitions and the very high rate of players who now perform in professional orchestras in Australia and overseas.