Band celebrates milestone with song and dance

South Osborne

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This article was published 26/03/2025 (371 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A local big band is tooting its own horn after half a century entertaining the community.

The Executive Big Band, a 17-piece ensemble that plays big band, jazz and other types of music, will celebrate its 50th anniversary with a concert at the Park Theatre on Tuesday, April 8.

Formed in 1975 by musicians from the Belgian Club Band in Winnipeg, the Executive Big Band has played all kinds of events in and around the city, including dances, weddings, fundraisers, and concerts in seniors’ residences. A concert at the Forks during the 1999 Pan Am Games was among its more high-profile performances.

The band comprises a mix of hobby musicians and those who have made a career out of music. One such professional is Nancy Nowosad, a semi-retired music teacher who plays keyboards. She and her husband Dave – who plays lead alto saxophone – have been in the band for over 30s.

Originally called the Executive Orchestra, the band started out playing big band music from the 1940s and ’50s, Nowosad said. It wasn’t long, however, before they began to include some middle-of-the-road rock in their repertoire and added a vocalist. The band has since continued to expand its musical horizons, while remaining true to its big band roots.

“We do quite a bit of Count Basie music… he’s a well-known big band guy,” Nowosad said, adding that they also play a lot of Glenn Miller.

In a more recent development, the Executive Big Band has linked up with the Ted Motyka Dance Studio in the Exchange District, Nowosad said. On occasion, the studio will bring in the band after a swing dance lesson so the dancers can spend a couple hours practising their moves to live music.

“When you have the dancers there, it is so much fun for the band too, right? Because you feed off the energy of the dancers; they’re feeding off the band’s energy and it goes the other direction as well,” Nowosad said..

Nowosad expects some of these dancing enthusiasts will swing by the show on the April 8, and noted that there will be a dance floor.

There will also be a special performance by an alumni band – four of the original members of the Executive Big Band, says Nowosad.

Tickets are available through eventbrite.ca or by contacting executivebigband@shaw.ca