About the Orange County Concert Band

Our Story

The Orange County Concert Band started in 1971 as a summer concert series organized by a band student, Denis Finnegan, of Villa Park High School and the school’s band director, Randy Coleman.  The concert band combined the talents of both high school/college students and adult musicians to perform in public parks throughout Orange County.

When the summer series ended, an adult band member named Dr. Gary Lester approached Coleman about continuing to practice and perform year-round. Lester presented a funding proposal to the Orange City Council, which was approved for many years.

The band grew quickly as many musicians wanted to continue playing. After the city funding ended, the band became a community college class offered by Rancho Santiago Community College, with adults enrolled and paying a fee to help fund the band.

When the college stopped offering the course, the band had to rely on public and private donations. To accept these, they created the Orange County Preservation Bands as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. After Coleman’s retirement in the early 2000s, the band was led by several band members with music education backgrounds. Both the Orange County Concert Band and the Orange County Swing Band continue to perform public and private events around Orange County.