The Nene Valley Community Band was formed in December 2014 by 25 former members of Northamptonshire Orchestral Winds (NOW), after the musical director Andrew Bassey relocated to Merseyside for a permanent job as a music teacher.

The name of our group was chosen by collecting over 60 suggestions from members, and voting to determine the most popular choice. The river Nene runs through the Nene Valley from Northampton, past Wellingborough and Rushden, the length of Northamptonshire, so the name is well chosen to include a wide geographical area.

The choice of the words “Community Band” is appropriate also, as we are determined to offer an inclusive group for all wind instrument players, regardless of age or ability, and as such we believe we are unique in Northamptonshire.

We have been working with musical director Matt Haddock for over 3 years, including some Covid-restriction performances, and he has extended our range of repertoire significantly, giving members a chance to stretch themselves with a variety of classical, popular and film music pieces.