The University of Warwick Big Band is both 'a non-auditioned music society' and 'an international, award winning Big Band'!

The band performs to a wide audience, from private functions including weddings, corporate functions and University balls, to international jazz festivals and its own highly popular concerts at the Warwick Arts Centre, the second largest arts centre in the UK.

We have toured internationally to Italy, Switzerland, Canada, France, Amsterdam, Spain and Ireland, playing in various international jazz festivals, including the prestigious Montreux Jazz Festival in 2006 and the Montreal Jazz Festival in 2004. In the autumn of 2007, we were selected to represent Britain at the Alma Jazz Volvo Music Festival in Bologna, Italy, alongside 9 other international Big Bands. On the final evening of the festival, we were presented with the "Best Big Band" award.

To maintain our professional and award-winning standard, the band is progressively developing. We strive for musical excellence whilst maintaining a professional yet friendly and informal atmosphere. We have a varied repertoire and enjoy playing many genres of music from Swing and Jazz to Latin, Funk and Blues. A number of our members have composed and arranged music charts which we play on a regular basis. We have also recorded our first professional CD, 'The Cooler Sessions', and are due to record a new album in 2008. We have historically taken part in the National Concert Band Festival competition, in which we have received multiple Gold awards. This represents the ethos of the band: we truly love music and encourage as many people as possible to enjoy playing, regardless of their musical background.

Membership of the band is open to all staff and students at the University of Warwick. We rehearse every Thursday at 7.30 pm in the Music Centre during term time. Please contact us at exec@thebigband.co.uk for more details!