We are the Manawatu Concert Band, a Palmerston North-based community symphonic band comprising woodwind, brasswind and percussion.

We have members of all ages and walks of life, and our common bond is that we love to play music and have fun while we're at it! Our musical style covers all tastes and interests including concert band literature, movie sound tracks, musicals, pop, light classical, swing and jazz.

We have two major concerts a year (May/June and October/November) as well as local festivals (Feilding Festival of Bands) and community play-outs. We regularly win Gold or Silver awards at the Feilding Festival of Bands and have also won additional awards for Best Soloist and Most Entertaining Programme.

The Manawatu Concert Band has a relatively short history, dating back to the early 1990's. There were a number of other musical groups in the district, notably the Manawatu Youth Orchestra, Manawatu Sinfonia orchestra, Palmerston North Brass and Feilding Brass Bands. However, the brass bands could not cater for woodwind instruments, and the orchestras only had places for 2 to 3 players of each of the wind instruments.

The possibility of establishing a new band occurred to Bruce Kirk and Winston Hoare, who were tutoring brass instruments at the local high schools. They arranged auditions for the "Manawatu Symphonic Band" in early 1994. After 10 weeks of rehearsal the inaugural concert was held at the Salvation Army Citadel in Palmerston North in May 1994.

The band's name was changed to the "Manawatu Concert Band" in 1998 to prevent confusion in the community with the Manawatu Sinfonia orchestra.