Four Corners Community Band

Background Statement

Formed in 2000 and becoming a 501(c)(3) organization in 2004, the Four Corners Community Band has been performing in Montezuma County and the surrounding area for many years. The Band is a non-profit, all-volunteer group comprised of about 35 players of all ages, backgrounds, musical abilities, and occupations. We are truly a community band, blending some of the best and most enthusiastic musicians in our area. Participation is open to interested musicians who play or have played at some time at least at a high school level.

Our Music Director is Karen Steele. She graduated from Arizona State University in 1991 with a Bachelor of Music Education degree. She taught band for 28 years in various Arizona schools and also played with several community bands, including the Arizona Wind Symphony, which requires an annual audition. On retiring to Cortez with husband, Keith, Karen joined the FCCB in 2021 on Bass Clarinet. She gave up playing to become the permanent Music Director.

Karen says, ”I saw the Band needed leadership that I knew I could provide.” Along with other FCCB members, Karen played with the ensemble orchestra for the local performance of Handel’s Messiah in December, 2022. She is also playing clarinet with the Southwest Civic Winds, a symphonic community band curated through auditions.

The Four Corners Community Band encourages lifelong participation in music and looks forward to combined concerts with area school bands and playing for a variety of audiences. After surviving the pandemic, we are ready to resume our full schedule.