The Wellington Winds along with the Wilfrid Laurier University Centre for Music in the Community co-hosted a Symposium Music Is For Life on May 7-11, 2009. Workshops for New Horizons, Select High School Students, and a Composite Community Band were very successful. The event will take place again May 4-8 this year. Visit www.wlu.ca/musicisforlife.

Michael Purves-Smith retired as music director of the WW in May 2009. See our tribute to our music director of 26 years. A full page collection of tributes appeared in the July/August edition of The Music Times.

In May of 2009, after a year long search, Daniel Warren was appointed as music director of the Wellington Winds. We are very pleased to welcome Dan and look forward to a long and successful association. See the full page article about Dan in the September/October Music Times.

Earl Riener, longtime member of the Wellington Winds, passed away in October. The Winds paid tribute to Earl at the November concerts, both in music and in sock attire (Earl's habit of wearing non-matching coloured socks). See a tribute to Earl from the January/February Music Times.

President and bass trombonist Dave Arthur was honoured by the Ontario Chapter of the Canadian Band Association as the Canadian Musician of the Year 2009. See the article about Dave from the January/February Music Times.

(last updated January 20, 2010)