Darwin City Brass Band

The Darwin City Brass Band is an active Community Brass Band based on the British tradition or style of conical-bore instruments, (with the notable exception of the Trombone) which gives the brass band its distinctive bright, mellow sound.

The Band has been at the forefront of the music scene in the City of Darwin and surrounding districts for almost 125 years. The earliest band in the Northern Territory may be traced back as early as 1895 to the then early settlement of Palmerston. Today’s band has been operating continually since 1981 and encompasses in excess of 30 musicians, all of whom are volunteers.

The Band performs regularly at community events, fundraising occasions, civic and ceremonial events. Performances with a military connection regularly feature in the top-end with the most obvious being Anzac Day. Throughout the year, the band has a busy and varied musical program.

Each year the band undertakes a major concert performance.

In November 2018 the Darwin City Brass Band together with John Kellaway, VoxCrox and Shalom Kaa performed the concert 'In Their Honour' - An evening of music commemorating the Centenary of Armistice. The performance was dedicated to the five musicians of the Darwin City Brass Band who served in World War 1. Of these, two were killed in action, two dies of wounds, and one returned to Australia where he was medically discharged. In the same concert the band commemorated the Darwin Town Band, the brass band which marched the first Northern Territory contingent of enlisted men to the wharf in 1915. Throughout the war, the band continued to play music at Red Cross dances to raise funds to help service personal. At the end of the war the Darwin Town Band participated in Armistice Day celebrations in Darwin and led the parade of veterans and townsfolk in Peace Day Celebrations in 1919. The Darwin City Brass Bands music history continues and the band payed tribute to all service personnel who served during conflict and in peacetime and to those continuing today. Proceeds from 'In Their Honour' were donated to two worthy causes; Legacy Northern Territory and RSL - Advocacy Program.

In September 2022, in collaboration with the National Trust NT Branch, the band performed 'Band at the Top' a night of music celebrating the town bands of Darwin since 1895, together with a world premiere of a major work commissioned by the band by Australian composrer Jared McCunnie titled 'Two to Ten'. 

The Darwin City Brass Band is an inclusive and welcoming group that seeks new members of all musical experience. The band is actively seeking new members for all instrumentation including percussion.  The band has its own band-room at Marrara and rehearses on a Tuesday evening.

The band regularly collaborates with other local musical groups, and its members are to be often found in the Darwin Symphony Orchestra, Arafura Wind Ensemble and the Hot and Cold Big Band.