Kootenay musician brings ambitious new work to Trail stage
Published 2:18 pm Tuesday, October 6, 2026
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After more than 30 years of making music at home and abroad, Kootenay musician Clinton Swanson is preparing to bring something entirely new to the stage in Trail.
The multi-instrumentalist and composer will be joined by more than 50 regional musicians at the Bailey Theatre on Sunday, Oct. 25 for Breathing Music, a showcase built around Swanson’s original compositions for wind instruments.
For Swanson, who has spent decades composing and performing his own music, the concert marks a first: an entire suite of pieces written for wind ensembles.
He said preparing the concert has been a huge learning curve, and one he is looking forward to sharing with local audiences.
“I love the sound of many wind instruments playing together,” Swanson said.
“For me, it’s going to be an unforgettable evening.”
The performance will bring together the 40-member Nelson Community Band, conducted by Laura Johnson, and the 18-piece Playmor Junction Band, conducted by Keith Todd, along with smaller ensembles and special guests.
Together, they will explore the range of woodwind and brass instruments found throughout the region, from flutes, saxophones and clarinets to bassoon, French horn, trumpet, trombone, euphonium and tuba.
The idea behind Breathing Music also reflects a central theme of Swanson’s career: using music to connect musicians with one another and with the communities where they live.
“Developing community through music has been a main goal of my career,” Swanson said.
“When I’ve led groups, I’m always thinking about how to keep local musicians connected with local audiences to create community, so we can all benefit.”
That commitment to community has shaped Swanson’s work for decades, but Breathing Music takes his composing into new territory.
Wind ensembles, despite the number of amateur and professional woodwind and brass players living in the Columbia Basin, are not often given the spotlight in mainstream entertainment.
The Trail concert is intended to change that for an afternoon, putting the instruments — and the musicians who play them — centre stage through music written specifically for them.
The ambitious project was supported by a Major Projects grant from the Columbia Kootenay Cultural Alliance.
Breathing Music takes the stage at the Bailey Theatre in downtown Trail on Sunday, Oct. 25 at 2 p.m.
Tickets are available through the theatre box office and online.