10/19/2026
🌟📅 MARK YOUR CALENDARS! 📅🌟
The School of Music is thrilled to welcome the Five Lakes Silver Band as the featured guest artist for this year's Staples Endowment Concert, taking place on Sunday, November 15th at 4:00 PM at the Staples Family Concert Hall! This performance is free and open to the public. 🎟🎶
The Five Lakes Silver Band originally started as Oakland Brass Band and was renamed to provide a distinct identity apart from the Oakland University Brass Band. The Oakland Brass Band was founded in 2006 by several local musicians with the desire to provide Detroit area professional and semi-professional musicians with an outlet for expressing their talent through the brass band style and heritage. By October, 2006, a Board of Directors was created, non-profit status was sought for the organization and a list of interested musicians was developed.
In 2010, the FLSB recorded their first CD, "Notes from America". Since then, the band has recorded a total of 6 CDs.
In 2013, the Five Lakes Silver Band captured its first national championship title by taking 1st Place in the 1st Section of the North American Brass Band Association Championships held in Cincinnati, Ohio. The band continues to grow in its popularity, strength of musicianship, and leadership and is emerging as one of the leading brass bands in the country.
Christopher Ward became the Musical Director of the Five Lakes Silver Band in July of 2019. Under his leadership, Five Lakes won the U.S. Open Brass Band Championships in 2022, 2023, and 2024, Dublin Festival of Brass in 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026 and were crowned North American Brass Band Champions in 2023, and 2026.
