The Albuquerque Concert Band is an all-volunteer organization presenting programs of fine music for concert band in the Albuquerque area throughout the year.

New musical leadership for the Albuquerque Concert Band

Dr. Brett Penshorn has been the Music Director and Conductor of the ACB since last Summer, inspiring us with new music and drawing many new audience members. He has recently been offered and accepted a position in California to join the faculty of Cal State L. A.'s Department of Music as their Director of Bands starting this coming Fall. Brett will be conducting the band one more time at the Balloon Museum on June 18th. We appreciate his leadership for the last year and wish him all the best in this new opportunity!

We are pleased to announce that Col. Jim Keene has been named Music Director of the Albuquerque Concert Band. Furthermore, Andrew Vaughn has been named Conductor of the ACB and will assume this position in August.

In his position as Music Director, Jim Keene will develop a vision for the band regarding music and concert selections while growing our audience and visibility. He will also occasionally conduct the band, starting with our concert at the Albuquerque Balloon Museum on July 2nd. Col. Keene served the U. S. Army for three decades before retiring and returning to his native Albuquerque. During that time Jim was the leader of the U.S. Army Field Band, the U.S. Military Academy Band and other Army music organizations. He led thousands of performances in 47 states and 7 countries that included performances for 6 U.S. Presidents. He led multiple televised productions and recordings, earning a New York Emmy Award for a CBS production, "Songs of Service" and a Grammy Award for "Soundtrack of the American Soldier" (Best Immersive Album/2022) as conductor of the United States Army Field Band. He has led music for the Macy's Fourth of July in New York City (2021-2023) and also worked with numerous major television and cable networks.

Andrew Vaughn is a musician and educator in his 10th year of teaching. He earned his Bachelor of Music in Music Education-Instrumental Emphasis in 2015 from the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah, and earned his Master of Music Education in 2021 from Northern State University in Aberdeen, South Dakota. Since 2022 he has been the Director of the Manzano High School Band program where he teaches the Marching Band, Concert Bands, and the Jazz Bands. Conducting these groups has given him an opportunity to conduct and teach a variety of different musical styles which aids in his continual growth and development as a conductor and educator. Andrew grew up in New Mexico (Santa Fe and Albuquerque), and is a graduate of Eldorado High School. He has been a member of the Albuquerque Concert Band since 2022 as part of the tuba section. Andrew was a guest conductor for the ACB in March of 2023, conducted one of the summer concerts in July 2023, and conducted the first summer concert in June 2024.

Please join us as we welcome Jim and Andrew to these new positions!

2025 Summer Concert Series

The Albuquerque Concert Band performs its Summer concert series at the NM Veterans Memorial and the Albuquerque International Balloon Museum. Performances are held every other Wednesday at 7:00pm, June through August.

Wednesday, June 4, 2025 at 7:00pm
Albuquerque International Balloon Museum
9201 Balloon Museum Drive NE, North of Alameda, between Jefferson and Edith

Wednesday, June 18, 2025 at 7:00pm
Albuquerque International Balloon Museum
9201 Balloon Museum Drive NE, North of Alameda, between Jefferson and Edith

Wednesday, July 2, 2025 at 7:00pm
Albuquerque International Balloon Museum
9201 Balloon Museum Drive NE, North of Alameda, between Jefferson and Edith

Wednesday, July 16, 2025 at 7:00pm
Albuquerque International Balloon Museum
9201 Balloon Museum Drive NE, North of Alameda, between Jefferson and Edith

Wednesday, July 30, 2025 at 7:00pm
New Mexico Veterans Memorial
1100 Lousiana Blvd SE, on the SE corner of Louisiana and Gibson, just west of Kirtland Air Force Base

Wednesday, August 13, 2025 at 7:00pm
New Mexico Veterans Memorial
1100 Lousiana Blvd SE, on the SE corner of Louisiana and Gibson, just west of Kirtland Air Force Base

All of our concerts are free of charge to the public (except for ticketed events). Our band is supported by the City of Albuquerque and private donations.