Notes from the Concord Band

Since 1959	P.O. Box 302, Concord MA 01742 978-897-9969 www.concordband.org	Winter/Spring 2004

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Winter Concert

Saturday, March 6

This year's Winter Concert, which will be held at 51 Walden Street in Concord on Saturday, March 6th, will feature an exciting array of concert band music including classic works from the repertoire of this ensemble, an orchestra transcription, and several new works for band including a major new work by New Hampshire composer, William Pardus.

The concert will open with Black Granite, a dramatic symphonic march by James L. Hosay. Arranger and Composer for the US Army Band (Pershing's Own) in Washington, D.C., Mr. Hosay dedicated this march to "the men and women who died in the Vietnam War; to those whose heroic deeds went unsung, and to those who returned home only to find shattered remnants of what was once their 'American dream'."

The Concord Band is fortunate to have many outstanding musicians who can serve as featured soloists with the Band. In recent years, musicians from almost every section of the band have performed solos with the Band. The Concord Band is proud to feature flutist Barbara Weiblen, who will be performing Murillo, a work for flute and band by the Hungarian flute virtuoso, Adolf Terschak (1832-1901).

In addition to its long history of commissioning new works for band, the Concord Band champions the music of local composers. William D. Pardus, former chairman of the Music Department at Keene State College, recently composed a major new work for band dedicated to the American Band in Providence, Rhode Island. The composition, The Mills of New England, paints a musical picture of the many mills, the mill towns and the workers of the mills—common to all of the New England states. The Concord Band will perform all four movements of this major work. The movements are entitled "Of Bricks, Workers and Windows," "The Rows of Gray Houses," "The Strike," and "At the Clubs of the Immigrants." Mr. Pardus will speak to the audience about this composition before it is performed.

The second half of the concert will open with a classic work for band by one of America's most important composers, William Schuman. George Washington Bridge, composed by Shuman in 1951, is one of the most important works in the concert band repertory. Subtitled "An Impression for Band" this composition is full of the emotional intensity and rhythmic vitality that is characteristic of Schuman's music.

George Bizet is generally recognized as one of France's most important composers. However, it wasn't until he composed the incidental music for L'Arlesienne (The Woman of Arles) in 1872 that he was acclaimed as a leading French composer. From the incidental music to this play, originally scored for a band of 25 players, Bizet drew a suite (No. 1) for a large orchestra. Bizet's friend Ernest Guiraud arranged the second suite for orchestra after the composer's death. The Concord Band will perform three movements of L'Arlesienne, Suite No. 2, transcribed for symphonic band by Charles Godfrey, Jr., and recently revised and edited by Clark McAlister and Alfred Reed. The movements are entitled "Pastorale," "Intermezzo," and "Farandole."

The concert will close with a performance of one of Alfred Reed's most exciting works for concert band, Armenian Dances (Part 1). This composition is based on authentic Armenian folk songs from the collected works of Gomidas Vartabed (1869-1935), the founder of Armenian classical music. The work is an extended symphonic rhapsody built upon five different songs. Armenian Dances was dedicated to Harry Begian and premiered by the University of Illinois Symphonic Band.

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Composer William Pardus to Speak at Concert

William Pardus Composer

New Hampshire composer William D. Pardus will be a guest of the Concord Band at its upcoming Winter Concert. The band will be performing a new work by Mr. Pardus entitled The Mills of New England. The American Band recently premiered this work at the Eastern Division Conference of the Music Educators National Conference in Providence, Rhode Island. Mr. Pardus has been invited to speak to the audience on March 6 about this unique composition.

The composer is a "product" of the New England mill town: He was born, raised, and schooled in mill towns, and his first job was working in a mill. Mr. Pardus is Professor Emeritus of Music and former Chairman of the Music Department at Keene State College, where he taught Arranging, American Music and Jazz History. He was also Director of the KSC Electric Music Studio.

Along with compositions for brass and woodwind chamber groups and band, Mr. Pardus has also composed numerous electronic scores for presentation by the KSC Dance Department. He was selected by the New Hampshire Music Teachers' Association as the "2001 NHMTA Commissioned Composer" and in 2002 was elected to the New Hampshire Music Educators Association "Hall of Fame." As a Fulbright Scholar, he has taught at Norwich College of Education and was a visiting professor at the University of Keefe, both in the United Kingdom.

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Barbara Weiblen to Solo

Barbara Weiblen Flute Soloist

Flutist Barbara Weiblen joined the Concord Band flute section in 1985. She began her musical career at the age of 8, when she began playing flute. While in high school in Iowa, she won many awards at music contests and was selected as first chair in the Iowa All-State Band. During her high school years she also played in the Austin, Minnesota, Symphony orchestra as well as in a local municipal band. While in college, she played in the Wartburg College Concert Band. After college, she continued her musical studies with flutist Emile Opava of the Minnesota Symphony Orchestra while also doing graduate work in Genetics and Cell Biology. When not playing the flute, Barbara is Director of Product Engineering for a Biotech company.

For more on Barbara, see the article on the Band's flute section, overleaf.

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We Don't Pay These Pipers, But They Play Some Wonderful Tunes

Every section of the concert band is important; composers feature one or another group of instruments at different times, but certainly the symphonic wind ensemble depends on every instrumental section. The Concord Band's flute section is extra important: Not only is every member a fine player, but the section has more Band Board members per section member than any other section of the Band—two out of seven. (The clarinet section also has two Board members, but that section has nineteen members.) The Band's president, Chris Mudgett, and treasurer, June Grace, are both Concord Band flutists (or flautists, if you prefer) as is the Band's unofficial "proofreader-in-chief" Laura Finkelstein, our piccolo [from the Italian, flauto piccolo, small flute] player. She and Ellen Feldman have both served on the Band's Board in the past.

At a recent 51 Walden concert, left to right: June Grace, Ellen Feldman, Barbara Weiblen, Laura Finkelstein, Debbie Franks, Lois Reynolds and Chris Mudgett.

The Concord Band's seven flutists have been with the Band an average of more than 19 years, which statistic proves how misleading statistics can be: The actual tenures in years, from high to low, are 33, 33, 29, 19, 16, 4 and 2. A few play only in the Concord Band; others also play in orchestras, small ensembles and flute choirs.

All began their flute studies as children—Chris Mudgett's first teacher was none other than William M. Toland, now Music Director Emeritus of the Band—and played in school ensembles at every stage of their education. A few participated in their state's All-State Bands and Orchestras. Five studied with flutists from professional symphony orchestras. These include those of Arkansas, Boston, Chicago, Minnesota, New York, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. Two majored in music in college; another spent one year as a music major.

None of our flutists earns her living as a musician today, all having discovered that while music is a rather wonderful avocation, it is rather risky as a full-time vocation. Most have been employed in one aspect or another of the tech/business worlds, with positions ranging from hands-on scientist/practitioner to educator to manager.

In addition to serving on the Band's Board, members of the flute section have helped the Band with various administrative tasks. At least four have helped get out mailings such as the one that brought you this newsletter. For years, Barbara Weiblen has organized the Band's annual social events for members (picnics, awards banquet, end-of-summer ice cream social).

When asked to express the importance of the Concord Band in their lives, our flutists' answers make it clear that the Band is in every case rather significant. Their own words say it best:

"Playing with the Concord Band gives me exposure to a wide variety of music and it's fun to introduce new music works, such as those commissioned by the Band."

"The Concord Band is vitally important in my life. I enjoy playing in the Band because it is a unique group, provides a musical challenge, continues to grow and improve, has definite aims and goals (commissioning new works, having guest conductors, etc.), has a wonderful music director, and has friendly people in it. Playing in the Band has been a constant in my life and has often preserved my sanity through difficult times in my life."

"The flute section is a great group and talented. I felt warmly welcomed by the Band and have enjoyed the challenge of the music."

"I love the Concord Band. It is a great organization with outstanding conductors and dedicated musicians who lend their talent, time, and enthusiasm to make exciting music for each other and our audiences. I am proud of our prestige as a community band, and our continuing commitment to add to the concert band literature through commissions. For these reasons, I feel the Concord Band is an organization well worth supporting financially."

While none of the Concord Band's instrumentalists (flautist or otherwise) is paid, it still costs about $40,000 a year to run the Band If you'd like to help out financially, just write a check for as much as you can afford and pipe it into the enclosed envelope. If you have no return envelope, simply send your check to the address at the top of this newsletter.

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Ludwig Fiberglass Timp

IBM Helps Buy Timp

Regular concert goers at 51 Walden are familiar with a set of large shiny copper drums usually found near the back of the music stage. These Ludwig timpani (or kettle drums), an integral part of the composer's instrumental arsenal, are jointly owned by the Concord Band and the Concord Orchestra, and are 23", 26", 29", and 32" in diameter.

These drums are wonderful and expensive instruments, which the groups avoid taking outside the building except when absolutely necessary. The Band, however, plays a very extensive summer schedule, most of which is out of doors—most notably at Fruitlands Museums in the town of Harvard. For these concerts, a set of fiberglass timpani is used. Unfortunately, the Band has access to only three fiberglass timps, of sizes 26", 29" and 29". (Don't ask!) Because the music the Band plays outdoors is every bit as demanding on the timpanist as is our indoor repertoire, the Band has recognized the need for additional members of the fiberglass set, particularly the 32" drum, a $1,400+ investment.

Yvonne Dailey is an IBM employee as well as a Concord Band clarinetist and Board member with responsibility for publicity. Yvonne applied for an IBM Community Grant. The IBM Community Grants program provides money or IBM products for specific projects to eligible community organizations and schools in which IBM employees and retirees actively volunteer. The Concord Band received a $1,000 IBM Community Grant in October toward the purchase of the new 32" Ludwig fiberglass timp, which will make its Fruitlands debut on June 24.

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Calendar of Upcoming Events

Concerts will be held at 51 Walden, Concord, at 8:00pm.

Winter Concert

Spring Pops

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