Volume 21 Issue 8 - May 2016

Beat by Beat | Bandstand
Debuts, Anniversaries
& Messages
JACK MACQUARRIE
After a seemingly endless wait, spring has finally arrived, and
with it a virtual explosion of band activity. Not only are there
more spring concerts than usual to announce, but there are
some anniversaries and even one unusual debut. Another most
welcome sign is the number of messages from readers telling us about
their bands’ activities.
Anniversaries: The first of the anniversaries that came to our attention
was that of the Uxbridge Community Concert Band which is
celebrating its 25th season. The UCCB is unique in that it is a summertime
only band. Originally established to provide a band where
students could remain proficient during the summer vacation period,
now, 25 years later, band membership encompasses a spectrum from
high school students to retirees in their 80s. They have two concerts
scheduled for August. New members are always welcome and are
urged to contact the band at uccb@powergate.ca or visit their website
at uccb2016.webs.com.
At the end of each concert season UCCB band members are asked
to vote on a selection from that season which they would like to have
included in the repertoire for the following season. The music to
Pirates of the Caribbean was the popular choice for this year. With
that as a starting point, music director Steffan Brunette has come
up with an imaginative theme for the 2016 season. The band will be
“Sailing the High C’s.” As of this writing Brunette is still accepting
suggestions from band members. Suggestions submitted so far include
selections from the Sea and Sinbad’s Ship from Rimsky-Korsakov’s
Scheherazade, Handel’s Water Music Suite, Gilbert & Sullivan’s HMS
Pinafore and others.
Messages: The first of our messages was from Brenda Leuschen
Farkas. When she lived in Toronto, she played in the New Horizons
(Intermediate) Band, Toronto, under the direction of Rob Mee. When
she and her husband moved to their new home on a lake near Port
Loring, Ontario, the hunt for a place to play was a priority. Soon she
found the No Strings Attached Community Band in Sudbury. While
it’s an hour’s drive to get to the rehearsals, she says that it’s worth it.
Recently, the band was awarded a high silver at the Northern Ontario
Music Festival and received an invitation to compete at the Nationals
in Ottawa. Directed by its founder, Sandra McMillan, the band will
celebrate its 15th anniversary with a concert titled “15 Years of Music.”
The concert will be held on Sunday, May 29 at 2pm at Cambrian
College Auditorium, Sudbury. For more information see
nostringsattachedband.org
Another welcome letter recently received was from Theresa
MacDonald, manager of the Weston Silver Band. As a member of
Weston Silver Band, and frequent assistant with Hannaford Youth,
she is a fountain of knowledge on the Brass Band movement in North
America. In her message she pointed out “a bit of an oversight” in last
month’s column regarding participation in NABBA competitions over
the years.
Here is what she had to say: “Canadian bands have not [recently]
participated in NABBA until we [Weston Silver Band] returned to the
Championships in 2014 after an 18-year hiatus. We have just returned
from the North American Brass Band Championships (April 2, 2016)
with a second place finish in First Section (1.5 points off the winning
band). We are and remain the only Canadian Brass Band at the
Championships…We are currently ranked as one of the top ten brass
bands in North America.”
New Horizons on Film: A few days ago we had the pleasure of
attending a “pre-screening” of a new documentary film about the
Toronto New Horizons Band. Directed by Sarah Keenlyside with executive
producer Howard Fraiberg of Proximity Films, The Beat Goes
Weston Silver Band
On portrays the establishment and development of the Toronto New
Horizons Band. The premiere on TVO is scheduled for June 8 at 9pm.
After that date it will be possible to stream it from the TVO website.
While on the subject of Toronto New Horizons, their end-of-season
concert is scheduled for May 27 at 7:30. As in past years this will be
at St. Michael’s College Arts Centre, 1515 Bathurst Street, north of
St. Clair Ave. It seems like only yesterday when I first heard of the
prospect for such a group. Now it’s the end of their sixth year.
Dan Kapp: Last month I mentioned that Dan Kapp had resigned
from his position in the Long and McQuade band department to
devote more time to New Horizons activities. They have started to
increase already. He will be running a beginner adult full-day band
camp this summer from July 18 to 22, at the Miles Nadal Jewish
Community Centre as part of their Summer Institute for Creative
Adults (SICA) program. It will be for adults who want to start playing
again. In other words, participants will have to have some background
in reading music. The New Horizons Band of Toronto Summer Band
(Dan’s regular guys and gals) will be featured guests in an evening
concert on July 21 at the Al Green Theatre (within the MNjcc) as part
of the camp.
If all of that wasn’t enough to keep a retiree busy, Dan was recently
invited to conduct at a two-day international music festival in Panama
City. He was selected to conduct a 78-member Honour Band of
students from grades 7 to 9 as one part of the festival. It’s an annual
event sponsored by the International School of Panama. There will be
international schools from five other Central American countries as
well as schools from Panama represented at the festival. This festival is
the only time many of the students get to perform in a large ensemble.
Silverthorn: Back to those messages about upcoming events. Word
from Heather Engli is that the Silverthorn Symphonic Winds will
be ending their season with a concert, May 28, appropriately titled
“Sounds of Spring.” To whet the appetite of potential attendees
they have scheduled a combination of some outstanding wind band
repertoire along with some easy listening, fun stuff: Ralph Vaughan
Williams’ English Folk Song Suite, Percy Grainger’s Lincolnshire Posy
and Leonard Bernstein’s Overture to Candide along with such lighter
fare as selections from Ain’t Misbehavin’, Big Band Salute and A
Leroy Anderson Portrait. It is a program with wide appeal. It all takes
place at the Wilmar Heights Event Centre.
And a deep debut: June 5, Flute Street will present their spring
concert featuring the Bach Toccata and Fugue in D and a Sinfonia for
Nine Piccolos. The highlight for me will be the debut that I alluded to
earlier. A few months ago we had introduced to a Toronto audience
for the first time a sub contrabass flute belonging to a guest performer
from Australia. That instrument so fascinated Flute Street member
Jeff Densham that he was determined to have one for himself. Yes, he
purchased such an instrument, and it will have its Canadian debut at
this concert in a duet for contrabass and sub contrabass flutes.
More Events by date
May 7 the York University Community Band Festival returns with
a variety of attractions for band members. It all starts at 12:45 with
registration in York U’s Accolade East Building. There is a massed band
session in the early afternoon followed by workshops on Brazilian
drumming, brass performance, woodwind tips and a jazz ensemble.
This is followed by a reception with keynote speaker, Canadian
composer Donald Coakley. The evening features a massed band
concert where Coakley will conduct a number of his compositions.
30 | May 1, 2016 - June 7, 2016 thewholenote.com