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Band plays on emotions
YOUNGSTOWN — Technique and skill play key roles in terms of musicians’ abilities. That’s the practical side of musicianship.
The heart of playing an instrument rests in emotion and interpretation.
Youngstown Area Community Concert Band has two concerts on its schedule that are sure to evoke emotional responses on both sides of the stage.
The first is at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Morley Pavilion in Mill Creek MetroParks, where Mayor Jay Williams will be guest narrator and deliver the Gettysburg Address. The speech, the most famous by President Abraham Lincoln, was delivered Nov. 19, 1863. The beginning words, “Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal,” have been memorized by many.
And the ending, “that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom — and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”
Lincoln’s comments pertaining to the Civil War stir patriotism.
Ed DeAngelo, YACCB publicity chairman, said the band will play the selection “Gettysburg” in conjunction with the narration. “He’s narrated with the band before,” DeAngelo said of the mayor.
When the band plays at the Somerfest, a music and arts festival, July 19 in Somerset, Pa., a more recent experience that threatened the nation will be the focus. DeAngelo said the Somerset Community Band and YACCB will play “Flight of Valor,” a musical tribute to United Airlines Flight 93, which crashed Sept. 11, 2001, in nearby Shanksville, Pa.
“Two members of our band belong to an association of community bands, and that’s how they met the director of the Somerset band,” DeAngelo said. “We came up with the idea of a joint concert and recognizing 9/11 and Flight 93,” he said. The bands will perform separately and then play “Flight of Valor” together.
He said the band also hoped for a good turnout for the June 28 concert at the Maag Pavilion in Boardman Township Park. YACCB will present its second annual “Music In The Park With Friends” with the visiting group Kettering Civic Band from Kettering, Ohio. David Keener directs the band. The concert will begin with a 45-minute program by the YACCB, followed by the Kettering band.
DeAngelo indicated this kind of camaraderie is a high note shared by community-band members. He said the band has some 70 members signed up but usually sits between 50 and 55 at concerts. That’s because many members belong to other bands and have other commitments.
Band members range in age from high school to their 80s. “For the young musicians, it’s an opportunity to play with seasoned adult musicians. You get better when you play with better musicians,” DeAngelo said. “YSU students play with us during the summer to keep active on their instruments. For older musicians, it helps keep you fresh,” he said.
YACCB was formed in 1983 by Bill Gretsinger; 12 musicians have been with the band since the start. “It’s important to maintain a community band. ... It’s a place where anyone who has a desire to play can play,” he said.
DeAngelo noted that YACCB has no auditions. “But we do expect a participant to be capable of playing the music,” he said. “Ability is a must.”
He added that the band provides an excellent opportunity for musicians to hone or maintain their skills and play a wide range of music.
DeAngelo said the band has a theme each season. This year it’s “From Classical to Jazz.” “We have as much variety as you can get,” he said. The salute to American jazz will include a drum solo. Though that instrument will be showcased, DeAngelo said the band needs percussionists.
The band’s concerts also will include “Shenandoah,” an American classic for community bands by an American composer and songs by Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel.
“We do it out of our love of music,” DeAngelo said.
During the summer, the band rehearses at 7 p.m. Thursdays in Bliss Hall at YSU. He noted that YSU has been a supporter of the band.