Concert Band

Western Maryland College is seeking student and nonstudent musicians to play in its Concert Band. The 60-member band is open to musicians ranging from high school students to seniors. Starting Aug. 29, the band will practice from 7 p.m. to 9:15 p.m. Wednesdays in the addition to Levine Hall off Main Street. The fall semester concert will be held Dec. 7 and will feature a newly arranged work featuring soundtrack highlights from Pearl Harbor. Interested musicians can call Linda Kirkpatrick at 410-857-2550 for an interview.

Eleanor Roosevelt High School , 7601 Hanover Pkwy., in Greenbelt, will hold its fall concert on Friday, Nov. 4, at 7:30 p.m. The event will feature the school's concert band, wind ensemble, chamber orchestra, and the men's and concert choirs. The band, orchestra and choir programs draw students from across northern Prince George's County, including Laurel. The school band and orchestra programs are holding their annual Florida citrus fruit sale fundraiser. Proceeds from the sale go to provide instruments and music for the programs.

The Columbia Concert Band will present its spring concert, featuring Alfred Reed's The Hounds of Spring, Hobbits by Johan DeMeij, music from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by John Williams and Victory Lopez, and other works, at 3 p.m. May 7 at River Hill High School, 12101 Route 108, Clarksville. Admission is free; tickets are not required. The nonprofit community band, which is affiliated with Howard Community College, has been performing since 1983. Its purpose is to provide opportunities for amateur musicians to play challenging band music while entertaining the public.

A few years ago, when the Elkridge Youth Organization took a brief hiatus from sponsoring a travel softball team, a determined group of young ladies decided to stick together in a sport they love and joined the neighboring Catonsville Chaos softball organization. Under the coaching team of Elkridge resident Bob Bahrijczuk and Catonsville resident Chris Rubeling , this team is making history! Six of the team members are from Elkridge and all started playing together in the EYO. They are: Jamie Bahrijczuk, Isa Carunungan, Jordan Ciraolo, Rachel Oliver, Katelyn Penix and Stephanie Yarrish.

The Western Maryland College Concert Band and singers from the college will present "The New-Fallen Snow: Secular and Sacred Music of the Holiday Season," at 7 p.m. Dec. 9, in Baker Memorial Chapel.The program is free and open to the public."The New-Fallen Snow" will showcase the college's 30-piece Concert Band, made up of students and local musicians. In addition, six vocalists from the college community will accompany the band on several pieces.James Lightner, professor of mathematics at Western Maryland, will read "The Night Before Christmas" by Clement C. Moore, with musical accompaniment by composer John Moss.

Its bandwagon, the famous bouncing ball and hectic music schedule are all gone. But when Baltimore's Municipal Concert Band starts its season tonight in Patterson Park, it continues a more than 100-year-old tradition of taxpayer-financed summer concerts that have disappeared from most other big American cities. In Baltimore, too, the handwriting may be on the wall. Because of a budget squeeze, this year's season has been truncated to seven appearances between today and July 14 by the concert band of freelance musicians.

Baltimore will never be without music. And that's the law.This is by order of the 1860 Baltimore City Charter: "Music shall be provided for the citizens of Baltimore by the city."Abiding by that lawful request -- the only item that remains from the original charter -- the Municipal Concert Band has neighborhoods all over Baltimore singing, dancing, laughing and clapping to music all summer long.Wednesday was northern Bolton Hill's turn. The residents there plan their yearly neighborhood fund-raiser and party around the band's performance.

An article Aug. 7 in the entertainment section misidentified the director of the Naval Academy's band.Lt. Cmdr. Ralph M. Gambone is director of the concert band. Senior Chief Musician Randy L. Martell is director of the jazz band.The Sun regrets the errors.Pub Date: 8/14/97

Community bands, the groups of accountants, tailors and grocers who picked up horns and drums to play Sousa marches and show-music medleys from gazebos in parks on summer Sunday evenings, may seem like a thing of the past, but they are alive and well.Eight community bands from Bel Air to southern Maryland and Baltimore to Gaithersburg will perform Saturday at Downs Park, partly for their listeners and partly for themselves, during Maryland Community Band day.Bay Winds, the host band, opens the concert at noon, followed by the Columbia Concert Band, Montgomery Village, the Baltimore Symphonic Band, the Southern Maryland Concert Band, the Rockville Brass Band, the Bel Air Community Band and the Rockville Concert Band.

SINCE 1983, the Columbia Concert Band has been a gathering for musicians who want to share their lifelong love of music. And a lucky few, including band director Mike Blackman, have found a lifetime partner there. Blackman, who is also band director at Triadelphia Ridge Elementary School, lives in River Hill village with his wife, Kathie, and 6-month-old daughter, Julianne. The couple met while both were playing clarinet in the band. "At the time I met Kathie, I decided I was going to wait until I finished my master's degree in music education before I ever sought out a wife," Mike Blackman said.

A former county schools official has been appointed to the board of trustees for the Community College of Baltimore County, the school announced yesterday. H. Scott Gehring, a former assistant superintendent for schools in the northwest area of the county, was appointed to a five-year term by Gov. Martin O'Malley. In a 30-year career with county schools, Gehring progressed through the ranks, moving from guidance counselor, to principal to assistant superintendent. He recently retired from his assistant superintendent position, which he had held since 2001.

Band director Mike Blackman challenged his players to "sweat." Not in the literal sense, despite the fact that nearly 85 musicians playing for the Columbia Concert Band are crowded in the band room at River Hill High School. He wanted his band members to focus on the music and give it their all. A nonprofit community band since 1983, it practices yearlong for two hours each Monday night. At this week's practice, members let out a few laughs before quickly getting down to business and responding to Blackman's call for sweat.

River Hill High School will hold a meeting for parents of incoming ninth-graders from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. tomorrow. Parents will have an opportunity to learn about activities available to their children and how they, as parents, can be involved. Representatives from school clubs, student government, sports teams and parent organizations will be on hand. The evening will begin with a presentation by the PTSA, music and drama boosters, athletic department and student government. Refreshments will be served.

The Columbia Concert Band will present its spring concert, featuring Alfred Reed's The Hounds of Spring, Hobbits by Johan DeMeij, music from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by John Williams and Victory Lopez, and other works, at 3 p.m. May 7 at River Hill High School, 12101 Route 108, Clarksville. Admission is free; tickets are not required. The nonprofit community band, which is affiliated with Howard Community College, has been performing since 1983. Its purpose is to provide opportunities for amateur musicians to play challenging band music while entertaining the public.

Traditional Arts at Farm Museum The Carroll County Farm Museum in Westminster will hold Traditional Arts classes beginning this month. Some openings remain in these classes: basketmaking, blacksmithing, Bauernmalerei, chair caning, crazy quilt pincushion, knitting, Pennsylvania German Fraktur, penny run table runner, natural dyes on wool fiber, open hearth cooking, rug hooking, scratched egg designs, seat weaving, soap making, spinning, stenciled floorcloth,...

Its bandwagon, the famous bouncing ball and hectic music schedule are all gone. But when Baltimore's Municipal Concert Band starts its season tonight in Patterson Park, it continues a more than 100-year-old tradition of taxpayer-financed summer concerts that have disappeared from most other big American cities. In Baltimore, too, the handwriting may be on the wall. Because of a budget squeeze, this year's season has been truncated to seven appearances between today and July 14 by the concert band of freelance musicians.

The student: Joy Fraser, 15 School: Atholton High Special achievement: A bassoon player, she took second place in the Columbia Orchestra's Young Artist Competition. Two musicians tied for first place. She was the alternate. What was the audition like? "After the competition, I hadn't felt the greatest about my performance. Then I got a phone call from my teacher that I got alternate. I was not expecting it at all." What is the appeal of being a soloist? She was a guest soloist for the Rockville Concert Band last year.

A warm, sunny day near the water, a picnic lunch and the sound of community bands playing favorites -- what more could you ask for?Downs Park will be the site Sunday for an afternoon of music as the county celebrates Maryland Community Band Day.Eight community-based concert bands from all over the state will be performing 45-minute sets in the bayside amphitheater. Big band tunes, classical, contemporary and Broadway tunes, and traditional marches will be played.The day will begin at noon with the Calvert Community Band.

The student: Joy Fraser, 15 School: Atholton High Special achievement: A bassoon player, she took second place in the Columbia Orchestra's Young Artist Competition. Two musicians tied for first place. She was the alternate. What was the audition like? "After the competition, I hadn't felt the greatest about my performance. Then I got a phone call from my teacher that I got alternate. I was not expecting it at all." What is the appeal of being a soloist? She was a guest soloist for the Rockville Concert Band last year.