MEADVILLE, Pa. – May 30, 2009 – A tradition since 1989, the Band Camp for Adult Musicians will be held during the weeks of June 7 and June 21 at Allegheny College, with many opportunities for the public to attend rehearsals and performances.
Nearly 150 musicians—from 21 states, Canada and Australia—have registered to attend the camp. While most of the band’s sections are filled, players of woodwind, brass or percussion instruments who are college age or beyond and interested in one of the remaining spots should contact the Allegheny College Office of Conference and Events Services at (814) 332-3101.
All of the camp’s rehearsals and performances are free and open to the public. The band will rehearse each weekday morning in Shafer Auditorium on the Allegheny campus from 9 to 11:30 a.m. It will also rehearse Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday from 7 to 9 p.m., although this schedule may vary. There are master classes on the instruments as well as small ensemble rehearsals during the afternoons in the Henderson Campus Center.
One of the most anticipated activities during the Band Camp weeks will occur on Thursday at 7 p.m., when the small ensembles hold a recital. The ensembles range from woodwind quintets and brass quintets to a Dixieland band and a stage band.
Each week will end with a gala concert on Friday at 7:30 pm. in Shafer Auditorium. All the soloists for this year’s concerts are campers. They include trumpeter Michael Hébert of Elizabethtown, N.C., and John Johnson of Little Neck, N.Y., on the euphonium for Week I. For the Week II concert, the soloists will be trombonist Paul Heffner of Antioch, Ill., and Wendy Schmehl of Fleetwood, Pa., on the piccolo.
The conductor of the Week I concert band will again be retired Air Force Col. Jere W. Fridy. Currently the assistant conductor of the Virginia Grand Military Band, Fridy was the commander and conductor of the 553 Air Force Band (also known as the Pennsylvania Air National Guard Band) stationed at Middletown, Pa., for many years.
Retired Marine Corps Col. Timothy Foley will return as the conductor of the Week II concert band after his debut at Band Camp in 2005. Foley retired in July 2004 as director of the U.S. Marine Band (also known as “The President’s Own”) in Washington, D.C. In March, Foley served as guest conductor for the Pennsylvania Intercollegiate Band at Allegheny College.
Each section of the Band is led by a principal musician who is a professional musician on his or her instrument. Several of the musicians, including Lowell and Julie Hepler and Ronald Stitt, are Allegheny College faculty members, while others come from across the U.S. to participate. Most of the principal musicians are veterans of the camps, giving continuity to the teaching style of the principals.
The music to be performed includes overtures, transcriptions from the orchestral literature, original works for band, lighter works and many marches. The composers range from Johann Sebastian Bach and Felix Mendelssohn to Alfred Reed and Frank Ticheli. The composer most likely to have a work in each week’s concert is John Philip Sousa.
Fore more information on registering for Band Camp or attending rehearsals and performances, please contact the Allegheny College Office of Conference and Events at (814) 332-3101.
