Nevada County's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Yesterday the Nevada County Concert Band Invited Players from similar bands to join them for a summer afternoon concert. Musicians came to Nevada City from as far as Long Beach and Denver, bringing all sorts of band instruments, including a very rare bass sarrusophone. That made my driving an hour from Sacramento with a clarinet a little less remarkable. The day's band of about 130 (about 50 members of the Nevada County band and 80 guests) rehearsed for three hours in the morning. We rehearsed in a shaded picnic area surrounded by trees and a shallow stream. This was all in Pioneer Park, about three blocks from downtown Nevada City. This is one of the greatest city parks I have ever seen.
The morning rehearsal went so well it was a joy. The participants had actually learned their music before the rehearsal! I need to find more people who do that.
Cheryl Woldseth, the band's director, was unbelievable. She is everything you could want in a community band leader and then some. She sent several reminder emails prior to the rehearsal to gently threaten us to learn our parts. Everything was perfectly organized, which is no small feat for a group of this size and a truck full of equipment. Cheryl's direction was excellent. I always love playing for a director who has reviewed the scores so thoroughly that she is in constant direct nonverbal communication with the band. I sneaked a photo of the master at her work.
You can't see Cheryl's full face in this picture because I waited until she was cuing a section far from me. I didn't want to be caught acting flaky in a rehearsal. (Yes,we played "A Tribute to Elvis" complete with real impersonators.)
We had a few hours off in the afternoon. Most of the out-of-towners took it easy because the mid-day weather was warm and most of us aren't spring chickens. Several of us gathered under the shade of cedar and redwood trees in the band shell's grove. There are few times in your life when you can see a man and his sousaphone appear out of the roiling heat.
It was like a scene from “Lawrence of Arabia”, but with a sousaphone, trees and no camels. Besides that, the same.
The concert drew a crowd of several hundred happy picnickers. We played our encore of “Stars and Stripes Forever” with no rehearsal. It went great. Our rendition of this great march compelled a young boy to run around in circles until he fell down. That's the greatest complement any musicians can possibly get. Kids are honest. I can honestly tell you that you have not lived a complete life until you hear the grand chorus of this march with thirteen trombones standing behind you. That experience ranks with the first time I heard The Ramones live, sometime around 1980. Seriously.
The Nevada County Concert Band has a similar event every year, as well as several other concerts each year. If you live in the Sierra foothills, you should go to the invitational concert. You will almost surely find me in the clarinet section.
Comment
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Comment by CreekEnd_UK on July 27, 2011 at 6:12am -
I must admit that big band music isn't really me, but in an outside environment must have been awesome . A touch of Bluegrass I like though.
Odd but true - the first photo zoomers presents me with when having just signed on each time is now you tomato which they have on a loop. Don't they realise it doesnt look like that now and has been kosher'urghed ?
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Comment by Steve S on July 26, 2011 at 10:54am
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Creekend, do not worry about proper attire.
My regular band wears formals when we perform indoors.
We usually don't come equipped with bride & Groom. This was our director's wedding.
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Comment by Linda Seccaspina on July 26, 2011 at 8:29am -
This looks just great... I wish I had been there.
HUGGGGGGGGGGGGG
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Comment by CreekEnd_UK on July 26, 2011 at 6:17am
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OK so I had to google the drugs BUT I still think there should have been a dress code.
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These events are like a U2 concert because most of the audience is on drugs (lipitor and prilosec, etc.).
Side story - One of the local band's clarinet players looked like an older version of me, so several of the flute players decided I was his visiting son. It was all very friendly.
These are things people do and enjoy that build a better community for all of us to live in.
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Comment by Kenneth Sibbett on July 25, 2011 at 8:27pm -
You make this sound like a U2 Concert, and I love it. It must be great to play an instrument in a concert band, playing when you're supposed to, listening when you aren't. Seems like a great time was had by all!
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I will find out if anything shows up on video. Someone had several microphones set up, but I don't know what they'll do with the recording. Composers' and arrangers' rights tend to limit how what you can do.
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Comment by Lisa Schnaidt on July 25, 2011 at 7:24pm -
What a great event! Anyone have video of the day to share?
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