Contributed by Thomas E. Peisch., Wellesley Town Band member
Summer in New England arrives as the Wellesley Town Band is hard at work rehearsing for its two highly-anticipated June concerts. The events take place on Sunday, June 4, at 3 PM in the High School auditorium and on Wednesday, June 21, at 7 PM outdoors in the park down the hill from Town Hall. Admission to both is free, so mark your calendars, and come join the fun of high-quality community band music.
The Band will celebrate its 10th anniversary in September and was the brainchild of long-time Wellesley resident Herb Gliick. Herb had begun playing the trombone late in life, and he envisioned a community-based opportunity for musicians to hone their skills AND to provide entertainment to young and old. In a stroke of genius, Herb persuaded multi-instrumentalist and long-time Wellesley Middle School Music Director Henry Platt to take charge.
Henry was nearing the end of a distinguished career as a music educator and was willing to accept the challenge. For the past ten years, Henry has provided the Band with expert musical guidance, from the selection of playing material, to presiding over weekly rehearsals, to conducting concerts. Without Henry’s expertise and patience, there would be no Band.
The 2013 version of the Band consisted of Herb and twelve other Wellesley residents.Today, the Band is some forty-nine strong, and members come from a number of other communities besides Wellesley. Six original members still belong. Musical abilities vary, with some members having played for decades, and others (like this writer) having taken decades off to start careers and raise families. A number of high school student musicians have enriched the Band’s sound over the years, and at least one parent-child team has played in the group.
There are no auditions, but Band members commit to paying a modest annual fee (through the Recreation Department) for expenses such as sheet music and a small stipend to Henry, and also commit to attendance at weekly rehearsals during the nine-month season. The Band performs three times a year, once at the holidays and twice at the beginning of the summer.
During a two-year Covid hiatus, many Band members maintained their chops by playing privately or outdoors in small groups. The Band’s first post-Covid concert last December was a rousing success and demonstrated that the Band had not lost a step, or more accurately, a note.
The two June concerts will consist of a smorgasbord (Henry Platt’s term) of music– from movie themes to orchestral arrangements to traditional marches. As noted, the two dates are Sunday, June 4 at 3 PM in the High School auditorium and Wednesday, June 21 at 7 PM outdoors at Town Hall.
The Band is grateful for the support of the Wellesley Public Schools, the Recreation Department, and the Wellesley Cultural Council.
For further information regarding the Band, please visit info@wellesleytownband.org.
More: Please help fund our Swellesley Report summer internship
