Oskaloosa City Band Set To ‘March’ For July 19th
The Oskaloosa City Band during one of the weekly performances held June until August every Thursday at 8:00 p.m.
Oskaloosa, Iowa – The shade of the tall trees on the square awaits concert goers on Thursday night. The Oskaloosa City Band, under the direction of Bruce Peiffer, has a new set of tunes to serenade the audience at 8 p.m.
This week’s concert includes several marches, including: “The Liberty Bell”, “The Minnesota March”, “Peacemaker March”, and “American Patrol”.
William Penn student director, Nic Steele, will conduct David Moore’s “Escapada”, a march with a Spanish flair. Next, he will conduct “E Pluribus Unum”, a patriotic march, arranged by Andrew Glover, of Barnhouse Publishing.
The saxophone section is highlighted in Billy Joel’s 1974 instrumental track, “Root Beer Rag”. If you’re a Billy Joel fan, it’s worth watching the youtube video of him performing this song.
The band will slow things down a bit with “Morning Has Broken”, based on a Gaelic melody. It is a well-known hymn and was also recorded by singer, Cat Stevens in 1971.
William Penn University’s Director of Instrumental Music, Scott Cressley, will be the featured alto saxophone soloist on “St. Thomas”. Theodore “Sonny” Rollins, a famous jazz saxophonist, released this song on his album “Saxophone Colussus”.
Each week, the band plays a “fiery overture based on a western theme”. This week the band is playing “Magnificent Seven” by Elmer Bernstein. The film, “Magnificent Seven” was released in 1960 and was a western remake of the Japanese film “Seven Samurai”.
The clarinets are featured in “Stranger On The Shore”. This song was used as a theme song for a BBC show by the same name in the early 1960’s. It later reached #1 status in the United States for a few weeks. In 1969, a recording of this song accompanied the Apollo 10 crew on their mission to the moon. Over the years, it has been featured in movies including, “Red Heat” in 1988, “Mr. Holland’s Opus” in 1995, “There’s Something About Mary” in 1998, and “The Majestic” in 2001.
Now it’s time to meet the clarinet section. Anita Meinert has been playing in the band since 1983. She also served as the band’s director from 1996 to 2006. She is currently the Director of Vocal and Keyboard Music at William Penn University.
Sharon Hammes has played a total of 8 years with the band. She began playing prior to having children, and recently returned along with her son, Adam, who plays saxophone. She is a music teacher at Oskaloosa Elementary School.
Janet Wagner is in her 6th year playing with the band. She also serves as a member of the city band’s board of directors. She is guidance counselor for grades 2 – 3 at Oskaloosa Elementary. Prior to playing in the city band, she states she hadn’t played since high school and once again enjoys playing.
Pam Nimtz states she has “played for 22 years minus the 18 years she sat on the sidelines with children”. Since convincing her 2 sons to join the band, she is enjoying her “3rd year back”. She is employed by the city of Oskaloosa as Deputy City Clerk.
Kim Benson has been playing in the band as needed for several years. Originally, a percussionist (in the back of the band) and a director (who stands in front of the band), she enjoys “playing” the clarinet in the city band, as it allows her to “sit in the middle of the band surrounded by beautiful sounds.”
Shirlee Gallagher has played in the band since 1977. She served as the band’s secretary from 1980 – 2011. She is an Impact Teacher at Oskaloosa Elementary for grades 3 – 5. All three of her children played in the band as high school and college students.
Adam Genskow is in his 3rd year playing the bass clarinet. He will be a senior at Oskaloosa High this fall. He teaches swim lessons and is a life guard at the YMCA. He plays a variety of instruments and states his career goal is to be an instrumental music teacher.
In commemoration of the 100th anniversary, each week, there will be a prize drawing near the end of the concert. This week’s featured sponsor is The Antique Peddler, and their contribution is a framed print of the Oskaloosa Bandstand signed by artist, Bob Adams. The Antique Peddler is located at 213 High Ave. East. Please sign up at the table at the base of the bandstand. Each week, the winner, who must be present to win, will be announced prior to the playing of the National Anthem.
