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Concert Band a Labor of
Love
Holiday concert on Sunday
by Demian David Tebaldi
December 13, 2007
—
The pews of the church of St. John
the Evangelist in Hopkinton will be reserved at 3:00 pm for a very
special event on Sunday, December 16, and for very special guests – the
public. For the ninth time in as many years, the Southeastern
Massachusetts Community Concert Band, a 40-50 piece wind symphony under
the direction of conductor Bruce Houston, is presenting to the public a
masterfully arranged holiday concert, absolutely free of charge – with a
catch. Admission is a donation of laundry detergent, school snacks or
cereal. For a box of Cheer or peanut butter crackers, which are donated
to the Hopkinton Food Pantry (now Project Just Because), one may enjoy
an afternoon suffused with music and community spirit in a place of
splendor.
“The church [of St. John the Evangelist] is a magnificent venue,” says
Everett Carr (Photo), co-Treasurer and board member of the SMCCB. “This
coming Sunday should be great. At this time of year, at that time in
the afternoon, the stained glass windows catch the sun just right, and
the place just glows. It’s perfect for a pops style concert and special
performance by the St. John Children’s Choir."
Mr. Carr, who has been
with the SMCCB since 1988, in the past serving as Treasurer of the
organization, also plays the euphonium for the band.
“It’s the cello of the
wind instruments,” explains Mr. Carr, with a twinkle in his eye.
“Picture a tuba, only smaller and easier to carry.”
“As for the band
itself, it is ‘community’ in the truest sense. Our conductor, Bruce
Houston, is a consummate professional – thirty years experience teaching
in the public schools of
Natick, and
while we’ve had one or two professional musicians participate in the
past, for the most part we are administrators, doctors, janitors,
dentists, retirees. Our only criteria for membership are that one be
able to play an instrument and read music,” says Mr. Carr.
“Hopkinton natives
John Ritz and Chris Elliot play with the group. The youngest person I
remember was sixteen or seventeen when he joined us, a percussionist.
His skill improved a great deal, he eventually went on to become
top-ranked young timpanist in New England.
It's a family affair for married couples Laura Logan and Mitchell
Schwartz, and Clinton and Ellen Keith.” Noting that strong
interpersonal relationships are apt to develop between community members
working toward a common goal, Mr. Carr recalls the weddings of band
members at which the entire ensemble – around 50 musicians and their
accoutrements - played traditional wedding marches for the brides.
“There was one church where we didn’t all fit inside, and we played on
the lawn out front. At least the weather was good.”
The SMCCB was
assembled in 1976 as a Bicentennial tribute effort, originally to
attract and serve members of southeastern Massachusetts communities. All members of the
band offer their time without remuneration, and provide their own
instruments and equipment. It has grown a great deal in membership and
popularity since then, and now includes members from
Barrington,
Rhode Island, Quincy, Marlborough,
Framingham, Plainville, Mansfield,
Ashland, Franklin,
Natick, Holliston, Hopkinton, Medway, Millis,
Milford, Northbridge, Upton and other Metrowest
Massachusetts towns. The organization has a proud history of working
with local charities, a happy fact especially poignant now with over
5,000 area families in need of assistance over the holidays.
‘If you want to hire
the band for an event at which you plan to charge admission, then [the
band] takes a fee of $2,500 up front. However, in keeping with the
mission of drawing from and improving local communities, our gift to the
communities in which we live is the Holiday Concert,” says Mr. Carr.
“This is our ninth year performing at St. John’s, in the past we’ve
worked in conjunction with the Hopkinton Food Pantry to provide much
needed items to families in need. This year, it’s school snacks and
laundry detergent…in previous years, mittens, blankets,” he explained.
With an annual public
attendance averaging around 500, the yearly concert at
St. John’s is a much anticipated event in households all over Massachusetts. Families
eagerly await the band’s renditions of familiar holiday songs, classical
compositions and popular tunes – ranging from Pachelbel’s
Canon to the score of the
Nutcracker – and the chance to see old friends.
“Every year that I
have played the holiday concert, the aspect that has left the deepest
impression,” says Mr. Carr, “is the way that Reverend Jim Degnan (now
retired) and the other members of
St. John
interacts with the public. An ardent supporter and unfailing attendee
of the event, he greets each and every person that walks through the
door, always has.” Mr. Carr, who attended Father Degnan’s retirement
party in 2006, always looks forward to seeing the much-loved clergyman.
“He really represents the spirit of the season. He’s been of great
comfort to me and [those I love] in the past. His flock lies not just
in Hopkinton, he has touched the lives of many more. All the members of
the band look forward to continuing this wonderful tradition with the
parish of St. John with Reverend Paul Clifford at the
helm.”
Ever mindful of the
costs involved in producing such a large-scale event, Mr. Carr adds that
“[the band] is grateful for the kind and generous donation of the usage
of St. John's Church for this public community event. We
must not forget that providing such a wonderful venue is not free in
terms of cleanup and heating costs, not to mention wear and tear to the
facility."
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