Fall 2010 - Ringgold Band

The Ringgold Band of Reading, PA
Ringgold Band News
Fall, 2010
www.ringgoldband.com
An Evening of Fantasy
By Jim Seidel
I
n today’s world of visual media, there have been
many movies based on fantasy, helped along by
our own imagination. What about music? Over the
course of music history there has been an overwhelming amount of music that was based on fantasy, but now your imagination becomes the major
factor in making the music come alive.
In this year’s annual dinner concert we will explore music of that nature. For example, a recent
work by Cincinnati Pops arranger Steven Reineke,
Pilatus: Mountain of Dragons explores the Pilatus
mountain near Luzerne, Switzerland. In medieval
times it was believed that dragons with healing powers lived in the crevices of Mount Pilatus.
In the 1920s, Puccini began an opera, Turandot, which featured the aria Nessun Dorma, receiving world acclaim thanks to the incredible
performance of Luciano Pavarotti at the World Cup
games in Italy in 1990. The story this is based upon
is Turandot is to be married, but the lucky man must
answer her three fantasy questions correctly. Anyone answering incorrectly is to be beheaded. The
symphonic poem by Saint-Saens, Danse Macabre
(the dance of death) continues the fantasy theme of
the concert. Every Halloween Dr. Death summons
the graves of the dead to dance for him while he
plays the fiddle until dawn of the next day.
The ultimate fantasy with these themes of the
fascination with death is the modern day music of
the Broadway show Sweeney Todd. This plot revolves around a British myth of a barber trumped up
on a false charge and incarcerated as the judge takes
his wife and child for himself. The music of Steven
Sondheim is absolutely brilliant and beautiful as
Sweeney seeks his revenge.
Not all the music deals
with the morbid, but most is
based on the use of our
imagination. One thing that
will take no imagination will be our youth soloist of
the evening, Zackery Jepsen-Bergan, a junior at
Oley Valley High School. It is no fantasy listening to
the talents of this young percussionist who will perform on xylophone, then team with the Ringgold
dynamic duo of Brian Holt and Dave Myers in a
snare drum trio. Ringgold is totally committed to
featuring and encouraging the youth of our area to
continue to share their young talent with audiences
of Berks County and continue into the future.
Speaking of talent, the name of Jonathan
Reinhold is well known in Berks County as one of
the premier vocalists of the present time. Jonathan
will cap off a night of incredible music with some
selections from the Broadway stage. By the way,
most of the story lines of these songs were based
on myths and fantasy! Read more about Jonathan
later in this newsletter.
Not to be forgotten are the familiar encore
marches by Sousa and his contemporaries and
even one of those old chestnuts by von Suppe. So
as you gather your friends and neighbors get a good
night’s rest for your imagination will be working
overtime.
JONATHAN R. REINHOLD
GUEST SOLOIST
Contents
Page 1
An Evening of Fantasy
Soloist Jonathan R. Reinhold
Page 2
PSU Library Celebrates Fred
Waring Legacy
Page 3
President’s Corner
Heard Around the Band Hall
Page 4
Helping Hearts for Harmony
Print Edition of Newsletter to
be Discontinued
Page 5
Young Musicians Thrive at
Music Camp
Page 6
In Tune With Youth - Jonathan
Joins the Marines
Keeping in Touch With Youth
Page 7
Member Spotlight-Cathy
Barra
Insert
Fall Dinner Concert Ticket
Order Form/
Merchandise Order Form
J
onathan R. Reinhold was born and raised in Reading, Pennsylvania. He attended
Temple University and The Juilliard School, Manhattan, New York, where he
received a Bachelor of Music degree. He has appeared with the Philadelphia
Lyric Opera Company in the premiere of Gian Carlo Menotti’s, “The Hero”. This
particular role was written for him by the composer. Other appearances include the
Colorado Opera Festival, the Virginia Opera Company, the New York Lyric Opera
Company , Eastern Opera Company of New York, and the American Opera Center.
Mr. Reinhold has worked under the batons of James Conlon, Christian Badea,
Robert de Cormier, and Christopher Keene. He has appeared at Carnegie Hall in
New York as the baritone soloist in Handel’s “Israel in Egypt”, Martinu’s “Military
Mass” and Ralph Vaughn Williams’ “Hodie”. He has also performed as the baritone soloist in the Messiah at Avery Fisher Hall in New York City.
Mr. Reinhold appeared in concert at the French Embassy in Washington, D.C.,
Jonathan Reinhold
where he performed for the benefit of the Arlington Symphony. Jonathan has also
performed with the Pops Orchestra at the Gring’s Mill Summer Arts Festival, as well as the Pops Orchestra Dinner
Concert at the Inn at Reading. Jonathan helped to ring in the 1997 new year at the Reading Symphony Orchestra’s
New Year’s Eve Concert, as the guest soloist. Jonathan appeared with the Reading Symphony in their Viennese Concert on New Year’s Eve 2004 at the Sovereign Performing Arts Center. He performed “off-Broadway” in the revue
“Revenge With Music” and was the baritone soloist in the New York Choral Society’s Summer Sing of the “Brahm’s
Requiem” at Cami Hall in New York City.
When he is not traveling around the country entertaining, he enjoys a private voice studio, where he works with
professional and non-professional singers, specializing in breathing and body organization to facilitate an unencumbered singing technique. He is the owner and instructor of The Reinhold Vocal Studio located in Wernersville, Pennsylvania.
Ringgold
Band
Fall Dinner Concert
Sunday, Oct. 17, 2010
6:00 p.m.
Reading Crowne Plaza Hotel
Wyomissing, PA
$30 per person
For tickets, use the order form
enclosed, or call Wendy at
610-779-8858 7:30-9:00 p.m. only.
PSU LIBRARY
CELEBRATES
FRED WARING LEGACY
By Maria C. Reichenbach, Band Historian
T
his summer the Pennsylvania State University Libraries celebrated
the life and times of Fred Waring and the Pennsylvanians. The celebration kicked off with a gallery talk at Pattee Library in University Park
on June 9, 2010. This talk was given by Eileen Akin and Peter Kiefer, the
former coordinators of the Fred Waring Collection on the occasion of
Waring’s 110th birthday anniversary.
Frederic Malcolm Waring was born on June 9, 1900 in Tyrone, PA
and became known as the “man who taught America how to sing.” He
attended Penn State, studying architectural engineering, but left in his last
semester. Waring’s Banjo Orchestra took up so much of his time that he
decided to leave school to pursue touring with the band. The rest is, as
they say, history. The choral conductor, band leader, and educator would
go on to form Fred Waring and the Pennsylvanians and entertain audiences for decades through film, TV, radio, stage, and records. The innovative
musician accomplished many firsts in his career including conducting a
singing band and combining an orchestra with a glee club.
In 1943 Waring started his own publishing company named Words
and Music. He later changed the name to Shawnee Press and in 2009 it
was purchased by the Hal Leonard Corporation. In 1947 he started yearly
workshops for music educators and musicians to foster better singing
techniques, particularly the enunciation of syllables. Waring said, “If I
have made any other contribution to music, besides entertainment, I
would feel that our workshop has been the most satisfying and rewarding.
Our credo is to teach all of the beauty of all of the sounds of all of the syllables of all of the words.”
In 1983 he received the Congressional Gold Medal from President
Ronald Reagan in appreciation of all of his musical contributions. He also
has 3 stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame; one each for radio, music,
and television.
Waring died on July 29, 1984 of a stroke after completing a summer
of workshops at Penn State. A Pennsylvania historical marker was dedicated to Fred Waring on October 6, 2005 and is located in Blair County at
the southeast corner of Pennsylvania Ave. and 11th St. in Tyrone. It reads:
Dick Tracy comic dedicated to Fred
Waring
Photo Credit: Fred Waring Collection at The
Pennsylvania State University. Taken 2009
World-renowned choral arranger and band leader, Waring was
born and raised in Tyrone. In 1919, while attending Penn
State, he started "Fred Waring and the Pennsylvanians," a popular musical group that entertained for seven decades on stage,
screen, radio, and TV.
The Fred Waring Collection at Penn State is part of the University
Archives in the Eberly Family Special Collections Library and includes
the complete musical library used by the Pennsylvanians; sheet music;
recordings that include radio and TV programs on wire, kinescope, tape,
video, and disc; photographs; scrapbooks; correspondence; musical instruments; costumes; and Waring Blendors. Even though Waring studied
engineering, he did not actually invent the blender. He did, however, develop an unworkable model of the device that was presented to him by
Frederick Osius and became a big marketer of this now commonplace
kitchen appliance.
An unexpected part of the Waring Collection that is also part of his
legacy is over 600 pieces of cartoon art. Waring became friends with
members of the National Cartoonist Society and they would gather in the
summer at his golf resort Shawnee-on-Delaware and draw cartoons for
him. Some of these pieces were laminated and later made into table tops
which are on display in the library. Some of the comic artists whose work
is included in the collection include Mort Walker (Beetle Bailey), Chester
Gould (Dick Tracy), Hal Foster (Prince Valiant) and Bil Keane (Family
Circus).
The Fred Waring Collection is open to the public Monday through
Friday from 8 am-5 pm. Its mission continues to be to provide primary
source material for researchers from Penn State, musicians and music educators, orchestra and choral conductors, documentary filmmakers, golden-age radio enthusiasts as well as media and cultural historians. The
collection serves not only as a resource to document 20th century popular
culture and music but also offers a personal glimpse at the man behind the
music.
Waring Blendors on prominent display
Various memorabilia lines the wall at
Waring Collection at University Park
Photos by Maria Reichenbach
Mort Walker’s Beetle Bailey original comic
strip made into tabletop
Page 2
Ringgold Band News, Fall, 2010
by Cindy Miller-Aungst,
Band President
“O
ne of the many reasons I love playing
with the Ringgold Band is the joy that I
get from presenting a concert on a beautiful
summer evening to an appreciative audience.
Last night was one of those very special evenings and I think that many of the band members experienced the same joy during this
particular concert. Why was this concert so special? As usual, we played our trademark marches, “old chestnuts”, new concert band literature,
and Broadway tunes in a band shell at scenic
Hill
Church near Boyertown, PA. The large auCindy Miller-Aungst
dience was attentive and responsive from the
moment we began to play. After the concert, Jim thanked us for an extremely enjoyable performance, and praised us for being sensitive to his musical direction
throughout the evening.
Again, why was this concert special? Dave Myers, one of our fine percussionists, summed it up in some comments he
made to me after the concert. He told me
that he believes that the band becomes truly
inspired when we have the opportunity to
accompany fine young musicians. Our featured trumpet soloist was Carmen Ebersole. Carmen was a finalist in the Ringgold
Band Young Artist Competition and will be
continuing her musical studies at Penn State
University. Her performance was beautiful,
and we have no doubts that she will represent Berks County very well at Penn State.
Our vocal soloist was Katelyn Aungst.
Katelyn has sung with the band several
times over the last four years as a substitute
for Debbie Greenawald. Since I may have a
bit of a bias toward her performance ( yes, I
am her mother), I will only say that band
members have enjoyed hearing the developCarmen Ebersole
ment of her voice and stage presence since
Photo by Ed Treat
she began her studies in music at the University of Maryland. Performing with these
young musicians rejuvenates the members
of the band and also brings back memories
of how we became involved with music in
our early years.
At the beginning of the concert, Jim
announced that it was the 50th anniversary
of the first time that he ever heard the
Ringgold Band. Couple that with our final
surprise guest artist of the evening, Terry
Heilman, retired percussionist with the
Army Band of Washington D.C., and you
have a full circle of musical experience.
The combination of experienced musicians
sharing their skills with young talent to
carry on the tradition of making music together is truly rewarding, and contributes
to the continuing success of the Ringgold
Band. With the support of the Reading
Musical Foundation in this goal, we will
Katelyn Aungst
strive to continue encouraging young muPhoto by Ed Treat
sicians to share their talents with us.
Join us on October 17th to hear another exceptional young talent - percussionist Zach Jepson-Berger from Oley Valley High School. It is sure to be a treat, and
I hope you will join us!
Heard Around the
Band Hall...
J
ohn Bailey, tuba, entered the
Fellowship of Grandfathers on
March 8th with the birth of his
grandson, Stephen X. Bailey. Father and mother, Erik and Terrika,
are living in Pasadena, California.
Erik works for the Jet Propulsion
Laboratory of Cal Tech as a Guidance, Navigation, & Control Engineer, and Terrika teaches at
Pasadena Community College
when not tending to Stephen and
Erik. Pictures of Stephen are available for viewing by simply asking
the proud Grandpa.
Stephen X. Bailey
T
om Hahn, clarinet, has been selected
as a “Distinguished Alumni” by the
Northeast Jr. H. S. Alumni Association of
Reading. Congratulations, Tom!
Tom Hahn
J
ohn Bailey and
Dewey Freeman will be participating in the 1st
Rodney Mack Philadelphia Big Brass
Outer Banks Tuba
Retreat to be held
September 12-19,
2010, in the Outer
Banks, NC.
The RMPBB
John Bailey & Dewey Freeman
Outer Banks Tuba
Retreat is a unique
opportunity for tuba players from around the world to come
together to share their love of playing the tuba. Participants
come from all walks of life: students, teachers, professionals, enthusiasts, part-time players, comeback players, etc.
The retreat is a non-competitive, friendly, supporting atmosphere where learning and sharing knowledge is the key
element to the week.
The beautiful setting of the Outer Banks of North
Carolina is the perfect backdrop for the tuba retreat, where
John and Dewey will suffer for the week in a luxury mansion, steps away from the beach, fully-equipped with a
swimming pool, hot tub, game rooms, barbecue, and spectacular views of the Atlantic ocean while interacting with
RMPBB Tuba Retreat Faculty, Alan Baer - principal tubist of
the New York Philharmonic, Sam Pilafian - Professor of
Tuba at Arizona State University, and Matthew K. Brown tubist with the Rodney Mack Philadelphia Big Brass.
“C
indy MillerAungst celebrated two graduations in
the family in May and
June. Katelyn was
graduated from the University of Maryland with
a B. S. in Music Education and Drew was graduated from Oley Valley
High School.
Drew and Katelyn Aungst
Page 3
Ringgold Band News, Fall, 2010
HELPING HEARTS FOR
HARMONY
D
o you have an instrument collecting dust in a closet? Not sure
what to do with that instrument at house cleaning time? This
foundation is for you. Helping Hearts for Harmony is a new foundation created with a significant monetary donation by Jim and Wendy
Seidel to assist families who have children who would love to participate in the Exeter Instrumental program, but have fallen upon difficult
economic times. After spending 37 years in the Exeter School system
and witnessing what instrumental music has
done for so many students, Jim and Wendy
felt they needed a way
to give back and help
insure the future of instrumental music for all
at Exeter. In addition,
HHH has received a
generous donation of
reconditioned instruments from an anonymous donor to start this
foundation and help those students in the Exeter School System.
Exeter Township has a long-standing tradition of supporting and
promoting music education in the community. In the early 1950s, music was born in Exeter with the hiring of Mr. John Kamm who was a
one-man wonder in his early days at Exeter. He built a highly respectable band and choral program. He turned the department reigns over
to Mr. Seidel in 1978 to carry out his vision of having a well- balanced
successful music education program. With Mr.Kamm’s vision in mind
Exeter has one of the largest music programs in the state making music
accessible to all children. This program is just one more effort to continue the excellence of this program and bring the joy of music to another child.
If you would like to make an instrument or monetary donation,
contact Jim at [email protected] or 610-779-8858 for further information. HHH is a subsidiary of the Exeter Community Educational
Foundation which is a 501c(3) non-profit organization.
Advisory Board
James Seidel- retired music educator
Rick Dietrich COO- Zeswitz Music
Marc Bellettiere- Exeter School District Administrator
Joseph Staub- Exeter School Board Member
Kathy Hague- President of EMA
Michquelena Potlunas- music teacher
Mark your calendars!
Ringgold Band
159th Anniversary
Spring Concert
Sun., April 17, 2011 3 p.m.
Scottish Rite Cathedral
West Reading, PA
Print Edition of
Ringgold Band News to
be Discontinued
D
id you know that the cost to print and mail this newsletter ex-
ceeds $1,000 per issue? With rising costs for printing, paper,
postage and the preparation of the newsletter for distribution, the
semi-annual newsletter has become a major expense for the band.
Following the lead of many other organizations, our executive
board decided to discontinue the printing and mailing of this newsletter. But, don’t worry, the online edition will still be available on
our website, www.ringgoldband.com. And, the benefits of viewing it this way are numerous; first, it’s available sooner; second, the
online issue is in full color; and finally, you can save or print it any
time you wish if you’d still like to have a printed copy.
We’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback from readers of our
newsletter over the years, and we appreciate the fact that so many
people look forward to the arrival of it every six months. As use of
the Internet has become more widespread, we felt now was the appropriate time to make this change.
For those of you who still might not have access to the Internet
in your own home, consider asking a friend or relative to access the
online newsletter and print a copy for you. Or, you can go to your
local library or Internet café which usually provides free Internet
access along with the ability to print.
Thanks again for your support of our band over the years, and
we hope you continue to enjoy the online edition of Ringgold Band
News. If you have any story ideas for the newsletter, please contact
our newsletter editor, Dave Myers by email at
[email protected].
Thank you for your continued support of The Ringgold Band!
Page 4
Ringgold Band News, Fall, 2010
YOUNG MUSICIANS
THRIVE AT MUSIC CAMP
by Maria C. Reichenbach
T
he younger generation takes over Penn State’s University Park
campus during the summer as the school plays host to a variety
of camps for children. From science to sports camps, it seemed as if
there was something different going on every week. The ones that
caught my attention were the music camps that were conducted from
July 11-17. Though not readily publicized, the concluding concerts
are open to the public and represent the cumulative efforts of youth
who have never performed together. The ensembles that the students could choose to be in were concert choir, orchestra, jazz band,
and concert band.
There are many reasons that the campers choose to spend the
week honing their musical skills. Some do it for the love of music,
others to gain greater understanding of different aspects of music,
and others yet just to experience college life. The musicians, who
are in grades 9 through 12, are involved in master classes, sectional
rehearsals and different academic classes. They can pick from an
array of courses that include conducting, performing, listening, music theory, sight-singing, ear training, music appreciation, composition, music technology, film music, and music major preparation.
The participants’ week is scheduled as if they were in school.
Classes start at 8am sharp and they have the option of staying in
PSU residence halls for the duration of the week.
Leah Henrich, daughter of David and Linda Henrich, Spring
Township was one of the lucky musicians to attend the week-long
camp courtesy of a Reading Musical Foundation Music Camp
Scholarship. Leah had the opportunity to play cello in the orchestra
and French horn in the concert band. When asked what she learned
from her experience Leah responded “I learned about proper horn
technique, theory, counterpoint, and tons of other little things that
add up.” She feels that the knowledge she gained at music camp
will extend into her school band and orchestra experiences at Wilson
High School as well as her work with the Reading Symphony Youth
Orchestra. She would definitely recommend the camps to others,
citing the fact that while being very educational it was fun at the
same time and that all musicians could benefit from attending. Leah
looks forward to attending music camp again where she feels like it
would be a great benefit to her as she learns more in each successive
year.
The two concerts I attended were with the Concert Band directed by Dennis Glocke, director of concert bands at PSU and the Orchestra directed by Gerardo Edelstein, director of orchestral studies
at PSU. The Orchestra performed the first movement of Symphony
No. 8 (Unfinished) by Franz Schubert, Finlandia by Jean Sibelius,
the first movement of Danzas de Panama by William Grant Still,
and Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring by Howard
Stone. The Concert Band performed Triumphant Fanfare by Richard Saucedo, Dusk by Steven Bryant, the first and third movements
of Praetorius Suite by Michael Praetorius, and the first, second and
sixth movement of Lincolnshire Posy by Percy Grainger. Both concerts were well attended and the level of musicianship was excellent.
Kudos to these young folks for putting together quality programs in
such a short amount of time. And thanks to the RMF for sponsoring
several of our youthful musicians from Berks County.
Summer music camp Orchestra under the direction of Gerardo Edelstein. Photo by David Henrich
Happy Camper, Leah Henrich, outside the Playhouse Theatre on the grounds of Penn State .
Photo by David Henrich
Summer music camp Concert Band under the direction of Dennis Glocke. Photo by David Henrich
Page 5
Ringgold Band News, Fall, 2010
Ringgold Band . . .
In Tune With Youth!
Jonathan joins the Marines
By Jonathan Pustzai, french horn.
A
s with most seniors in high school, I have been faced with choosing the
path for the rest of my life. Originally, I had planned on going to school
for acoustic engineering. However, a series of events within the past few
months has changed everything. Towards the end of the school year, my band
director had a Marine recruiter come and speak with the band about music in
the military. After he had finished his presentation, he asked all the students
that were interested to speak with him. At the time I had considered auditioning for any of the service bands because of their extensive benefits, so I decided to speak with the recruiter after his presentation. He had me complete a
contact form and said he would be in touch. Within the next few weeks I was
contacted, and the recruiter evaluated me to ensure that I was eligible for the
Marine Corps. Once school ended, I was contacted by the recruiter to set up a
date for the audition. After much deliberation, we settled on July 30th for the
audition. As the weeks went on, I practiced to prepare the best that I could for
KEEPING IN TOUCH WITH YOUTH
you read the cover story of this newsletter, you quickly
Asnotice
that youth will be featured along with our seasoned professionals in the annual dinner concert at the
Reading Crowne Plaza Hotel. This is truly in keeping with
the mission of the Ringgold Band. One of the successful
programs the band has engaged in over the years is the
“Banding Together” program where Ringgold members sit in
with the members of a Berks County Middle School. There
are master classes for each section, rehearsal time on the
middle school’s music and even a session with the parents
the audition. When the thirtieth came up, the
recruiters picked me up early in the morning
and took me to Harrisburg for the audition.
Once we arrived, I was taken to a conference
room in the recruiting station where I was told I
could warm up for the audition. The audition
process was very straight forward. I was asked
to play through the solo in its entirety then perform a variety of scales. The final part of the
audition consisted of sight reading various
styles of music. At the end, the adjudicator told
me that I passed the audition and was qualified
to audition for the Commandant’s Own (Marine
Drum and Bugle Corps) on a later date. After
Jonathan Pustzai
the audition, I had to attend a meeting for the
recruiters before we could head back home.
During the meeting, word got out that I had passed the audition, and the
Sergeant-Major had all of the recruiters welcome me to the Marine Corps.
about the importance of music in their child’s life. The most
beautiful aspect of this experience for the young people is
the fact that they sit next to a former bank president, a CFO,
an architect, and people from so many other walks of life
who find they can play music for a lifetime regardless of their
future career choice. Wyomissing Area’s middle school will
be the benefactor of the Banding Together program next
January. Their director, Cathy Barra (see Member Spotlight
in this issue), is a clarinetist with the Ringgold Band. Cathy
is very excited to share this experience with her students as
she works to build the music program at Wyomissing Area
Middle School.
A new venture this year we are calling “Side
by Side” with a County high school. This first endeavor will be with Schuylkill Valley High School
and their director Kurt Schneiderhan. The high
school students will present a few selections, followed by Ringgold doing a few, and concluding
with both bands creating a grand finale together
on stage.
The purpose of all the youth programs is to
encourage our youth to continue to have music in
their lives and experience how sharing their talents with audiences is so rewarding and nourishing to their souls. As the members of the
Ringgold Band still enjoy performing whether they
are 18 or 81, we as a band want to encourage the
future to have that joy and keep an American tradition alive.
Page 6
Ringgold Band News, Fall, 2010
Member Spotlight
by attending the American Band College
at Southern Oregon University for three
summers. Cathy earned a Master of Music
Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Saxophone
in Conducting in 2009.
Cathy joined the Ringgold Band in
athy Barra grew up in Dauphin, PA with
2006 when Margaret Edwards (oboist) and
her parents, Jim and Cathy, and her sibher son Jonathan Pusztai (horn) invited her
lings, Joe and Carme. At the age of nine,
to come to a rehearsal. Since that time,
Cathy began playing the alto saxophone and
she has played primarily clarinet, but occafor two years tormented her family and the
sionally fills in on bass clarinet or alto sax
dog with horrid sounds that emanate from
when the regulars are unavailable. With
that instrument in the hands of a student who
the demands of a high school band prodoes not practice. In sixth grade, she disgram, it can be difficult to make time to
covered that practicing actually makes a difperform. Sitting in rehearsals and perforference and improved greatly, much to the
mances with the Ringgold Band enables
relief of her family. Cathy began private
Cathy to learn new pieces – some of them
study with Susan Loy as a sophomore in
being added to the WAHS library, experihigh school, and through her involvement
ence different rehearsal techniques, and
with the Wednesday Club (recital group)
improve on a secondary instrument. Her
had the opportunity to perform a solo with
favorite Ringgold memory was playing in
Cathy Barra
the Aspen Wind Quintet at the Harrisburg
the John Philip Sousa concert at the AbraForum, and at a master class with Gary Louham Lincoln Hotel for the 75th Anniversary
ie from the Peabody Institute. She graduated from Central Dau- of Sousa’s death. The historical significance as well as the high
phin East High School in 1998.
level of musicianDuring her junior year of high school, Cathy decided she
ship of the band
was not meant to become a cardiothoracic surgeon as she could made it a truly
not tolerate the smell of hospitals and opted for the closely relat- memorable night.
ed field of music education. She attended Duquesne University Cathy’s proudest
in Pittsburgh and continued to study alto sax with Jim Houlik,
accomplishment
Stephen Pollack, and Mike Tomaro. Through her student
since joining the
teaching placement she toured with the Dave (G.) Matthews
Ringgold Band is
band of North Hills High School to the exotic city of Indianapo- learning to navilis. This provided her first experience in chaperoning a band
gate the back
trip and her first time sitting in the emergency room with a sturoads of Berks
dent. Everyone survived and she graduated in 2002 with a B.S. County based on
in Music Education.
directions such as,
Cathy landed her first teaching job while playing a joke on
“turn left where
her high school band director at a PMEA conference. She
the…used to be.”
moved to the frozen tundra of New Hampshire where she taught Cathy plans to
middle school band, general music, and guitar at Hudson Memo- continue to play
rial School for three years. Through the patience and guidance
in the Ringgold
of three excellent mentors, Cathy learned to manage a sixth
Band until her
grade band of 120 students, deal with parents, and repair malfingers fall off or
functioning timpani – sort of.
she is voted out of
In order to pursue her masters degree at Towson University, the clarinet secCathy moved to Prince George’s County, Maryland and taught
tion.
Cathy in Hawaii
beginning band and strings at four elementary schools on the
Cathy now resides
outskirts of Washington DC. While she enjoyed working with
in Sinking Spring with her cat, a small school of goldfish, and
the students, she decided to move closer to home when the band an Eastern Painted turtle that invited himself into her backyard
director position at Wyomissing Area opened up in August of
pond. She is blessed with a family that willingly – if not joyful2006. She now teaches junior and senior high concert band,
ly – helped her move five times in seven years. Outside of work
eighth grade music, and band lessons for fifth and sixth grade
and Ringgold Band, she loves traveling, cooking, reading nerdy
students at West Reading Elementary. After school, Cathy runs books, Miles Davis, and giving people a hard time.
the marching band, jazz band, and the pit orchestra. In addition
to her duties at WAHS, Cathy won a hard-fought, unopposed
election to succeed Jim Seidel as the Band Vice President of
Music Educators of Berks County, a position she has held since
2007. In her spare time, she completed her graduate education
Cathy Barra,
C
Page 7
Ringgold Band News, Fall, 2010
Ringgold Band News is published
twice a year for members and
supporters of the Ringgold Band,
Inc.
Send comments and story ideas
to [email protected]
or mail to:
Ringgold Band News
3539-A Freemont St.
Laureldale, PA 19605
Ringgold Band Officers
James S. Seidel, Director
Thomas Shade, Assistant Director
Cindy Miller-Aungst, President
Tom Hahn, Vice President
Michael Gumpert, Business Manager
Greg Bitler, Secretary
Dave Myers, Treasurer
Gene Umbenhouer, Librarian
John Bailey, Ass’t. Librarian
Maria Reichenbach, Historian
Jill Scheidt, Solicitor
Lewis D. Freeman, Trustee
Garrett Hyneman, Trustee
Scott Rhoads, Trustee
Margaret Bauer, Member-at-Large
Editor/Designer: Dave Myers
Contributors: Maria Reichenbach,
Cathy Barra, Cindy Miller-Aungst,
James Seidel, Jonathan Pustzai.
Photography: Dave Myers, Maria
Reichenbach, David Henrich, Ed
Treat, Cathy Barra, Cindy MillerAungst.
Fall, 2010
The Ringgold Band is a family of musicians who enjoy performing concert band music. We
are dedicated to continuously advancing the skill of our members while providing high quality entertainment for audiences throughout the region. We are committed to the education and development of young musicians in order to preserve our rich history and repertoire of concert band music.
The band is funded by private and corporate donations and The Reading Musical Foundation, of which the Ringgold Band is an affiliate.
The band encourages the cultivation of music among community
youth. High school and college-age musicians are invited to rehearse with
the band Monday evenings at 7:30 p.m. For more information about the
band, visit us online at www.ringgoldband.com, or contact
[email protected].
www.ringgoldband.com
Ringgold Band, Inc.
3539-A Freemont St.
Laureldale, PA 19605
Ringgold Band News
NON-PROFIT ORG.
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
PERMIT NO. 26
LEESPORT, PA
Help us continue the Ringgold Tradition
2010-2011 Associate Memberships
(Valid from 9/1/10 thru 8/31/11)
Ringgold Band Endowment Fund
$200 “Conductor”
2 tickets to the 2010 Fall Dinner concert
4 tickets to the 2011 Spring concert
Newsletter subscription & Membership Card
T
$100 “Soloist”
2 tickets to the 2010 Fall Dinner concert
Newsletter subscription & Membership Card
$50 “First Chair”
2 tickets to the 2011 Spring concert
Newsletter subscription & Membership Card
$25 “Musician”
1 ticket to the 2011 Spring concert
Newsletter subscription & Membership Card
Check box to select your level of membership.
Enclose check with this form payable to
“Ringgold Band, Inc.”
Order your Ringgold Band merchandise today!
#
ITEM
EACH
150th Anniversary Spring Concert 4/02
2 CDs
J. Carlton Rowe, cornet soloist
$15.00
153rd Anniversary Spring Concert 4/05
$15.00
CD
Christopher Weait and Melissa Work, soloists
TOTAL
he Ringgold Band, throughout its distinguished 158-year history, has seen its costs of operation escalate consistently from one
year to the next. Maintaining a rehearsal hall, acquiring new music,
maintaining sound equipment, keeping our truck in good repair and
occasionally replacing it (as we recently had to do), obtaining adequate venues to present our Spring and Fall Concerts and other
expenses are, like all costs on a constant up slope. On the other side
of the ledger we make every effort to be responsive to the needs of
organizations which hire the band and what they can afford to pay
for our appearances. (We are a professional band and our members
are compensated for their talents.)
The band’s governing body recently concluded that we would
be well advised to create an endowment fund which will be invested
in income-producing assets, thus providing the band with additional
revenue on a consistent and predictable basis. Our success in creating such a fund of a significant amount will provide our members
and our patrons with a high level of assurance that the future of the
band and its ability to continue to provide a high quality of musical
performance will be guaranteed.
We hope all our readers will be interested in learning more
about this effort than can be discussed in this issue of our newsletter.
Suffice it to say for now, there are many ways you can add your
support to that which we have already received. Simply call the Band
Hall at 610-929-8525 and ask for a member of the band to call you
and schedule a time to discuss the various avenues of support which
might best suit you. Your contributions to the band are deductible
from your federal income tax under section 501C-3 of the Internal
Revenue Code.
We look forward to hearing from you and talking to you!
PLEASE MAKE CHECK OR
MONEY ORDER PAYABLE TO
Ringgold Plays Von Suppe and other Classics-CASSETTE SPECIAL CLEARANCE
$5.00
Ringgold Plays Von Suppe and other Classics-CD
$8.00
SHIP TO:
$5.00
Name:__________________________________
An Althouse Tour of Berks County-CD
$8.00
Address:________________________________
140th Anniversary Spring concert - 1992
SPECIAL CLEARANCE
$5.00
________________________________
143rd Anniversary Spring concert -1995 CASSETTES
$10.00
________________________________
2001 Fall Dinner Concert CD - vocal music of Debbie Greenawald
$10.00
Phone:_________________________________
154th Anniversary Spring Concert 4/06 2 CDs.
$18.00
Email:__________________________________
SPECIAL CLEARANCE
An Althouse Tour of Berks County-CASSETTE
SPECIAL CLEARANCE
CASSETTE
Kenneth Laudermilch, trumpet soloist
155th Anniversary Spring Concert 4/07
Eliot Del Borgo, guest conductor
$15.00
A Ringgold Band Tribute
$15.00
All selections were composed to honor a special event or person CD
NEW! 157th Anniversary Spring Concert
April 19, 2009 CD. Timothy Foley, guest conductor;
$18.00
Lucas Spiros and Earle Louder, euphonium soloists; Sam
Schreiber, clarinet soloist and winner 2009 Ringgold Band
Young Artist Award
SHIPPING & HANDLING - $1.50 for each item ordered
TOTAL $
“RINGGOLD BAND, INC.”
MAILING LABEL
RINGGOLD BAND
c/o Dave Myers
120 Green Road
Reading, PA 19606-3662
Ringgold Band
Fall Dinner Concert
Sunday, October 17, 2010
6:00 p.m.
Reading Crowne Plaza Hotel
Wyomissing, PA
Guest soloist
Jonathan Reinhold, vocalist
$30 per person
To order tickets:
There are 10 seats per table, however you do not need to reserve an entire table. Reservations will be filled
in the order received, but no tickets will be mailed until October 1, 2010. Simply fill out the form below
and mail to:
Wendy Seidel
3604 Patton St.
Reading, PA 19606
All tickets $30.00 per person
All dinners include: salad, vegetable, dessert, coffee or tea
NAMES:
___________________________________________
_______
Stuffed Chicken Breast Dinner
ADDRESS:
___________________________________________
_______
Apple Raisin Stuffed Pork Dinner
___________________________________________
_______
Vegetable Lasagna Dinner
PHONE:
_______________________________
TOTAL AMOUNT INCLUDED $____________________
MAKE ALL CHECKS PAYABLE TO : Ringgold Band, Inc.
Questions regarding the dinner portion of the concert should be directed to Wendy Seidel at 610779-8858 between the hours of 7:30-9:00 pm. If
you wish to be seated with other parties please
designate on form.