Brass in the Park

Kick-off event for PEC Chamber Music Festival

Over 300 people enjoyed an afternoon of music in Macaulay Heritage Park on Sunday as the full Hannaford Street Silver Band performed in a kick-off event for the twenty-first annual Prince Edward County Chamber Music Festival. This was the sixth time that the band has played in the park as a precursor to the chamber music festival, but only the first time that the full band has made an appearance. In prior years, only about a dozen of its members would play, but on Sunday there was full complement of 25 brass instrumentalists plus three percussionists. It took a UHaul moving van to bring all of the instruments, including three tympani, a full drum kit, a bass drum, a xylophone and marimba, plus an assortment of tubas, trombones, trumpets, euphoniums and horns. Hannaford Street Silver Band artistic director David Pell said having the full band allowed them to play “more rambunctious music”. The music on Sunday started with Olympic Spirit, a piece commissioned for the 1988 Seoul Olympics. That was followed by music on the theme of American spirituals and then by a multi-movement classical piece. The band also paid tribute to St. Anne’s Church in Toronto, which was severely damaged by a fire on June 9. The band simulated the “cathedral” sound by having the trumpet and trombone section stand some distance away during Bach’s Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring, which they had been scheduled to play at the church. Following a short break, the band played a selection of tunes from the musical Kismet, as well as a Canadian folk song suite. They played a selection from Bizet’s Carmen, and ended with a jazzy rendition of When the Saints Go Marching In.

The Silver Band has been playing for over 40 years and has had a youth program for about 25 years. On Sunday, six of the players were former youth members who have gone on to professional careers. The program is open to children ages seven and older, and there are about 80 to 100 students on average. “Ninety-nine per cent of the students don’t go on to professional careers in music, but an important part of the youth program is teaching not only performance skills but also cooperation and teamwork,” said Mr. Pell. “There are different age groups and they mentor each other as they go. So they learn not only how to play their instrument, but how to teach other people. When I look at the six players in the band who are now professional musicians, I feel a sense of pride and joy. They are very talented and they keep the rest of us on our toes.”

This is the 21st edition of the chamber music festival, and board chair Maureen Dunn is thrilled to showcase two weekends of excellent music. The festival begins on Friday, September 13 at St. Mary Magdalene Church with a special arrangement of Bach’s Goldberg Variations. On Saturday night Mark Fewer and friends add a jazzy vibe with music by Duke Ellington, Chick Corea, Matt Brubeck and more. On Sunday afternoon, Tafelmusik will play a 17th century program on period instruments. The music of Schubert will feature on Friday, September 20, and on Saturday it’s the Brahms Piano Quartet with Joel Quarrington on bass and Meagan Milatz on piano. The grand finale of Sunday will also feature music from Schubert. This will be the final appearance of the New Orford String Quartet as artistic directors for the festival. They will be accompanied by incoming artistic director cellist Paul Marleyn. There will also be a new work by composer Ian Cusson, commissioned by the New Orford String Quartet.

The Chamber Music Festival is entirely volunteer driven. Ms. Dunn is the chair of an eight-member board, who provide feedback to the festival’s artistic director. The artistic director in turn books the artists for the festival. All of the fundraising and the logistics fall upon the board and a team of dedicated volunteers. The festival receives a grant from the federal government that covers a little over ten per cent of the costs. Ticket sales defray about a third of the expenses, and the balance is made up from individual and corporate donors. For tickets and more information about the music festival, please visit pecmusicfestival.com