Community Band Spotlight: November 2009 November 04 2009, 1 Comment

ALTISSIMO RECORDINGS SALUTES THE ROSEVILLE COMMUNITY BAND ROSEVILLE, MINNESOTA JACK KOPSTEIN [imagebrowser id=5] Welcome to the Altissimo! Recordings Community Band Spotlight. We try to find a band deserving of some attention for their great community effort each month. This month, Jack Kopstein brought the Roseville Community band from Minnesota to our attention. Here's what he had to say about them: The ROSEVILLE COMMUNITY BAND, from Roseville, Minnesota, began as the Roseville Municipal Band. Founded by Mark Lammers, the first organizational meeting was held on March 10, 1964. In 1970 Lammers accepted a postition at Gustavus Adolphus College and was replaced by Roger Sorenson who directed the band for one year. The directors changed hands as follows: Tom Haugen directed from 1971 - 1973, followed by Dave Magnuson, 1972 - 1974, Dick Miller from 1974 - 1975, and Dave Magnuson again from 1975 - 76. In 1976 Bob Lancette became the next director and remained until 1987. Sam Marks replaced Lancette and directed the band from 1987 until 1995, playing in the French Horn section from 1978 until becoming the director. Kay Foster served as interim director from September to January 1996. Rob McWilliams directed the band from January 1996 until July 1996. Patricia DeBenedetto served as director from that time until January of 1999. Sam Marks served, once again, as the interim director during April and May of 1999. Denny Schackel was director from then until July 2000, with Kay Foster picking up as interim again for fall 2000. Daniel Kuch is the current director and has been since February 2001. In 1978 the band was invited to participate in the INTERNATIONAL MUSIC FESTIVAL in Dublin, Ireland (the first adult community band to be invited to this event from the United States). A decade later the band geared up for another round of fundraising activities, and in July of 1992,  they played a series of concerts in Lucerne, Switzerland and Salzberg, Austria. The ROSEVILLE COMMUNITY BAND has established itself as one of the top community bands in the upper Midwest. It is a true community band in that no auditions are required and membership is open to any adult musician. The purpose of the band is to provide the opportunity for the adult musician to play for personal satisfaction and provide a service for the community. Since 1980, at the annual spring concert, the band has awarded scholarships to area school musicians for the purpose of furthering their musical endeavours. The band observed its 30th anniversary by commissioning a composition. Internationally known composer, musician, and educator *Dr. Frank Bencriscutto composed "SUMMER IN CENTRAL PARK" for the band. The late "Dr. Ben", a Roseville resident, conducted the work at the 30th anniversary concert in 1994. Our hats are off to one of America’s finest community bands that maintain the wonderful tradition of hometown bands in the great State of Minnesota. For more information about the Roseville Community Band, visit their website here. The band is sponsored by the CITY OF ROSEVILLE PARKS and RECREATION DEPARTMENT *Dr. Frank Peter Anthony Bencriscutto(1928-1997) was known as a conductor, educator, and composer. A longtime Director of Bands at the University of Minnesota, Dr. Bencriscutto and the band toured the USSR for seven weeks in 1969, with a final performance at the White House. An avid jazz musician, performing on saxophone and clarinet, he is also credited with introducing jazz into the music curriculum at the University of Minnesota. After retiring in 1993, Dr. Bencriscutto soon joined the faculty at the Musashino Academia Musicae in Tokyo, Japan as a visiting professor and conductor of the wind ensemble until 1996. He was posthumously awarded the 1997 Medal of Honor by the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic. The collection consists of programs, articles, compositions, and recordings related to Bencriscutto's career. **If you know of a community band you'd like to see featured here, please let us know! Email krista@militarymusic.com