East Coast Band Conference – March 23, 2024

The twelfth East Coast Band Conference will again be hosted by the Ringgold Band in Reading, PA. The date is Saturday, March 23, 2024.

The conference, dedicated to band history and repertoire, will consist of 30-minute talks from 9 a.m. until noon and an open rehearsal of rare band works from 2 to 4 p.m.. Both events will take place in the Ringgold Band’s rehearsal room at 3539-A Freemont St., Laureldale, PA 19605. The rehearsal room is a veritable museum of Ringgold Band history and by extension Reading band history. There is ample free parking at the site.

Members of the Ringgold Band, directed by Chuck Ebersole, will form the core of the players at the rehearsal. You are encouraged to bring your instrument and augment the band. If you choose to do so, please write to Chuck Ebersole at 147 Walnut St., Mohnton, PA 19540 or email him at chucksfz@gmail.com and let him know.

If you wish to have a rare band work performed at the rehearsal, please inform Mr. Ebersole and then send him a copy of the score and parts well in advance of the conference so the band can rehearse it beforehand. If you wish to conduct the work yourself, let him know.

The conference is free of charge and there is no formal registration. In order to estimate the attendance, however, please  notify me at hcrissey45@gmail.com of your intent to attend.

Here is the list of the 30-minute presentations in the morning:
1) Jon Mitchell – Gustav Holst’s 1932 East Coast USA Tour
2) Jari Villanueva – Taps vs. Last Post (with reference to bands)
3) Dick Karschner – Was Meredith Willson Really a Band Guy?
4) Dave Detwiler –  From Gilmore to Sousa: How One Legendary Bandmaster Gave Rise to Another
5) John Pursell – The Hagerstown, MD Band and Its Ties to Sousa
6) Jari Villanueva, John Pursell and John Landis – Memories of the U.S. Air Force Band (panel discussion)