A Tribute to William Toland

Bill Toland

The Concord Band’s Fall Concert at 8 pm on Saturday, October 27 will be a tribute to the group’s first Music Director, William Toland. The concert will be held at Bedford High School, where Toland was Band Director and Assistant Director of Music from 1957 to 1984.

Toland, who led the Band from 1962 to 1995, passed away in January 2012 at the age of 80.

Known in Boston’s western suburbs as a dedicated music educator, Toland earned many awards, including the DeMolay Award for Exemplary Teaching, and the Lowell Mason Award for Outstanding Leadership in Music Education from the Massachusetts Music Educators Association (MMEA). He was also active in the MMEA Northeast District festivals, often serving as host, band manager, and district band conductor.

While with the Concord Band, Bill Toland was recognized as an important contributor to the world of band music through his prolific commissions of new works for concert band, particularly his commissions of Satiric Dances (1975) and Five Concord Diversions (1987). Toland received a bachelor of music degree from Boston University in 1953, a master of music degree from B.U. in 1960, and a master of music education from the University of Massachusetts, Lowell, in 1970.

Under current Music Director James O’Dell, the Concord Band will perform Norman Dello Joio’s Satiric Dances, Toland’s own Pennyghael: Reflections of Scotland, James Curnow’s Welsh Variants, also commissioned by Toland, and more. Former Concord Band Music Director William McManus will conduct the premiere of Elegy, a tribute he wrote in Toland’s memory.