Major Steven Grimo to Conduct The Concord Band

Major Steven Grimo
Guest Conductor

The Concord Band is honored that Major Steven Grimo, Commander of the Air Education & Training Command (AETC) Band of the West will be the guest conductor at the Band's Winter Concert on March 8, 1997.

Major Grimo entered the United States Air Force in January, 1986. Upon completion of Officer Training School, he was assigned as Deputy Commander and Assistant Conductor of the 539th Air Force Band of the West, now the AETC Band of the West. His success in that assignment led to selection as Executive Officer and Vice Commander of the United States Air Force Band in Washington D.C. While in Washington, Major Grimo was Officer in Charge of the USAF Ceremonial Brass and the Airmen of Note. In that capacity, he regularly performed for the President, high ranking military and civilian leaders, and for national and international media events.

Major Grimo is a native of Bristol, Rhode Island. He began a career in music as a percussionist, attending the New England Conservatory of music, where he earned a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education and Percussion Performance. Upon graduation, Major Grimo began his teaching career as an elementary and junior high school band director for the Newton public schools. He later became Director of Instrumental Music at Wachusett Regional High School in Holden, where he received the National Band Association's Citation of Excellence, and the Stanbury Award of the American School Band Director's Association. In 1985, Major Grimo received his Master of Music degree in Wind Ensemble Conducting from the New England Conservatory, where he studied with Frank Battisti. He was awarded the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Conducting from the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. in 1992. Major Grimo has numerous published works to his credit and is a nationally active guest conductor and clinician.

Trumpeter Natalo Paella to Perform

Guest Artist Natalo Paella
Trumpet

One of Boston's best known free-lance trumpet players, Natalo Paella, will be the guest soloist at the Concord Band's Fall Concert on Saturday, October 26th at 51 Walden in Concord. Mr. Paella's illustrious career includes performing for 15 years with the Boston Pops and Esplanade Orchestras under the direction of the late Arthur Fiedler, as well as the Boston Symphony Orchestra under the batons of Pierre Monteux, Charles Munch, Leonard Bernstein and Erich Leinsdorf.

For 26 years, Mr. Paella was principal trumpet at the Boston Colonial Theater, playing for such musicals as A Chorus Line, Porgy and Bess, Man of La Mancha, Annie, and many others. He has played back-up for Sammy Davis, Jr., Lena Horne, Rosemary Clooney, Sergio Franchi, Jack Jones, and the stars of the Lawrence Welk show under the direction of Myron Floren.

Until his retirement as Professor Emeritus, he was a full professor at the University of Massachusetts at Lowell, specializing in Studio Trumpet, Brass Pedagogy, Brass Ensembles, and Studio Jazz Orchestra. He attended the Eastman School of Music and the US Navy School of Music, and was a scholarship student in the Berkshire Tanglewood Orchestra. He earned a Bachelor of Music Degree from Louisiana State University and a Master of Music from the New England Conservatory.

With the Concord Band, Mr. Paella will be performing the Sachse Concertino for E♭ trumpet and brass band and Concertino for Band by Frank Erickson. With any luck, the audience may be able to prompt an encore or two out of him!

Jazz Great Phil Wilson to Appear at Spring Pops

Guest Artist Phil Wilson
Trombone

This year's Spring Pops Concerts should be swinging affairs when legendary jazz trombonist Phil Wilson takes the stage as the Concord Band's guest artist. Phil is an internationally renowned musician who has performed with such jazz greats as Louis Armstrong and Woody Herman. He initially came to prominence as first trombonist and jazz soloist with the early '60's edition of Woody Herman's "swinging herd." Wilson recorded 12 albums during his stay with the Herman Band. After 3 years with Herman, Phil joined the Dorsey Brothers Band. In 1965 after nine exhausting years of bus tours and one-night stands, he accepted a faculty position at Berklee College of Music in Boston.

During his thirty years at Berklee, Phil has established himself as one of the pioneers of jazz education. In addition to being a world-class trombonist and jazz educator, Phil is known throughout the jazz world as a first-class composer and arranger. His arrangement of the Joe Zawinul hit, Mercy, Mercy, which was recorded by the Buddy Rich Band, won him a Grammy Award nomination.