Saturday, December 22, 2012
March 2013 Concert Sneak Peak
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Review: Concord Band Presents A Tribute to Bill Toland
William M. Toland, the soul behind the Concord Band from 1962 until 1995 and a continuing influence on the hearts and minds of the musicians in the band, passed from this world in January of 2012. The band, under the direction of current Music Director Jim O’Dell and William McManus (director of the band from 1995 – 2009, now Director Emeritus), offered up their musical tribute to Bill’s memory this weekend in a stellar performance at the Bedford High School Auditorium, the school where he helped to shape the minds and spirits of a multitude of young musicians from 1957 through 1984. The program was a mosaic of compositions by Toland himself, beloved works commissioned during his tenure (from a total of 76 over the years) and other pieces he particularly favored. The evening also featured the World Premier of Elegy by Dr. McManus, a composition dedicated to the memory of Bill Toland.
The program began with Fanfare for a Festive Day by Roger Cichy. This spirited work opened a concert that was filled with energy and tonal brilliance. The band truly showed the love they hold for Bill in their enthusiastic performance and attention to intonation.
Each subsequent piece was introduced by either a member of the band or someone who has had their life touched by Bill Toland as a student or as a performer. Whether it was the words of Dan Diamond, now in his 44th year as senior percussionist with the band – as he says himself, it’s just because he got there first – or John Ferillo, a former student and currently a professional musician (in truth he has been principal oboe with the Boston Symphony Orchestra since 2001), one common thread passes through each description of how Bill touched the lives of his students and colleagues: He was always a coach, a cheerleader, a promoter of the welfare of all those with whom he worked.
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