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Mostly Cloudy Summer sounds in Valley Stream
Community Band kicks off its 58th season
The music is back at the John Smith Band Shell. The Valley Stream Community Band kicked off its 58th summer season on June 6 before a crowd of about 100 local residents.
Todd Holly, the band’s conductor, said he expects to see the audience grow as the summer goes on. The first night was hot and humid, he said, and many people were still away, extending their Fourth of July holiday weekend.
The band has about 15 new members this year, a mix of high school students and other community members. Holly, the Valley Stream Central High School District’s director of fine and performing arts, said students can join once they’ve reached ninth grade and have qualified for a district music festival. “We want a level that they can actually perform at,” he said.
That’s because, Holly noted, there is little time to practice for the shows, held every Tuesday night through Aug. 10. Rehearsals for each show are the Monday night before at South High School, so there is only a few hours to learn about 10 songs.
Holly will continue with theme nights each week. The June 6 show was Patriotic Day, featuring selections such as “America the Beautiful,” “1812 Overture” and “Armed Forces Salute.”
He is also trying to introduce some new music this year, and by new music he means old music that hasn’t been heard in decades. Holly said he came across a lot of out-of-print music such as George M. Cohan’s “Patriotic Fantasy” which was performed as part of the summer’s first concert.
Upcoming theme concerts include a rock ‘n’ roll night, “The Wonderful World of Disney,” and a night of sing-alongs, dance music and jazz.
The high school district’s symphony orchestra also performs weekly, every Thursday night through July 29. Both the orchestra and community band concerts are preceded with a half-hour of organ music played by Thomas Zatorski.
The Valley Stream Community Band is a joint venture of the village and the Central High School District. Holly said it is a great testament to both organizations for keeping these concerts going for nearly six decades.
“It’s a great opportunity for people to hear live band music in an outdoor setting,” he said. “There are very few community bands left on Long Island or in the United States, actually.”
