By Nicole Falco
The Community Band, its current members, Zipperlen and Kohlman were honored at a special dinner hosted by the Village of Valley Stream on Aug. 13 at Pompei Restaurant in Hempstead. The band was joined by Valley Stream Mayor Ed Cahill, Village Trustee Joe Zabatta, Superintendent of the Valley Stream High School District Ronald Valenti, High School Board President Valerie Clerico and numerous village and school officials. The dinner preceded the last concert of the season.
More than 100 band members received certificates and the band's two 50-year members received special recognition.
Community Band Director and High School District Director of Fine and Performing Arts, Dean Karahalis, also presented band members with band T-shirts. Cahill and Valenti were also given T-shirts in recognition of the joint effort by the village and school district in supporting the band.
"Great bands are made up of great people. I just want to say from the two individuals who are going to receive certificates for 50 years to some students who are celebrating their first year...I just want to say you are the backbone that makes this community special," Valenti said.
The band started under the direction of then High School District Music Director Dr. John Smith. In the beginning the band played at Central High School on "the terrace," where June graduations are held.
"We didn't even have lights. The Valley Stream Fire Department came with their fire trucks. That's how they lit us up," Kohlman said.
Over the next two to three years Smith would show his band pictures of the Valley Stream Bandshell on the Village Green as it was being built. The Community Band moved in and has been at the bandshell ever since.
The Community Band is made up of students, faculty, alumni and residents. Zipperlen, who directs Valley Stream's Keynoter Chorale, is a 1952 Central High School graduate and plays the French horn. Kohlman is a 1953 Central graduate and plays the alto saxophone.
In addition to playing in the band almost every summer, they may have missed a summer or two while serving in the armed forces, Zipperlen and Kohlman are also former teachers. Zipperlen in District 13 and the High School District and Kohlman in District 30 and the High School District.
"We both have taught in every school in Valley Stream...even the buildings that aren't here any more," Kohlman said.
Kohlman and Zipperlen have shared a lot of memories as bandmates and have become known in the community as band members. They remember the bleachers; "the wind has always been a problem;" the time the Japanese Beetles' eggs hatched right on stage; the years it never rained (two concerts were rained out this year); the songs they still enjoy playing like "Tuesday at the Bandshell," which Kohlman wrote in honor of Smith's retirement almost 30 years ago. The song is the last song played each concert; and the songs they didn't enjoy playing like a composition that parodied Puccini's "Musetta's Waltz," (the sheet music was lost somehow).
"We have enjoyed seeing our own students come back and become members of the band. When their grandchildren come back maybe we should stop," Kohlman joked.
Zipperlen said being a Community Band member is something he and Kohlman are very proud of.
"It's just the joy of making music," Zipperlen said.
Kohlman added, "We enjoy giving something back to the community. The community has given us so much."
According to Karahalis, who has conducted the band for 14 years, the band is made up of truly exceptional musicians both young and old, alike.
"This group, as a community band, is as close to professional as one can get. Elsewhere others pale in comparison to the Valley Stream Community Band," Karahalis said.
Karahalis also applauded Valley Stream schools and the community itself for making music and music education important.
"Music in Valley Stream is as important as math, science, social studies and every academic area," said Karahalis, who also conducts the Concert Pops at the Long Island's Tillis Center.
In addition to the Community Band, the Valley Stream Pops Orchestra, also made up of students, faculty, alumni and residents, has been entertaining the community on Thursday nights each summer. For the past two years, the orchestra has been conducted by Karl McDannell, who also conducts the Lawrence Philharmonic.
Pictured above: From left, Conductor Dean Karahalis, Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Ronald Valenti, High School Board President Valerie Clerico, Mayor Ed Cahill, Kohlman and Zipperlen.
