Brass Band

Dear Editor, The Great American Brass Band Festival has just completed another successful weekend of presenting world-class brass band music to thousands of visitors and guests from across the country and the world. The festival could not have completed its 18th year without our sponsors, our volunteers and our local communities. These people all assist in making the festival enjoyable for our visitors and our performers. With the support of our sponsors, we are able to keep this event free to the public, giving everyone access to world-class music and performers.

The Great American Brass Band Festival marketplace is open in the old Save-A-Lot location on Main Street, next to city hall. Hours are 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. In addition to the 2005 souvenirs, past posters, T-shirts and other items are available. Picnic tables available Tables still are available for the festival picnic June 11. Tables are located in front of the stage and on the hill by Old Centre. Cost is $150 for the tables that seat eight.

Tables for The Great American Brass Band Festival picnic on Saturday are still available. Each table costs $150 and seats eight people. Call Pat Liebschutz at (859) 236-7000 or (859) 516-4600.

Ruth Fredericksen drove 17 straight hours from just outside Austin, Texas, to attend the annual Chataugua Tea on Thursday afternoon the Presbyterian Church of Danville. She arrived just in time to slide into a chair saved for her by her sisters, Rita Walker and Kay Berggren. Fredericksen was in town visiting Berggren and plans to continue on to Wisconsin where she summers with Walker. Walker had driven in from Wisconsin earlier in the week to visit Berggren. Berggren lives in Danville.

The sun was shining and the skies were clear Saturday morning for the 22nd annual Great American Brass Band Festival parade.  The warm, dry weather was a nice change of pace from previous parades, said Danville resident Linda Knight. “We always manage to have a little bit of rain or excitement with thunderstorms,” she said. “But people just go put on their ponchos and keep listening.” Knight would know. She has been to every one of the brass band festivals, but she said that even the rainy years were great experiences.

Big Valley Coffee Company's custom blend, Brass Band Festival Blend, is available only at the store at 975 Hustonville Road. It is available through June 15 or while supplies last. The location that the coffee was available and date were incorrect in a Wednesday item. The coffee again is being sold as a fund-raiser to support the Great American Brass Band Festival. The blend is Central and South American coffees in a multi-stage roast. It is available in regular or Swiss water process decaffeinated, and whole bean or ground.

Great American Brass Band Festival poster artist Paul Sirimongkhon will sign his work from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Friday during the Gallery Hop. He will be on the second floor of the Community Arts Center. Signed posters will be limited to 50 and will be sold for $35. They also will be available for purchase at the Festival Market Place on Saturday and Sunday. Unsigned posters will be available at both places.

Dear Editor, Once again I would like to thank everyone who was connected with the Great American Brass Band Festival for their contribution to a wonderful weekend of first class entertainment. It really was terrific. The groups that entertained us were class acts, and we enjoyed them all. The Sunday morning worship service, the speakers, the music and the weather were perfect! So thank you again, everyone, from our deserving Hall of Famer to the cleanup committee. We had a ball.

When you picnic with artists, expect the experience to be a combination of palette and palate. Suzanne Farmer has played with this theme in creating the menu for the picnic table her family will share at Saturday's Great American Brass Band Festival. Her father-in-law, David Farmer, initiated the project. "When David said he wanted to do a table, I knew I'd end up doing the cooking and decorating, but I wanted to do something to represent him," says Suzanne, who will be joined by her husband, Brian, their daughter, Sofia, her mother-in-law, Carrie, and some friends.

Each year, music brings Vince DiMartino and Rich Illman together at the Great American Brass Band Festival. Just like it always has. The two have been playing trumpet together ever since they met at the University of Kentucky in 1972, when Illman was one of DiMartino's first students. "He's a very close friend," DiMartino said of Illman. "We grew up in music together. " The relationship began as student-teacher between the music senior Illman, then 22, and first-year teacher DiMartino, then 23, but it quickly became a friendship inside and outside of the classroom.

More than a dozen community members turned out for the Great American Brass Band Festival steering committee's public forum Thursday evening at the Boyle County Public Library. GABBF Executive Director Niki Kinkade talked about the importance of volunteerism and community to the festival. Also on hand was Ronald Holz, professor of music literature and instrumental music at Asbury University, who serves as a consultant, particularly on programming, for the GABBF. “It's amazing how the community comes together.

The Black Dyke Youth Quartet, from the United Kingdom, is scheduled to perform at several events during this year's Great American Brass Band Festival, which will be June 6-9 in downtown Danville. The quartet is new to the festival this year. The Black Dyke Band is the world's most famous British style brass band. The band was formed in 1855 by John Foster, a mill owner from Queensbury, Yorkshire, in the United Kingdom. The Black Dyke quartet was started in 2004 by Brett Baker when a previous member of the trombone section decided to retire from full-time playing, but wanted to continue working on projects with the band.

Thumbs up... Kudos are in order to the city of Danville for achieving a $1.8 million surplus as it nears the end of its fiscal year. At a time when most local and state governments are struggling, this is welcome news. Much credit was given to department heads for watching expenses, but also credited were receipts from the tax on alcohol sales, which accounted for close to half of the surplus. Occupational tax revenues were up as well. Whether this is a sign that the economy is improving is yet to be seen.

A weekend dedicated to Vince DiMartino, retiring Centre College music professor and longtime musical mastermind behind the Great American Brass Band Festival, reached its crescendo Sunday afternoon with the virtuoso trumpet player on center stage. Festival Executive Director Niki Kinkade was among those who thought the weekend peaked at the perfect moment, during the grand finale at the Norton Center for the Arts when DiMartino was joined by trumpet-playing icon Doc Severinsen of “Tonight Show” fame and a cavalcade of other musicians.

Ruth Fredericksen drove 17 straight hours from just outside Austin, Texas, to attend the annual Chataugua Tea on Thursday afternoon the Presbyterian Church of Danville. She arrived just in time to slide into a chair saved for her by her sisters, Rita Walker and Kay Berggren. Fredericksen was in town visiting Berggren and plans to continue on to Wisconsin where she summers with Walker. Walker had driven in from Wisconsin earlier in the week to visit Berggren. Berggren lives in Danville.

"Doc" will most certainly be in the Brass Band house. World famous trumpeter Doc Severinsen will be in Danville during the 2012 Great American Brass Band Festival, the southern United States' premiere brass music summer event. Severinsen will be featured throughout the festival weekend in a number of performances. The festival is set for June 7-10. Sevrinsen has been featured on the national music stage since the 1930s and continues to be one of the most popular trumpet players in music today.

The 23rd annual Great American Brass Band Festival will celebrate festival co-founder Vincent DiMartino, a renowned cornet and trumpet player. DiMartino also is the W. George Matton Professor of Music at Centre College. The theme this year is “TRUMPETISSIMO: Tribute to Vincent DiMartino.” The lineup of performers and bands is based on that theme, said festival Executive Director Niki Kinkade. During the festival, Sunday's final performance will be in a different location: It will be a big finale to the festival on the stage at the Norton Center for the Arts.

The following are the results from the Great American Pinic contest, held Saturday during the Great American Brass Band Festival: Sousa Award — Caywood and Scott, “Got Moo-sic ...Utterly.” Most memorable event; past, present or personal 2011 table theme award — EDP/Industrial Foundation, “Raintree County.” Brass Band Festival Theme — PNC Bank, “Red, white and blue.” Off Centre award — Allison Craig, “Life is...

The 2011 Great American Brass Band Festival has marched through Danville, and once again organizers are pleased with the event. Niki Kinkade, director of the brass band festival, said, “It was a perfect festival, and we’re looking forward to it next year.” The crowd was better than it has been in the last several years, according to Kinkade, giving some credit to “fantastic” weather. Even the short rain shower Saturday afternoon helped to cool things off and didn’t dampen the event.