Famous band conductor will talk at history conference

By ANNABEL GIRARD
Staff Writer

The presenters at this year's band history conference will be as much of an attraction as the topic.

Frederick Fennell, described by George Foreman as "the most famous band conductor in the world," will be presenting one of the papers. Conference coordinator Frank Cipolla said Fennell has been invited for several years, but this is the first time he has been able to appear.

Foreman, who is managing director of the Norton Center for the Arts at Centre College and co-founder of the festival, calls Fennell a "crown jewel," as well as "the grand master of wind conduction."

Fennell, founder of the Eastman Wind Ensemble and director of the Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra, is just one of several distinguished presenters at the Conference on Band History that will be held Friday. In keeping with international bands participating this year, the theme of the conference is "International Connections." Fennell is described as a "globe-trotting octogenarian" on a Web site.

Cipolla said one of the unique features of the conference is that the papers presented are not just pure research but done to be of interest to anyone who is a devotee of bands.

Cipolla has been organizing the conference since it started nine years ago. He was director of bands at the State University of New York in Buffalo before retiring and being named professor emeritus.

While Fennell is expected to be a top draw, other presenters  will be Paul Byerly, a Sousa expert who will focus on his European tours, Ron Holz of Asbury College, who will discuss British brass bands, and Raoul Camus, whose paper will be on the influence of Italian band masters on American bands.

Fennell is expected to talk about the evolution of the wind ensemble from professional bands, such as John Philip Sousa's, and college bands.

Fennells' influence has been recognized with Frederick Fennell Hall in Kofu, Japan, dedicated in 1992 with a performance by the Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra.

He is author of a continuing series called "The Basic Band Repertory" and editor of editions of classic military, circus and concert marches for several publishing companies. The recording he did with the Eastman Wind Ensemble of Percy Grainger's "Linconshire Posy" was selected by Stereo Review as one of the Fifty Best Recordings of the Centenary of the Phonograph, 1877-1977. His recordings include two volumes of Civil War music.

Cipolla said one of the pleasures of the conference is putting together a program that appeals to more than band scholars. "What's unique is that the people who come are generally ones where bands are an avocation," he said. "The people are very open about wanting to learn and see what is going on. The presenters feel that."

The goal is to provide information to understand the particular subject, such as what circus music added to and did for the performances.

The conference is intellectually stimulating, even for those who have been involved with bands for years, Cipolla said. "You always learn something."

Many of the presenters will be familiar to those who attend the conference.