By Dan White – Special to the Sydenham Current
Recently, the Wallaceburg Concert Band launched its 10th anniversary season with a performance at WDSS. Events like this don’t simply happen. Behind the scenes are weeks of rehearsals from early January through late March, countless hours of personal practice, and an extraordinary amount of preparation.
Moving from our rehearsal space to the school gym may only be a few blocks, but two rows of risers, a large collection of percussion equipment, music stands, chairs, and sound and lighting gear haven’t yet learned how to walk themselves down the street. That means loading a U-Haul — twice — and beginning setup the day before the concert, followed by another full morning of work starting at 8 a.m. on performance day.
Once everything arrives, 20 to 30 band members spend three to four hours assembling the stage, setting up hundreds of audience chairs, and preparing the performance space. At 2 p.m., the 60-piece band takes the stage and performs for the better part of 90 minutes. Afterward, the band — along with a few helpful family members — carefully tears everything down and returns it to wherever it started.
That’s a lot of work.
If you are a regular reader, this probably isn’t news to you. The reason for sharing it again is that our audience at the March 29 concert was down by a noticeable margin compared to past performances. After a performance like this, the questions naturally begin. What happened to the audience? What did we miss? What could we do better? Is interest in live music changing?
This is always the challenge with live performance. Inevitably, after the concert you hear, “I would have gone. I didn’t hear about it. Why didn’t you advertise more?” I have been doing this long enough that those old chestnuts are becoming familiar companions. You can advertise in the paper. Dave and I both work to keep readers informed about local arts events every week. There are posters, social media posts, radio mentions, announcements in community spaces, churches, halls, and schools. Still, people miss the message.
It remains a bit of a conundrum. Artists will perform for 10 people — and I have — but there is something especially meaningful about playing to a full house.
Despite those challenges, what continues to encourage me is just how much music is still happening across our region.
By the time this column appears, the fourth annual Wallaceburg Brass Quintet Chamber Concert on April 8 will already have taken place. One of the things we are most proud of with this event is its collaborative spirit. What began as an opportunity for Wallaceburg Concert Band members to stretch themselves musically in small ensembles has grown into a concert featuring musicians from across Southern Ontario.
If you missed it and would still like to hear one of the ensembles, I recorded the Three Rivers Horn Choir during rehearsal and set the audio to video from a trip Joni and I took to the East Coast. I hope you enjoy hearing them.
One of the next events in the area is the CK Chamber Orchestra. Devon Hansen at St. Andrew’s United Church in Chatham has established a vibrant music program in the community. In a future column, I will be speaking with Devon and sharing more about his work and the opportunities he is creating.
His next instalment of the popular Saturdays at 7 series takes place April 18 at the church. The St. Andrew’s Choirs will perform during the first half of the concert, followed by the CK Chamber Orchestra in the second half.
This concert also marks a new musical experience for me. I was invited to play tuba with the orchestra. The tuba is not a common orchestral instrument. Although it was developed in 1835 and widely adopted by about 1870, much of the Classical orchestral repertoire predates it. This program includes five pieces with tuba parts, which makes it a rare treat for me to participate in an orchestral setting.
It has been especially enjoyable rehearsing with this ensemble. Unlike concert bands, quintets, and many of the smaller groups I have played with in recent years — where tubas often perform 80 to 90 percent of the time — orchestral writing frequently gives the strings the spotlight. One of my parts begins with 56 bars of rest, so there is definitely an art to staying focused while counting carefully. I am learning to mark instrumental entrances at phrase changes just to confirm my counting.
I am very much looking forward to the concert and hope some of you can attend.
Looking a little further ahead, there is also a major collaborative musical event coming on June 7, 2027 in Chatham. Mark the evening in your calendar — it will be spectacular. I can’t share all the details yet, but tickets for two very unique fundraising events supporting that concert will be available soon. Stay tuned.
Finally, don’t forget the CK Arts Council Studio Tour on May 30 and 31. With 46 local artists participating, it’s another reminder of just how much creative energy exists across our region. For more details go to https://www.facebook.com/ckartsandculturenetwork/.
Concerts, studio tours, performances, and exhibitions all depend on community support, and I hope to see you out enjoying some of them soon.
