2018 ACB Convention

I just got back from my first Association of Concert Bands (ACB) convention, and friends, I had an amazing four days! I met composers of some of my favorite band works, and made new friends with fellow Concert Band geeks (musicians and conductors) from all over the United States and Canada, and got to perform in the largest band I’ve ever seen!

ACB is a national organization whose mission, according to their website, is “to foster excellence in Concert Band music through performance, education, and advocacy.” You band directors and librarians may recognize them as sub-contractors for the BMI and ASCAP blanket licenses that bands use to perform pieces multiple times. That’s how I first heard about ACB.

I became a member last year and, after reading in their quarterly journal that the convention was to be in Buffalo, I decided to attend. It was their 40th anniversary, which featured a handful of excellent composers-in-residence, plus their first year hosting five local high schools that auditioned to perform. And then there was the convention band I alluded to earlier, but I’ll get to that in a New York minute.

Thankfully, this shindig didn’t overlap with any of my local musical responsibilities, and I was able to extend a road trip I had planned to the Midwest. A quick jaunt to Buffalo, NY from Indiana and Michigan made for a nice drive along Lake Erie.

Band Buddies

I checked into the hotel a day early and the first thing I noticed when meeting some of the others was that many of them already knew each other. Quite a few had been attending these conventions for years. We all wore placards around our necks so everyone could easily pick out other registrants, as well as learn names, instruments, and hometowns. Once the convention was in full swing, I could tell we had pretty much infiltrated the entire hotel.

Even for a historically shy guy like myself, it didn’t take long to start chatting with new folks, since most conventioneers were warm and friendly. After all, we were all there to enjoy our shared passion of band music!

Composer Characters

For me, one of the draws of the convention was not only hearing high-quality bands do their thing, but also meeting those who create the music – the Composers-in-Residence. The schedule included rehearsals where the composers would either coach or direct the community bands or high school bands slated to perform during the convention. They also had Meet-and-Greets: times where we could meet the composers and learn a bit about their backgrounds.

One of the big names in attendance was Johan De Meij, award-winning composer of the now 30-year-old Symphony No.1, “The Lord of the Rings,” a five-movement piece inspired by J.R.R. Tolkien’s famous fantasy/adventure novel of the same name. It was fascinating to watch him conduct not only left-handed, but with the baton held lightly between his first and middle fingers. De Meij is a trombone player.

John Mackey, another highly regarded composer, was there coaching a group during a rehearsal with their regular director. He seems to be a high-energy type with an excellent self-effacing humor. Some know him for his dissonant writing, or his use of non-traditional sounds, especially in percussion. Check out Foundry, Sheltering Sky, Xerxes, or Asphalt Cocktail for examples. He does not formally play an instrument.

These two men and their works are most impressive, but the composer I learned the most about, and who now has my utmost respect is someone I had not previously heard of, Rossano Galante. Not only does Rossano compose band music, but he orchestrates film music, and anyone who works in the music side of that industry immediately has my attention. Two groups performed his work Cry of the Last Unicorn, a beautiful piece. He played trumpet in his youth.

Band giants Stephen Melillo and Robert W. Smith were also there, but they didn’t make it into my schedule at the convention.

140 of My Closest Friends

Convention band was a blast. Literally. Especially with 140 of us in that high-ceilinged ballroom! There were 25 trumpets – we had our own freakin’ row! Dangerous.

At the helm was Chief Warrant Officer 3 Donna Morgan, who was able to mold the convention band into a cohesive, functioning musical unit in three grueling rehearsals. She was apparently so moved by the experience and the concert that she said she might go play clarinet in her local band.

The convention band was the last band to perform on Saturday night. Personal highlights for me included Bernstein’s Slava! and the world premiere of Rossano’s Sword of Titan, a heroic, multi-meter piece that I would recommend as an exciting addition to any band’s repertoire.

Extra Bling

In addition to attending the excellent performances happening all week, I enjoyed perusing the handful of merchant stalls. I tried a few trumpets from two different manufacturers, but did not purchase. I also got myself a new baton, some brass quintet arrangements, and won two raffle prizes, one of which was the score and parts to a brand new piece, written by one of my fellow conventioneers.

What was the other prize? A bottle of Pennsylvania maple syrup, which, to me, is just as sweet as any solid band piece!

Have you ever been to a band convention? Any convention?

How do you network with others in your musical field?

How far have you traveled to meet fellow musicians?

Have you ever had the chance to meet your favorite composers/conductors?