Complete information on each concert, literature performed, soloists, and guest conductors, as well as personnel for each concert can all be found on our website:  http://www.medinacommunityband.org/

Photo credit – Matt Platz

Medina Community Band will present their annual Winter Concert, a celebration of 161 years (since 1859) of presenting community concerts in Medina, on Sunday, January 26, 2020, in Medina High School Middle Stage Auditorium, 777 East Union Street, Medina, at 2p.

Under the baton of Marcus Neiman, the band will perform Suite in E-flat Major, Op 28, No 1 (Gustav Holst); Carnival of the Animals (Camille Saint-Saëns/Yo Goto); and, Themes from Green Bushes (Percy Grainger/Larry Daehn).  Two Sleigh Ride compositions will be performed, one by Frederick Delius and the other by Leroy Anderson.

Associate Conductor John Connors will be featured in Percy Grainger’s Country Gardens.  Kristin Thompson, flute, will perform Stephen Bulla’s Rhapsody for Flute and Wind Symphony, with Connors conducting.  Assistant Conductor Matthew Hastings will conduct John Hazel’s march Buick.

Tenor voice Daniel Doty will be featured singing George & Ira Gershwin’s It Ain’t Necessarily So (from Porgy and Bess) and Granada (Fantasia Española) (Augustin Lara/Roger Niese).  Trombonist George Rosin will be featured in Alexandre Guilmant’s Morceau Symphonique, Op. 88.  And, Lu Ann Gresh, Marcia Nelson-Kline, and Lorna Lindsley will be featured in Don Raye & Hughie Prince’s Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy cornet trio.

Concerts by the Medina Community Band traditionally last approximately one hour and are patterned after outdoor band concerts in the 1880s through 1930s and feature concert overtures, solos by instrumentalists and vocalists, as well as popular selections, and lots and lots of marches.  For listings of all concerts, visit the band’s website (www.medinacommunityband.org).

Medina Community Band is proudly sponsored and supported by the Medina Community Band Association, composed of members of Medina Community Band.  The board of directors consists of Lu Ann Gresh, president; Amy Muhl, vice president; Kristin Thompson, financial secretary; Karen Sater, treasurer; Sue McLaughlin, secretary; with directors John Connors, Dr. Thomas Kenat, Monica Lenox, and Gail Sigmund. 

Membership in MCB is open and there are no dues or auditions; however, members are expected to maintain a regular attendance.  The band rehearses on Wednesday evening from 7p - 9p in the band room of Highland Middle School (3880 Ridge Road, Medina).  The band also presents their popular summer series every Friday, June through July, in Medina's Uptown Park Gazebo.  Each year the band presents at a winter concert, and, spring concert.  For additional information on the 2019 concert season or Medina Community Band, contact Neiman at 330.725.8198 or MarcusNeiman@medinacommunityband.org.

The Medina Community Band

Marcus Neiman, conductor

John Connors, associate conductor & Matthew Hastings, assistant conductor

Welcome by Mayor Dennis Hanwell, City of Medina

Daniel Doty, tenor voice soloist

George Rosin, trombone soloist & Kristin Thompson, flute soloist

Lu Ann Gresh, Marcia Nelson-Kline, and Lorna Lindsley, featured cornet trio

Sunday Afternoon, January 26, 2020, 2p

Medina High School Middle Stage Auditorium

Anthem, Star Spangled Banner (1889/1917) ..........................................................................  Francis Scott Key

John Philip Sousa

Suite, Suite in E-flat Major, Op. 28, No. 1 (1906/2005) ...............................................................  Gustav Holst

Colin Matthews

Chaconne

Intermezzo

March

Cornet Trio, Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy (1941/2019) ...................................................  Don Raye & Hughie Prince

David Seiberling

Lu Ann Gresh, Marcia Nelson-Kline, and Lorna Lindsley, soloists

Folksong, Country Gardens (1919/1920) ...................................................................................  Percy Grainger

Tom Clark

Flute Solo, Rhapsody for Flute and Wind Symphony (1996) ......................................................  Stephen Bulla

Kristin Thompson, soloist and John Connors, conducting

Seasonal, Sleigh Ride (1899) ...............................................................................................  Frederick Delius

Interval

Suite, Carnival of the Animals (1886/2002) ........................................................................  Camille Saint-Saëns

Yo Goto

Introduction and Royal March of the Lion

The Elephant

Kangourous

The Aquarium

The Cuckoo in the Depths of the Woods

Fossils

Finale

March, Buick (1921) ................................................................................................................... John Hazel

Matthew Hastings, conducting

Trombone Solo, Morceau Symphonique, Op. 88 (1902) ......................................................  Alexandre Guilmant

Wesley Shepard

George Rosin, soloist

Tenor Voice Solo, It Ain’t Necessarily So (from Porgy and Bess)(1935/2018) ...............................  George Gershwin

Johan de Meij

Tenor Voice Solo, Granada (Fantasia Española)(1919/2009) ............................................................ Augustin Lara

Roger Niese

Daniel Doty, soloist

Passacaglia, Themes from Green Bushes (1906/2007) ..............................................................  Percy Grainger

Larry Daehn

Seasonal, Sleigh Ride (1948)................................................................................................. Leroy Anderson

Program subject to change

Conducting Staff

Marcus L. Neiman has been conductor of Medina Community Band since the Fall of 1972 and has served as conductor of the ensemble longer than any previous conductor in the ensemble’s history.  He attended the Akron Public Schools, received his bachelor of science in music education degree from The University of Akron, master of music in music education degree from The University of Michigan, postgraduate hours at The Kent State University, and The University of Akron.

Neiman retired from posts held with the Medina County Schools Educational Service Center in 2010 (1980 through 2000 as fine arts consultant and 2000 through 2010 as director of fine arts tours and festivals). He was formerly director of bands at Medina High School (1972 through 1980).  Neiman retired in July of 2016 from his position as assistant professor of music education at the Hugh A. Glauser School of Music at Kent State University where he was an interim assistant director of bands conducting the Concert Band (May of 2010 through May of 2011) and teaching their “Music Teaching as a Profession,” “Instrumental Methods for Choral and General Music Majors,” and, “Instrumental Methods II” courses, as well as supervising music education student teachers.

Prior to his arrival at Kent State University, Neiman was a part-time lecturer for the music department at Case Western Reserve University with major responsibilities of teaching their “Foundations of Music Education” course and supervising music education student teachers from April 2004 through May of 2010.  He also supervised visual arts education student teachers for The University of Akron.

Neiman was a founding trustee and past president of both the Medina County Arts Council and Medina County Performing Arts Foundation and served as music director for productions by both Medina County Show Biz Company and Brunswick Entertainment Company.  He served as a committee member on the City of Medina Uptown Park Committee and Arts Under the Stars committee.  A past member of Medina Noon Kiwanis Club he was a member of the class of ’94 Leadership Medina County.  He was awarded the Leadership Medina County “Excellence in Education Leadership” in June of 2014, the sixth recipient of the award in Leadership Medina County’s history and the only recipient not a superintendent of a school district.

Neiman has served Ohio Music Education Association (OMEA) as a member of the adjudicated events flute solo and ensemble required list selection committee, communications, governmental relations, music in our schools, and public relations committees, district president, vice-president, state chair for Music In Our Schools and public relations, state editor of their professional journal TRIAD, and state chair for their council of supervisors.  He was elected by OMEAs membership to serve as state president from July 1, 1998 through July 1, 2000, and is currently OMEAs state historian.  He was awarded OMEAs highest honor, the “Distinguished Service Award” on January 29^th, 2010 at the Professional Development Conference in Cincinnati, Ohio.  Neiman has been published in Music Educators National Conference journal MEJ, The Instrumentalist, The School Musician, The Music Educator, OMEAs TRIAD, FANFARE magazine, and Bands of America Newsletter.  His first book, edited for MENC, entitled Life in the Music Classroom, was published by MENC in April 1992.  He is listed in Marquis “Who’s Who in America” (58^th Edition).

Neiman has appeared with junior high/middle and high school, college and university, community bands, and American Federation of Musicians union professional bands as a guest conductor and in his characterization of famed bandmaster John Philip Sousa in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, (state of) Washington, and Wisconsin.  On October 15, 2004, Neiman conducted the Volga Concert Band in Saratov, Russia in a Sousa-style concert following a week’s residence in Moscow and Saratov.  In addition to conducting the Medina Community Band (since 1972), he formed his own professional touring band -- The Sounds of Sousa Band -- (in 1992) to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the formation of Sousa's first non-military band.  To this date, he has performed for over 200,000 people in the role of Sousa. 

Neiman’s goal has always been to preserve the presence and character of the traditional “town-band.”  In addition, Neiman has encouraged composers to write for the band.  Over the years, the band has commissioned works by Douglas Court, Robert Feldbush, Stuart Ling, Edmund J. Siennicki, Tadd Russo, and David Shaffer. Neiman is a member of numerous professional organizations including the National Association for Music Education and Ohio Music Education Association, National Band Association, Ohio Alliance for Arts Education and Ohio Citizens for the Arts. Neiman is a member of Kappa Kappa Psi (University of Michigan Nu chapter, and honorary Beta Pi at Kent State University).  He is also a member of Omicron Delta Kappa (national leadership society – The University of Akron - Theta Circle). He and his wife Mary Ann, who is a professional clarinetist reside in Medina with Dmitri – the cat. 

John Connors, associate conductor, is the full-time Readiness Noncommissioned Officer of the 122nd Army Band, Ohio National Guard. In addition to these duties, he continues to periodically perform as a trombone player with the band, based at Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base in Columbus. He is also the drum major, where he has led the band in parades throughout the state of Ohio. 2019-2020 is Connors’ twelfth year serving in the Ohio Army National Guard.

This past August 17th, John graduated with his Master of Music Degree in Music Education from the University of Akron and did his student teaching with the bands of the Norton City Schools, Norton, OH. He currently plays lead trombone in the John Trapani Big Band of Canton, and he has also served as trombone soloist with the Brass Band of the Western Reserve in Akron. He joined the Medina Community Band in 2002 to play trombone, and he has also played in the euphonium, horn, and percussion sections.

Connors graduated with a Master of Music degree in trombone performance from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA in 2014. Prior to that, he completed his Bachelor of Music degree, also in trombone performance, from Ohio University in Athens. He graduated from Highland High School in 2007. Connors? conducting teachers have included Richard Suk and Andrew Trachsel at Ohio, Andrew Feyes and Galen Karriker at Akron, and he is also a conducting student of Marcus Neiman.

Matthew Hastings, assistant conductor, has been employed with the Wadsworth City Schools since 2015.  At Wadsworth, Hastings oversees the 5th and 6th grade band programs, assists with the marching band during band camp, and serves as theatre manager for Wadsworth’s OJ Work Auditorium. Prior to his appointment at Wadsworth, he completed his student teaching experience at Donnell Middle School in Findlay, Ohio teaching grades 6-8 band and grades 6-7 general music.  Hastings joined the Medina Community Band in 2018 where he plays tuba and percussion, and he is also serving as an assistant conductor for the 2019 summer session.

Hastings graduated from Green High School in Green, Ohio in 2011, and earned a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from Ohio Northern University in 2015.  He resides in Medina with his wife, Lindsay and their dog, O'Malley.

Featured Soloists

Daniel Doty is a tenor who is equally at home on the opera, theatre or concert stage. He has appeared with the symphonies in Akron (OH), Mansfield (OH), Muncie (IN), Urbana (IL), Marion (OH), and community bands in Medina and Wadsworth (OH). Performances have found him in a variety of settings from church sanctuaries to concert halls, and at such locations as the Celle di Puccini (Puccini summer home) and Severance Hall. In Akron, Daniel has appeared on the stage of Weathervane Playhouse as King Kaspar in “Amahl and the Night Visitors.”

As participant of the Opera Theatre and Music Festival of Lucca, Daniel spent six weeks in the Tuscan village of Lucca (Italy) singing operatic arias at various venues associated with Lucca's most famous son, Giacomo Puccini.

Mr. Doty has appeared in Master Classes with such Metropolitan Opera stars as Martina Arroyo and Angela Brown. A past Guest Artist with the Masterworks Festival, Daniel worked with David Geier, Assistant Conductor for the New York Philharmonic Orchestra.

Mr. Doty holds a Bachelor of Music Education Degree from Bowling Green State University. He is also an ordained minister and holds a Master of Divinity degree from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, Evanston, IL.  Mr. Doty lives in Wadsworth with his wife Amy and is the proud father of Kristian, Sean, and Kaetlyn Doty.

Daniel’s most recent Cleveland area performances were as Spoletta in Tosca with Cleveland Opera Theatre and Beadle Bamford in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street with KSU Opera Theatre. In May of 2017 Daniel made his Carnegie Hall debut singing the “Hostias” solo with the Hudson Festival Orchestra and Choir in the Fauré Requiem.

George Rosin, trombone, is a self-employed attorney in Akron Ohio, with emphasis on employer representation in Workers Compensation matters.  Married to Diane and proud father of two future health care professionals, Rosin has a wide range of musical experience. He was a member of a Dixieland Band in high school; at Wittenberg University, he played with Wind Ensemble, Chet Bausch Big Band and Springfield Symphony Orchestra. Since then, he had a short stint with Blues/Rock Band (Grand Theft Auto), but mostly big band work - Night Coach, Jimmy Dorsey, Guy Lombardo, and Jazz Revival Orchestra. 

Rosin is currently director of The Brass Choir at The Bath Church, lead trombone for the Hudson Community Chapel’s Holiday Musical Extravaganza, and a James Brown Tribute Band (The Real-Soul Pleaser, Robert T). He joined Medina Community Band in October of 2016. He is a member and past president of Akron Symphony Board. Music has been very, very good to me, he stated.

Kristin Thompson, flute soloist, is a 2017 graduate of The University of Akron with a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering. While at UA, she played with the Concert Band, Flute Choir, and Symphonic Band. She has been devoted to music for over 17 years, beginning on flute at age 9 and progressing into piccolo studies. Her principal teachers include Kyra Kester and Heidi Ruby-Kushious. 

Kristin is a 2012 alumna of Medina High School where she played in Symphony Band and the Medina Marching Band for all four years, the Symphony Orchestra for two, and played in the pit orchestra, in addition to making select appearances with the Medina Choirs. High school solo performances featured Kristin with the Stardusters jazz ensemble as well as the Symphony Orchestra, where she performed Vivaldi's Concerto for Flautino in C Major (piccolo). In addition, she is an alumnae member of the Cleveland Youth Wind Symphony and the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra, the latter of which offered her performances alongside members of The Cleveland Orchestra flute section.

Kristin works as a Clinical Research Coordinator for The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in the Department of Radiology. Though residing in Columbus, Ohio, she teaches privately and remains an active member of the Akron Pops Orchestra (2018) and the Medina Community Band (2015) where she serves on the board of the Medina Community Band Association.

Featured Ensemble

(left to right – Lorna Lindsley, Lu Ann Gresh, and Marcia Kline)

Lu Ann Gresh, cornet, is a retired elementary music specialist with 36 years of experience. She has both a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in music education from The University of Akron.  She has taught for the Revere City Schools, Highland Local Schools, Clark County Schools in Las Vegas, Nevada, and most recently Wadsworth City Schools. She taught preschool music and adult beginning piano classes at The University of Akron. Lu Ann and her husband, Paul, reside in Wadsworth, Ohio. She has two children, Jonathan and Kelsey. She has been a member of the Medina Community Band since 1997. She also plays in the Sounds of Sousa Band, and is a member of the Brass Band of the Western Reserve. Lu Ann currently serves as the trumpet section leader. She is president of the Medina Community Band Association.  

Lorna Lindsley, cornet, earned her Nursing degree from The Huron Road School of Nursing. She worked as a Registered Nurse at The Cleveland Clinic South Pointe Hospital in their Step Down Unit. She performed with The Bluecoats and Garfield Cadets Drum and Bugle Corp over a span of seven years and continues to be active with their alumni groups playing several concerts a year. Lorna lives in Medina with her husband Sam and their three children Bella, Sydney and Emerson. She joined the Medina Community Band in 2017.

Marcia Nelson Kline, Copley resident Marcia Nelson Kline began her trumpet studies with parents Milton and Sarah Nelson, Lloyd Haines, and further advanced her studies with Harry Herforth and James Darling.  She is a member of Medina Community Band (since 1984) and Brass Band of the Western Reserve (since 1997) and has performed with Marcus Neiman's Sound of Sousa Band, Mill Street Brass Quintet, and Cleveland Women's Orchestra.  She is featured as a cornet soloist on Medina Community Band's CD "Sounds of Summer".  Marcia has an associate degree in medical assisting from The University of Akron and is retired from the Cleveland Clinic where she was an ophthalmic technician.

Medina Community Band

Banding together to celebrate a new land.  The Medina Community Band traces its beginnings back to 1859, when a group of local wind and percussion players got together (some with formal training - others without) to perform music for the community.  That first "community band" was called The Medina Silver Cornet Band, probably since the instruments the musicians used were primarily "silver lacquer coated" cornets or percussion. Since it’s beginning in 1859, that the band has been in existence, there have been 20 directors.  Marcus Neiman has served as conductor since 1972 with David Roth serving as associate conductor (since 2016), and John Connors serving as assistant conductor (since 2015).

Early versions of the band probably existed at the pleasure of the square's business community, who often funded the season and encouraged patrons to attend the concerts.  The performance night has changed over the years, in most cases at the urging of the business community, and season concerts have been given on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings.  Since the 1970s, the band has been supported by donations from the general public and, to this day, is supported through these donations.  Band members donate their time and talent to rehearsing and performing for the community as members of the ensemble.

Since the 1970s, Medina Community Band has traveled outside Medina to perform:  Ashland Brookside Bandstand (1980, 81, 93); Bay Village (Connections Series 1990, 91, 92); Canton (Kent State Stark Community Band Exchange Concerts 1995, 96, 98, 99); Case Western Reserve University (Cleveland Youth Winds Exchange concerts – Severance Hall – 2002 and 07, Medina, 2005); Cleveland State University (2010, 13); Dalton (Wayne County Schools Honors Bands 1983); Mentor (Lakeland Civic Band Festival 1985 and 1990); Mercer (PA) (with Mercer Community Band, 2009); Milan (EHOVE Career Center, yearly since 1993); and, Wadsworth (Wadsworth Community Band Festival 2007).  In February of 2015, Medina Community Band was selected by blind audition to perform at the Ohio Music Education Association Professional Development Conference in Cleveland.

Regional and nationally known conductors have appeared with Medina Community Band.  Since the 1970, the following individuals have appeared as guest conductors: David Adamson; William Bauer (Florida State University); Frank Cosenza (Mentor, OH); Albert Oliver Davis; Paul Droste (Ohio State University), John Boyd (Indiana State University); Wayne Gorder (Kent State University); John Franklin (Kent State University); Patricia Ann Grutzmacher (Kent State University); Richard Jackoboice (University of Akron); Robert Jorgensen (University of Akron); Galen Karriker (University of Akron); Jesse Leyva (Kent State University); Gene Milford (University of Akron); Nathan Muehl (St. Petersburg College, Florida); Bill Park (North Royalton Community Band); David Seiberling (Moore Community Band); Edmund J. Siennicki; and, Nathan Stark (Montana State University).  

The following individuals have been commissioned, or have written, or arranged, works for Medina Community Band: Douglas Court; Albert Oliver Davis; Robert Feldbush; Percy Hall; Floyd O. Harris; Stuart Ling; Gene Milford; Bill Park; Tadd Russo; David Schaffer; David Seiberling; Edmund J. Siennicki; Gail Sigmund; and, Jonathan Tietz.

Medina Community Band is sponsored by the Medina Community Band Association composed of members of The Medina Community Band proudly supports the community band.  Membership in MCB is open and there are no dues or auditions; however, members are expected to maintain a regular attendance.  The band rehearses on Wednesday evening from 7p - 9p in the orchestra room of Medina High School (777 East Union Street, Medina) during June and July; and September through the end of May rehearsing in the band room of Highland Middle School (3880 Ridge Road, Medina).  The band also presents their popular summer series every Friday, June through July, in Medina's Uptown Park Gazebo.  Each year the band presents at a winter concert, and, spring concert.  For additional information on the 2019 concert season or Medina Community Band, contact Neiman at 330.725.8198 or MarcusNeiman@medinacommunityband.org.