The Gift of Music: Volunteer orchestras donate a wealth of talent to the city

Jericho Brass rehearses for an upcoming performance at The Salvation Army Citadel Corps on North Moore Road.
Jericho Brass rehearses for an upcoming performance at The Salvation Army Citadel Corps on North Moore Road.
photo Thursday night Skip Houck, front, plays the flugle horn as Tracy Street, back, plays the tenor horn during Jericho Brass' Veteran's Day concert at the Ringgold Depot. The band played songs honoring all branches of the nation's armed forces.

Quick Look

East Tennessee Symphony Orchestraetsomusic.orgYear founded: 2005Number of members: 50-60Next concert: to be determinedETSO, which features string, wind, brass and percussion sections, may be best known for its annual performances alongside the city of Collegedale’s Independence Day celebrations. The orchestra is especially excited about the development of Collegedale Commons over the next several months, which will include an amphitheater as a new performance venue for ETSO and other community bands and orchestras, as well.MidSouth Symphonic Bandmidsouthsymphonicband.orgYear founded: 1990Number of members: 64-70Next concert: May 15 at 3 p.m. at Ringgold High School Performing Arts CenterMidSouth Symphonic has its own rehearsal hall at the old Rossville High School, where players meet every Thursday to practice for seasonal concerts. In addition to the summer concert on May 15, the group is preparing for a trip to Orlando to perform at CityWalk at Universal Studios.Jericho Brassjerichobrassband.orgYear founded: 1998Number of members: 35Next concert: April 17 at 6:30 p.m. at Hixson United Methodist ChurchThis traditional British-style brass band has a little over 500 performances under its belt. Its unique sound is more mellow than other brass bands, with a dynamic range and ability to play extremely softly or very loudly. It’s likely one of only three or four of this style of brass band that exist in the entire state of Tennessee, says Director Frank Hale.Chattanooga Community Orchestrafacebook.com/SeniorNeighborsOrchestraYear founded: 1957Number of members: 72Next concert: April 17 at 3 p.m. at Ridgedale Baptist ChurchFormerly known as Senior Neighbors, this community orchestra meets each week on Monday morning to rehearse its sound. Director Herman May says he likes to keep the concerts light, fun and relevant for the audience, even performing songs from Frozen for kids and, more recently, songs from Star Wars.

The main hall of the Volkswagen Conference Center is pristine, spacious and empty, with the exception of three people standing at the center of its glistening white floors. MidSouth Symphonic Band President Megan Herndon, Director Jim Souders and member Pattie Lane's words echo in the great space as they discuss the acoustics of the room.

"It might be the first time a community band has played at a Volkswagen plant," laughs Herndon, referring to the band's annual spring performance that occurred in late March. In MidSouth's 25 years of existence, the all-volunteer, 70-member band has played in various locations. Its recent performance at Volkswagen was part of the group's efforts to expand its reach into the East Hamilton area.

"Not everyone can afford to go and see the symphony," Herndon says. "My mom was the queen of free stuff in the town I grew up in. We went to every community band performance. That's where my love of music came from, and it's important for people to have somewhere to go [and experience that] for free."

MidSouth is just one volunteer-driven band of its kind in Chattanooga. The Chattanooga Community Orchestra, Jericho Brass and the East Tennessee Symphony Orchestra also all perform for the community, for free, throughout the year, displaying a wealth of talent from all walks of life for the listening pleasure of locals.

Community-driven

It was at Richard Hickam's wedding in 2005 that ETSO was founded. The now-director had invited fellow Southern Adventist University orchestra alumni to perform along with him on his big day, and they enjoyed the musical experience so much that they came together again the next year for a reunion.

It grew from there. The players started out with a performance at the city of Collegedale's Fourth of July fireworks display. Then, they expanded to playing for the public two or three times a year. Most recently, and perhaps most impressively, the group performed alongside Harry Connick Jr. at the Chattanooga Unite event last summer. "It was a huge thing to be able to participate and help," Hickam says of ETSO's role in the memorial concert, which was dedicated to the victims of the July 16 shootings as well as to reuniting the city around the core sense of community that makes Chattanooga such a great place to live.

It all fits in with ETSO's mission, part of which is to create access to music for families in community-friendly ways, as well as to educate the public about music whenever possible, Hickam says. Of course, attaining such a mission can come with a cost. "We had to be mindful [of scheduling practice times] because we know these are people with families and professional people," Hickam adds.

ETSO is not alone in that balancing act. Each of the local community bands is comprised of members from various walks of life - high school and college students, retired band directors, industry workers and more.

"We'll have an engineer playing coronet and a doctor playing this and a lawyer playing that. It makes it a little interesting," says Frank Hale, director of Jericho Brass, a traditional British brass band. "We have a fellow who's 60 years old and another guy who's 20 years old. We have guys in their 70s and everything in between.

"Of course the camaraderie within the group is really great because everyone in the group is playing because they love to play brass music," he continues, adding that each player is listed on performance programs, along with their day job. "I was a high school band director at Hixson High for almost 30 years. When I retired from that, I took up brass banding and learned a whole [way] of music I didn't know before."

For the love of music

The local community bands share a common thread in that they want to give back to the community. Some partner with local high schools to play with and learn from each other; others make a point to perform at fundraising events, while others, like Herndon, also feel it's important to bring free opportunities for beautiful music to the community.

But at the end of the day, the sweat and commitment the players put into their band seems to come from a deeper place within themselves, no matter if the audience is large or small. The drive to keep practicing and playing seems to come from a simple and pure love of the music itself.

"Music is sort of an international language, you know? I think people identify with music in the deepest sense of life," muses Chattanooga Community Orchestra Director Herman May. He's standing in the foyer of Ridgedale Baptist Church, where the orchestra rehearses and performs. With a laugh, he adds, "Music keeps you young. I'll be 85 next month and I'm as active as I've ever been in my life. Maybe everybody in the orchestra feels like it's a fountain of youth."

Lane, one of the trio who stood surveying the sound as their words bounced over the Volkswagen Center's white floors, agrees. A flute and piccolo player, she's been a member of MidSouth Symphonic since 1990. "Not everybody is quality enough to go to symphony and play after high school," she says, adding that even if she made second or third piccolo chair in the symphony, she might only get to play a few notes here and there. "This gives you a place to go and you get to play the whole time."

"This has always been my outlet," agrees Herndon. A clarinet player in addition to MidSouth's president, she's lived all over the world and been a part of five different community bands, even meeting her husband in one. Her lifelong experience in various tight-knit volunteer bands now drives her to create a relational atmosphere among MidSouth's players. Looking forward to the group's trip to Orlando, Florida, to play at Universal Studios this spring, she says the band actually has a chance to become a lot closer. "It's a band trip!" she jokes.

Looking ahead

Over the years, each of the groups has seen significant growth in terms of performers. MidSouth has grown from 26 members to 72. Jericho Brass is busting at the seams with 35 members, when most traditional brass bands only seat 27. ETSO grew from a simple wedding band to share a stage with an internationally known country artist. "And now we are going to try to kind of take our events to the next level," Hickam says. "We are looking at bringing in some Nashville artists for our upcoming Fourth of July performance."

While these community bands are nothing new - the eldest, Community Orchestra, has been bringing music to the Greater Chattanooga area since 1957 - they're expanding into new opportunities and venues. Giving everyone in the community more chances to be among the audience.

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