The Twin Tier Community Band will present a “Sparkle Nights”
Holiday Concert at 2 p.m. Sunday in the Smethport Area High School
auditorium.
During the concert, which will last about 90 minutes, the band
will play traditional Christmas music by Leroy Anderson and other
composers, plus selections of Bach, light jazz, Dixieland, and
several medleys, according to Pat Crants, a trombonist who also
handles the band’s technical duties.
“Founded in 1995 by John Cramer of Eldred, the band provides an
outlet for area musicians who want to continue performing after the
structured setting of the school environment,” Crants said.
Bill Howe of Bradford, who holds a degree in music from Clarion
University and has taught in schools in Bradford and Ellicottville,
N.Y., has been the director for four years.
Usually, the band has between 25 to 30 for a performance. “All
our musicians are volunteers,” Howe said. “They live in Port
Allegany, Eldred, Bradford, Ceres, N.Y., Portville (N.Y.) Olean
(N.Y.) Rushford (N.Y.) and Allegany (N.Y.) and several of them are
certified music teachers.”
Cramer and Howe are among the original members, many of whom
continue to perform regularly with the band. Cramer still performs
with the group as his schedule permits since he works outside the
area.
TTCB is classified as a concert band consisting of brass,
woodwinds, and percussion, but no strings. The band tries to
accommodate any interested musicians, regardless of age, from
beginners to senior citizens, Crants said.
There are no auditions, fees, or dues. Crants pointed to the
contributions of some individuals whose contributions are vital for
the band’s organization.
Nancy Phearsdorf, who resides in Allegany, and Dorothy Oakley of
Portville, share the librarians’ duties, organizing and tracking
the music and sourcing new music for the band’s repertoire.
Oakley is also communications manager. Among her duties are
organizing rehearsals, performance times, dates and locations, and
sharing this information with the members.
Lynn Brook of Olean is in charge of publicity. While the band
plays a variety of selections, Crants noted, “At any given concert,
one might hear Bach to J.S. Williams to Peter Cetera … To keep
things lively, there can be selections from Dixieland, Sousa,
polkas, novelty pieces and Broadway medleys.”
TTCB, however, prides itself on patriotic music. According to
Crants, “Almost every performance will include at least one
selection dedicated to the men and women serving our country in the
armed forces, and many concerts feature extended sections of
patriotic music.”
The band has played at Memorial Day ceremonies, marched ion
parades, and participated in two ceremonies in June when the
Vietnam Veterans Memorial Moving Wall was at Hamlin Lake Park in
Smethport.
Approximately one-third of the performances are free concerts
for residents and families at some of the area’s extended care
facilities, including Chapel Ridge and Nursing Pavilion in Bradford
and The Waters and Eden Heights in Allegany.
The band has become familiar to local audiences with public
appearances at the Zippo Swap Meet, Port Allegany’s
Quaquicentennial, Mount Jewett’s Swedish Festival, the Alzheimer’s
Memory Walk, a charitable event in Smethport, and Heritage Days in
Angelica, N.Y.
TTCB also plays in an annual Christmas concert in Olean, and at
an outdoor summer “Concert in the Park” at Lincoln Park, also in
Olean. Usually, one or more Christmas concerts are offered between
Thanksgiving and Christmas, Crants said.
