Yesterday (May 1) marked the conclusion of the 25th anniversary season of the Quad City Wind Ensemble of Davenport, Iowa. This group was the brainchild of its founder, Dr. Charles B. DCamp (who still plays in the ensemble) and a small group of area musicians and music educators who were determined to establish an outlet for fine wind music and performance in this region. The ensemble has become, in the words of Myron Welch, former Director of Bands at the University of Iowa, "the best adult band in the state of Iowa and one of the best in the country." As the fifth conductor of this wonderful group (and its first "non-resident leader) I count myself extremely fortunate to be at the helm of such a fine group of players, colleagues and friends.
Below is an open letter sent to the QCWE this morning:
May 2, 2011
TO THE MEMBERS OF THE QUAD CITY WIND ENSEMBLE
Dear Friends and colleagues:
I cannot express more deeply my thanks and appreciation to each of you for your hard work and dedication put forth to achieve yesterday’s outstanding concert. From the exciting strains of Candide to a truly moving presentation of the Old Scottish Melody, the entire performance was full of style, precision and most of all—profound music making. In the words of the late Mr. Bernstein, we made “music more intensely, more beautifully, more devotedly than ever before.”
While there are many to thank for the success of this organization and our Silver Anniversary season, I must express my immense gratitude to the members of the Board of Directors. These individuals give tirelessly and freely of their time and talent to assure that everything operates smoothly and professionally. We can all too easily forget those things that members of the Board, as well as others do to assure the operation of the QCWE:
· Assuring that the music is procured (sometimes a difficult task in itself) sorted, copied in cases of insufficient parts and placed in folders ready for rehearsal.
· Arranging chairs and stands so that all the players (and conductor) need to do is to walk into the rehearsal or performance and go to work.
· Write grants so that we may secure funds for operational support as well as allowing for the opportunity to commission new works such as yesterday’s premiere performance.
· Setting up the actual program document in a lucid, readable and exciting format.
· Publicizing our events in such a way that we are able to draw larger and more diverse audiences to experience our outstanding performances.
· Coordinating after-concert refreshments, selling tickets, obtaining photographers, sending thank you notes, coordinating personnel, and the list goes on and on.
It is my sincere wish that each of you would take the time to thank the members of the Board of Directors, especially those who have chosen to step down at this time. Personally, their service and hard work allows me to place my own focus on the artistic needs of the ensemble, a task that I accept very seriously.
While we can rejoice in the end of a season well done, we cannot rest upon out laurels; there is still work to be done. We have strength in each section but we have shortages to fulfill. I ask the members of the ensemble to seek out your friends and colleagues in the community to come and join us so that we may continue to fulfill our musical mission and goals. We still need to work diligently to expand our audience base and that, my friends, is the task of every member of the Quad City Wind Ensemble. If you believe in the work that you do, I am certain that you desire to share those efforts with others. Our audience yesterday was larger than the norm, but—given the quality of the ensemble and the caliber of our musicians, we should be turning people away at the door. I am counting on you to assist us with these primary efforts for the 2011-12 season, the start of another quarter century of outstanding music and performance by the Quad City Wind Ensemble.
I thank you all for the opportunity to serve as your Music Director and remain,
Respectfully yours,
Brian Hughes
www.brianlhughes.com
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