Capacity crowd on hand for free concert

BARBARA DIAMOND

Hip hip hooray. Three cheers for the red, white and blue.

An enthusiastic, standing-room-only audience gave a standing

ovation at the Laguna Beach Community Concert Band’s second annual

free “America the Beautiful Concert.” Every seat in the 450-seat

theater and a couple of stairs were filled for the concert, held Feb.

8 at the Artists Theatre on the Laguna Beach High School campus.

“Americans really know how to do patriotic music,” said retired

attorney Joy Dickerson, a native of Canada. “All we had was ‘O

Canada’ and ‘God Save the Queen.’”

Both are musical expressions of loyalty and respect, but not the

foot-stomping, hand-clapping, crowd-pleasers performed by the band at

the concert.

The program opened with a fife and drum corps medley of “Garry

Owen,” “Dixie” and “Yankee Doodle Dandy” and closed with the

LagunaTunes chorus and band performing “Battle Hymn of the Republic”

and a rousing rendition of “Stars and Stripes Forever.” Music spanned

the gamut from Star Spangled Banner, performed after the presentation

of colors by members of American Legion Post 222, to hot and cool

jazz and show tunes.

Mayor Cheryl Kinsman, who missed her National Charity League debut

because she was scheduled to play the French horn in a concert,

conducted “Americans We.”

“The good thing is that no matter what I do, the band will

continue,” said Kinsman, tricked out in Oscar de la Renta tails.

Retired TV producer/director Bob Henry was the master of

ceremonies and sang with 11-year-old Sophia Tupy an adorable duet,

with special lyrics, written by Henry’s daughter, Ruth Massaro, set

to the tune of “I Remember It Well” from “Gigi.” The lyrics compared

the music of today with the music preferred by -- shall we say -- a

more mature audience: Sting vs. Bing.

Laguna Presbyterian office manager and church chorale-member Sandy

Grim performed excepts from the Broadway show “Fiddler on the Roof”

with George Wood, narrator and announcer of the Patriots Day Parade

and a member of LagunaTunes.

Terri Walker strutted her stuff to “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore”

and “Orange Colored Sky.”

“I am so glad you were here,” former Mayor Kathleen Blackburn told

the performer.

Friends of the Library Bookstore manager Barbara Alexander said it

was a joy to hear singers with such good elocution. She could

understand the soloists’ every word, even seated in the back row.

Also in the audience: former Arts Commissioner Carole (with an e)

Reynolds, not to be confused with former Arts Commission and band

President Carol (without an e) Reynolds or artist Carolyn Reynolds;

Nancy Kreder and Nicholas Kinsman, the mayor’s son, who celebrated

his 10th birthday at the concert with friends Sebastian Roger, Timmy

Crane and Makanakai Shipman.

The concert was a double-header for author and Coastline Pilot

humor columnist Sherwood Kiraly, son-in-law of the band president and

husband of a LagunaTunes member.

Roxanna Ward and Christin Cornell conduct the 2-year-old chorus.

Some familiar voices are in the group, including Arts Commissioner

Pat Kollenda and Sawdust Festival exhibitor Patti Jo. New members are

welcomed.

The concert was preceded by a SwingSet performance of “Big Band

Music” outside the theater. SwingSet is made up of band members, as

is the Fife and Drum Corps and the Olympia Brass Band, which

performed the typical New Orleans funeral music that has given us

jazz, which some say is America’s only indigenous art form.

William Nicholls, who performs on the trombone, is the band

director. Ed Peterson, also a trombonist, is the associate director.

Band President Reynolds, a retired music teacher, plays the French

horn.

Band members Dennis White, Hunter Cook, Sheryl Caverly, Marion

Anderson, Brian Cameron and Theresa Marino also serve on the board.

The America the Beautiful Concert Committee included Caverly,

Reynolds, Nicholls, Peterson, Henry, Lisa Morrice, Bobbette Cameron

and Pat Sperry. Sandy St. John was in charge of the refreshment

table. Gavin Kentle helped. Ann Wood handed out programs.

The band was begun about five years ago by Nicholls, Reynolds and

Marino. The changes are off the charts. Many of the original eight

members hadn’t played a band instrument in 20 years. They had no

money to buy music arrangements and no source of funding. Laguna

Beach High School gave them a place to practice and the founders

persevered. The band now numbers 45.

“They are really good,” Kinsman said.

Many of the band members help underwrite the costs. Among the

other donors: Ken Hansen and Kymberly Jeffries, Bill and Kathryn

Sanders, Billy Hansen, Felix Luna, Jacquelyn Shay, Charley and Cece

Schoettlin, Doris Shields, Richard and Jane Evans, Sue Freeman, Mary

Patricia Hunt, Don and Lona Ingwerson, John and Sue Prange and Ann

Morgan.

Although originally sponsored by the Laguna Beach Recreation

Department, the band is now part of the Irvine Valley College

emeritus program under the direction of David Anderson. Funding has

been provided by grants from the city’s Community Assistance Program

and the Business Improvement District Fund and from the Festival of

Arts. Rotary and the Laguna Beach Chamber of Commerce have also given

support.

The band’s next performance is scheduled for the Patriots Day

Parade.

Donations are welcomed, as are applause.

They got both at the America the Beautiful Concert II.

* OUR LAGUNA is a regular feature of the Laguna Beach Coastline

Pilot. Contributions are welcomed. Write to Barbara Diamond, P.O. Box

248, Laguna Beach, 92652, hand-deliver to 384 Forest Ave., Suite 22;

call (949) 494-4321 or fax (949) 494-8979.