Ithaca Concert Band
Ithaca and the surrounding areas have a rich history of outstanding community bands. The most noted is the famous Conway Band which performed both locally and nationally during the early 1900's and gained a national following.
The Ithaca Concert Band was founded in 1976 by a group of people who realized the community was missing an important part of its musical foundation — a community band. The band was formed with the intention of providing live, quality musical performances at places accessible to all people of Tompkins County and to offer local musicians a challenging and rewarding musical experience in an encouraging environment. To this day, the band carries on its original mission.
The band's first conductor was Joan Beeler. During the beginning stages in 1976, Joan and the founding members worked hard to secure funding, rehearsal space, and additional musicians to perform. In 1977, Joan left the band and Henry Neubert took over the leadership. Henry, a professor at the Ithaca College School of Music, conducted the band until July 1999 — an amazing 22 years.
At the beginning of the 2000 summer season the band welcomed Beth Peterson and Keith Kaiser (faculty members at Ithaca College) who share the role of conductor.
The Ithaca Concert Band is a popular group, drawing crowds in excess of 300 at its performances on the Ithaca Commons during the summer. The band is also popular with the area's musicians and has had over 500 people who have played with the band over the years. Believe it or not, we have people in the band now who were there when it all began.
The band plays many concerts throughout the year, both inside and outside, at locations around Tompkins County and sometimes farther away. In addition to the summer Commons concerts, the band plays at fundraisers for charitable organizations, at more formal indoor concerts, and at local events such as picnics and carnivals. The band is the community's band and the band's Board of Directors selects concert venues that allow us to be seen and heard by many different people at a variety of locations.
Beth Peterson
Elizabeth B. Peterson is an Associate Professor of Music Education and conductor of the Symphonic Band at Ithaca College in Ithaca, New York. Professor Peterson teaches graduate and undergraduate methods courses in instrumental music, courses in conducting and supervises student teachers. She is currently the Supervisor of the Junior Student Teaching Program at Ithaca College. She received a Doctor of Musical Arts in Music Education from Shenandoah Conservatory, a Master of Music degree from Northwestern University and Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Michigan. Before moving to Ithaca, Dr. Peterson was an arts administrator and Director of Bands at several public schools in Ohio and Illinois. Peterson played trumpet in the North Shore Community Band under the direction of John P. Paynter. Beth Peterson is active as a clinician, guest conductor and adjudicator. Peterson is a “New Music” reviewer for the Instrumentalist Magazine. Beth Peterson currently serves as co-conductor of the Ithaca Concert Band, Ithaca's adult community band.
Keith Kaiser
Keith Kaiser is the acting Assistant Dean of the Ithaca School of Music and holds degrees from the Florida State University (Ph.D.), the University of Redlands (M.M.), and the University of Wyoming (B.M.). As a faculty member at Ithaca College, he teaches undergraduate and graduate education courses, conducts the Brass Choir and summer Graduate Concert Band, and supervises junior and senior level student teachers; as part of his responsibilities, he has also conducted other various instrumental ensembles, including the Concert Band and Trombone Troupe. In addition to conducting the Ithaca Concert Band (community band), he served, for several years, as conductor for Syracuse Signature (a youth band for inner-city students). He is active throughout the country as a clinician, adjudicator, consultant, and guest conductor, and a Presser Scholar, he is recently published in Update: Applications of Research in Music Education, School Music News, Reverberations, Orff-Echo, and Journal of Music Therapy. He has presented at the MENC (the National Association for Music Education) National and Regional Conferences, the New York State School Music Association Conference, the Southeastern College Band Directors Association Conference, the American Music Therapy National Conference, the World Congress of Music Therapy, and the College Music Society. Most recently Dr. Kaiser was a co-recipient of a prestigious Sounds of Learning research grant to study the functions of music in American public schools; Sounds of Learning is sponsored by the Grammy Foundation and NAMM – where he was founder and conductor of the University of Redlands’ Wind Ensemble for Young Musicians. He resides in Ithaca and is blessed with a wonderful family - his wife, Jen, his three-year old son, Andrew, and 11 month old twins, Christopher and Meghan.
Last reviewed: 1/19/2010