Aidan Chamberlain leads the Chautauqua Community Band on Aug. 1, 2023, on Bestor Plaza in commemoration of Old First Night and the 149th anniversary of Chautauqua Institution.
Aidan Chamberlain will lead the Chautauqua Community Band in a diverse and sentimental program today for Old First Night — albeit forgoing the massive patriotic hat that made an appearance on the Fourth of July.
Chamberlain and the Community Band will perform for the second, and last, time this summer at 12:30 p.m. today in the Amphitheater (instead of the previously announced location of Bestor Plaza, and a slightly later time, just in case of rain), rejoicing through a wide variety of music for Chautauqua’s 150th birthday.
The Community Band has just two concerts a summer, making the volunteer musicians look forward to them all the more, Chamberlain said. There is this unique intersection of different musicians coming together in a way that wouldn’t have happened without music; there’s amateurs, professionals, visitors and Chautauquans. All are encouraged to join.
Getting to know the people in the band who are coming from different areas “opens up my perspective,” Chamberlain said — especially once there is opportunity to talk in-depth and hear different takes on things, he said.
Two college friends — Charlie Tea and Paul Weber — reconnected through the Community Band, after not seeing each other since the two graduated. They formed two brass groups upon reuniting, including the Thursday Morning Brass, who perform at 6 p.m. tonight in the Amp to lead into the Old First Night festivities. There are unique connections that happen in the community, Chamberlain said.
As it is Chamberlain’s second year as director, he takes his cue from past programs designed by the late Jason Weintraub. While “bearing in mind traditions” Chamberlain also wants to be mindful of history, making sure he strikes the right balance.
There will be traditional fair music, Sousa marches, musical scores, and Leroy Anderson; some earlier, light music for celebrating the long-standing Chautauqua Institution. Then Chamberlain has programmed newer music, like songs from the films “Encanto” and “Guardians of the Galaxy,” and a sing-along for the youngest Chautauquans, “so the kids recognize pieces and there’s something for all generations.”
With Chautauqua’s monumental 150th birthday, audiences will be reminded of the breadth of development that has happened over the last century and a half. Chamberlain included Ralph Vaughn Williams’ English Folk Song Suite (Williams was born at nearly the same time Chautauqua was founded) to cement the wide range of the repertoire and commemorate the Institution’s founding.
Chamberlain expects around 60 players to join in the celebration today — although that number is far from finalized — which adds to the adrenaline of it all, he said. The rehearsal gets booked before the season even begins because space is so tight; considering the singular practice, “no one is getting bored,” Chamberlain said.
Going from the America-wide scope of the Fourth of July to the zoomed-in community of Chautauqua today, Chamberlain hopes there is genuine connection found through the music from both the audience and the musicians.
“You’re experiencing something together, not talking, but you’re communicating through music,” Chamberlain said.
