Camryn Muuss
Staff Writer
Palomares Park Community Center held the Golden State British Brass Band’s 30th Anniversary concert series on Sunday, bringing around 90 people together to celebrate nearly three decades of music and communiy.
The audience heard the British Brass Band perform numerous pieces, including “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone”, “The Wizard of Oz,” “A London Celebration” and many more. The concert also featured pieces with some other meaning for the community.
The Brass Band played “Olympic Fanfare and Theme” to honor the Olympics being held in Los Angeles for the first time since 1984. “Pictures from Yosemite” was another piece featured, connecting audience members to the surrounding California community and the beauty it can hold.
Musicians such as Adam Wermus were also among some of the concert’s main points. He performed a flugelhorn solo to “Song and Dance” by Philip Sparke.
The band has performed concerts in many communities around Southern California, such as Los Angeles, Sierra Madre, Covina, Claremont, Temple City, La Habra and at the California Music Educators Association Conference.
The Golden State British Brass Band formed 30 years ago in 1996, under Penny Dodd, Norman and Linda Taylor. Over the past 30 years, this organization has continued to bring people together, connecting musicians from more than 20 surrounding communities.
Linda Taylor, one of the founders and current band members, helped form the band after traveling to England many times with her husband to play music. After years of traveling, she decided she wanted to bring some of that experience back to her local community.
“We made 20 trips to England every summer, and we decided, this is getting to be too much,” Taylor said. “Why don’t we just form our own? So we did.”
Although the Golden State British Brass Band has members from the Pomona concert band, it still stands on its own.
“There are a lot of our players in this band as well,” Steve Collins, president of the Pomona Conservation, said. “We have woodwinds in our own band also.”
Collins has been involved with the band for around 21 years and, over time, became its president.
“The guy that retired out of the position kind of picked me to come into this spot,” Collins said.
For audience members, the concert was more than just listening to a band. Audience member Marie Carr stated that the band has a more personal connection to her family because her husband used to play with the concert band.
“My husband actually used to be in the Pomona Concert,” Carr said. “We missed all of the other performances, so we wanted to come because he wanted to see people he knew.”
Although the concerts are normally held at the G. Stanton Selby Bandshell in Ganesha Park, it is currently under construction. Because of this, the performance was moved to the community center.
One tradition that did stay is wearing red baseball hats to block the performers’ eyes from the setting sun. Even though these performances might seem like a hidden gem in the community, many audience members see it as an important part of the surrounding community and towns.
“I think it’s a good way to come out and support the community and listen to some good music,” Carr said.
Following that, some may feel that they can have an impact even more. When speaking with one of the band members, Fiona Karbel said the band could contribute even more to the community if more people knew about it.
“I wish that we were advertised a bit more,” Karbel said. “I think it would introduce people to something they might not be used to.”
After 30 years of performances, community connections and traditions, the Golden State British Brass Band continues to bring musicians and audiences together through music and their performances.
“Being the founder and a band member is wonderful; it really is,” Taylor said.
Carmyn Muuss can be reached at camryn.muuss@laverne.edu.
Camryn Muuss is a junior communications major with a concentration in public relations, and a staff writer for the Campus Times.
Jose Enrico Lamano Asuncion is a junior photography major and a staff photographer for the Campus Times and La Verne Magazine.
