Autumn 2024 Legacy Tour

On the Road with the Minnesota State Band

For several years now the Minnesota State Band has been granted money from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. We have used this money to travel to many small towns in outstate Minnesota to bring our music to the public. Afterall, we could hardly call ourselves the “Official Band of the State of Minnesota” if we only performed in the Twin Cities. Here is a short list of places we have recently visited: Litchfield, Hutchinson, Chatfield, Iron, Moose Lake, Park Rapids, Wadena and the Red Lake Nation.

Now some groups might travel to a location, set up and then play a concert without ever really trying to understand the community they are visiting. When we travel, we always look for opportunities to be a positive influence.

So let me tell you about our most recent overnight trip to Montevideo and Willmar to give you a little taste of what our tours are like.

October 4, 2024 was a very early morning. We met our motor coach at Saint Paul College in St. Paul where we loaded our instruments underneath the bus at 6:55 am. We of course had prearranged everything so we could leave our cars in the parking lot at the College. Unfortunately, the school did not contact the security staff on duty who told us we could not park overnight. But in a short time, we got that straightened out and we were good to go.

We arrived at Montevideo Middle School at 10:25 and met with the middle school band director, Riley Frank. Our primary purpose was to work with the kids who were players in one of the school bands. Our band divided into several groups. The brass players worked with the brass players. Our flute players worked with the flute students: you get the picture. We each had a specialty and we loved the idea of working with the middle-schoolers helping them with their tone and technique. There were four separate classes of band students that represented the different levels and ages of players.

Julie and myself were in charge of the drummers and divided the work. Can you believe that at one point we were asked to play a little quieter? Hard to believe. My job was to teach the kids how to do a proper roll on the Timpani. After I was done, Julie showed them how to do a proper drum roll on the snare drum. This type of small group of instruction was a perfect way to work with the kids, by demonstrating and then allowing the students to show what they learned.

But of course, our larger goal was to get them excited about band and playing an instrument. We wanted to motivate these young musicians so they would continue playing in high school and college. Maybe some of these kids will become members of our band someday.

Well after a great meal at the school cafeteria, we went to the Gym where we did perform a concert.

After our visit to Montevideo Middle School, we had no time to waste. Next stop was the Montevideo Veteran’s Home. Although, there was one small problem, we couldn’t play inside the building because there was an outbreak of Covid. Do you think this stopped us? Absolutely not. We just played an outdoor concert with the veterans in chairs by the loading dock. There was another challenge that day, the wind. Now our band is used to a little wind at an outdoor concert but these were gusts that could and did knock over music stands. I think I used about twenty clothes pins that day to try to prevent the music from flying off. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn’t. But despite the difficult circumstances the Veterans were a great audience and appreciated everything we did to bring the concert to them.

Well, we finally did get a chance to rest after the Veterans Home concert and had an excellent meal at the Spicer American Legion. After a good night’s rest, it was on to The Barn Theatre in Willmar, a beautiful restored theatre. Here there was no wind to deal with and we ended up playing one of our best performances of the year.

Now if you like what you have heard and you appreciate the effort, we put into both our state and local concerts, then we ask you to please renew you Associate Membership with a generous donation. Our band is doing something that no other group seems to be doing. Connecting with Students, Veterans and everyone in the community wherever they live.

2023

Great News! The Minnesota State Band has been awarded a Legacy Grant in the amount of $50,000 to be spent over the next two years. Many thanks to everyone who helped especially our friends at the Minnesota Legislature including, Representative Dean Urdah,l our sponsor in the House and Senators Justin Eichorn and Andrew Lang, our sponsors in the Senate.

This process took many long hours of effort and included testimony by board member Craig Allen, President Jack Kennedy and Conductor Keith Liuzzi. Here is a sample of some of the live testimony.

“The Minnesota State Band is a 45-piece concert band that performs a wide variety of music throughout the year. Except for the Conductor, no one in the organization is paid. In fact, every band member pays a fee of $80 dollars a year to be a member of the band.

This year, the band celebrates 125 years as an arts organization. We are a part of Minnesota’s rich history.

… Our goals are to increase the number of concert tours, continuing to reach out to smaller communities in outstate Minnesota, sharing our love of music with residents and playing joint concerts with community bands and school bands throughout our state.

… The only thing that prevents us from traveling to more small towns and playing with more community and school bands is money. After all, it takes quite a lot to transport a 45-member concert band from town to town. But that is exactly what we would like to do. People who live in small towns deserve a variety of quality music just as much as the people in large cities.”

So, while this grant is a great deal of money, there is a slight issue. When we reserve the tour bus and book hotel rooms, we must pay all those expenses out of the band’s own bank account. Our first 3-day tour which I will explain in detail below, is expected to cost $20,000. So, this is why we humbly ask our most loyal members to help us with your annual contributions to cover the upfront costs.

2023 Fall Legacy Tour News

• Minnesota State Band in Concert, Oct. 7 (Tri-County News)
• Minnesota State Band to perform at Litchfield Opera House (Litchfield Independent Review)
• Minnesota State Band to play in Park Rapids and Wadena (Park Rapids Enterprise)
• Minnesota State Band to give free concert at Wadena Memorial Auditorium (Wadena Pioneer Journal)

A true story from Craig Allen.

After I testified in front of the Senate Committee, on a very cold and icy Friday morning in March and stepped out of the room to put on my coat a man approached me and said I had done a really good job. I thanked him. He then asked me if the band would be interested in playing at the Red Lake Reservation. His name is Chief Dan King, President of Red Lake Nation College.

I couldn’t believe it! I said yes, we would definitely be interested. So, he gave me his business card. What a fantastic opportunity I thought. The encounter was very brief.

Well, guess what. Since that meeting, we have had many conversations with Chief Dan King and in fact will meet with him next week to finalize our trip to Red Lake, Minnesota. Red Lake will be the last stop on a three-day tour which will include concerts in Park Rapids and Wadena.

The plan for the Red Lake Concert is to share the program with the Red Lake Nation College Choir and Dance groups.

I know that without checking the history of the Minnesota State Band that this will be the first time this 125-year-old organization has ever played or been asked to play on a reservation before. This is indeed an honor and a great opportunity to reach out to our Native American friends by sharing our joy of music.

But wait, there is more. Chief Dan King has invited the Minnesota State Band to play a concert at the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) Conference the week of March 4, 2024 at the Minneapolis Convention Center!

Thank you, Associate Members!!

The Minnesota State Band has been around a very long time but we know that without our loyal contributors, this band would not exist. It is your faith in us that keeps this organization moving forward. Please take a minute to fill out the Associate Member Form to renew your Associate Membership.

Yes, you Heard Right, the 125th Anniversary Minnesota State Band Teddy Bears are on their Way

The 2023 Minnesota State Band teddy bears

The soft cuddly bears come in blue or white and will be available for a $30 or more contribution starting at our concert at Roseville Central Park on July 11. Your collection is not complete without the official 125th Anniversary bear!

Summer 2022

Memorial Day

Minnesota State Band performing at Fort Snelling National Cemetery on Memorial Day 2013

The Minnesota State Band has always been active during Memorial Day. For many years, going back to the time when Joseph Komro was the Music Director, the Minnesota State Band was the official band at the Memorial Day Ceremony at Fort Snelling National Cemetery. Every spring we would work hard to prepare the appropriate music for the day and always looked forward to being a part of the ceremony. The band would usually rent a bus to provide transportation to Fort Snelling, thereby not taking up parking spots at the cemetery.

Well in the spring of 2015, the volunteer committee that organized the Memorial Day Ceremony at Fort Snelling decided that they would prefer to have a service band provide the music for the ceremony. While this came as a great disappointment to all of our members, we bowed out gracefully to allow a service band to perform.

But this was hardly the end of the band’s participation in Memorial Day. We located another venue and on May 28, 2016, we performed our Memorial Day Concert at Como Park Pavilion in St. Paul, starting a brand-new tradition. We have been there ever since.

This year it was quite a struggle to perform at Como due the wind gusts of over 20 miles per hour. Such winds tend to have the effect of sending sheet music flying into the air and music stands to be knocked over. But we went ahead and had a beautiful and heartfelt performance appropriate to the day, playing songs like America the Beautiful, Hymn to the Fallen, Armed Forces Salute and The Stars and Stripes Forever.

Lakewood Cemetery also reached out to the Minnesota State Band to provide the music this Memorial Day, and the plan was that the band would perform in the morning at Lakewood and in the afternoon at Como Park. Unfortunately, due to lightning and rain the event at Lakewood was canceled. We hope we have the opportunity to perform at the Memorial Day Ceremony at Lakewood in 2023.

No matter whether we play at Fort Snelling Cemetery, Lakewood Cemetery or at Como Park, we feel very honored just to be a part of Memorial Day every year.

Meet Our Very First Director

Colonel Christian Marius Selling (Photo courtesy of J.C. Pennoyer)

The Minnesota State Band was founded in April of 1898, under the direction of Colonel Christian Marius Selling. Col. Selling immigrated to Minnesota from Copenhagen, Denmark in 1889. Both his parents were talented musicians and at the age of 15, Christian was admitted to one of the Danish military bands, where he served for 15 years. He was decorated with the Cross of Honor by the Danish government for his service. He came to St. Paul in response to invitations by the Danish community and was employed as Director for the Apollo Society, a Danish singing society. He was proficient on the euphonium and violin and performed as soloist with musical organizations and churches in the Twin Cities. He was also orchestra director at the Grand Opera House in St. Paul. His engagement as director for the newly formed Minnesota State Band was quite a coup.

During his tenure as Director of the Minnesota State Band, 1898 – 1904, Colonel Selling wrote at least thirteen pieces specifically for the band to play at summer concerts. Only one of these pieces has survived to the present day, a march titled Summer Carnival. The MSB recently reached out to a grandson of Colonel Selling to ask if the family still had any of the music their grandfather had written for the band. Unfortunately, they no longer have any of his original band compositions. However, they did have twenty-one original plays that Colonel Selling wrote after he moved to New York in 1905. The family offered these plays to the MSB for our archives, and we have gratefully accepted this offer. Eventually, we hope that these plays will be available to the public via our archives at the Minnesota History Center.

The band is very grateful to the family of Colonel Selling, and specifically to his grandson, Mr. J.C. Pennoyer for this very generous donation.

Winter 2021 - Spring 2022

The Minnesota State Band stands with the people of Ukraine.

We condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and call it for what it is: an unprovoked act of war resulting in the loss of human life and suffering. Our hearts go out to the citizens of Ukraine, immigrants and refugees forced to flee the country, Ukrainians living abroad, and all people displaced because of this conflict. We have been inspired by the remarkable courage and solidarity of the Ukrainian people in the face of Russia’s invasion. Their resolve is a powerful testament to the spirit of those fighting for dignity and freedom.

Summer 2021

Teddy Bears at our 2021 Como Park Concert Series Concerts

Our 122nd Anniversary Season

The Minnesota State Band has faced many challenges this year due to the pandemic (after not playing at all in 2020). Like being locked out of our normal rehearsal space for over a year, having to pay rental fees elsewhere and several times having to rehearse outdoors.

Despite this, the Minnesota State Band played six concerts this season including Memorial Day at Como Park, three summer concerts at Como and performances in Oakdale and a community festival in Saint Paul. Our goal in 2022, is to increase the number of concerts we perform.

One way you can help us achieve this goal is to give generously to Give to the Max Day on November 18, 2021.

https://www.givemn.org/organization/Minnesota-State-Band

Remember that any donation you make, whether it is a one-time donation or part of your annual giving, is tax deductible.

Thank you so much for your help.

Summer 2020

Words are not enough. Black Lives Matter and so do our actions!

As the Minnesota State Band we have an obligation to speak up against systemic injustice and racism. But more importantly to take action against such issues. "The murder of George Floyd at the hand of former Minneapolis police officers has precipitated a profound cultural and societal shift that started in a community we represent.

In order for the Minnesota State Band to be part of our state’s vibrant future, we must strive to support and amplify voices in our communities that have been suppressed, distorted, and silenced.

The Minnesota State Band will use its resources to create awareness and promote the need for racial and gender equity - ranging from the way we conduct ourselves to the music we perform, specifically on how we support black and indigenous members of our band and community, as well as ensuring awareness of specific needs regarding gender equity.

How will we do this? The following is a start:

• We will listen by inviting members in our band to share viewpoints that can help the Minnesota State Band craft an equitable and just future for our organization and the communities we serve.
• Add to or amend our mission statement to include specific messaging about representing the bountiful communities of Minnesota with respect and celebration for our culturally rich indigenous and black communities. Update or create policies to create inclusiveness and acceptance of races, creeds, cultures, genders, gender identities, ages; update or create policies non-discrimination policies.
• Addressing the issue with our membership in a meaningful way by acknowledging that racial inequity is everywhere - including in the music that we play - and taking steps to make our music selection, performances, and membership more inclusive. Deliberately support musicians and composers that support and share our vision.

Summer 2019

Dress Rehearsal for our 120th Anniversary Gala Concert

Our 120th Anniversary Concert was a Terrific Success!

Performing at the beautiful Benson Great Hall on the campus of Bethel University was very exciting. By performing an afternoon concert rather than an evening performance, we made it possible for residents of several local nursing homes to join us. Bethel contacted the nursing homes and they provide bus transportation to the concert. Hundreds showed up and everyone had a great time!

Both our Gala Concert and concert in Hutchinson featured a performance of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue featuring piano soloist Dan Chouinard.

These members from our sister band Musikverein Ellzee traveled all the way from Germany to attend our 120th Anniversary Concert.

The Minnesota State Band Supports Minnesota Composers and Artists!

In March 2017, the Minnesota State Band featured the debut of a newly arranged piece by Jay Fishman, Director of the Minnesota Sinfonia. Several years ago, Mr. Fishman arranged a medley of Jewish wedding music for string quartet to be played at his brother's wedding. Mr. Fishman later arranged this piece for the Sinfonia, and has now granted permission for the work to be arranged for concert band. The Minnesota State Band commissioned Michael Serber, local composer and arranger, to complete this new arrangement of Mazel Tov.

The Minnesota State Band was the only concert band selected to perform at the Official Rededication of the Minnesota State Capital. In recognition of that honor, the band commissioned a new work. That piece was Capital Fanfare written by Minnesota Composer Carl Schroeder. The piece received its world premiere on August 11, 2017 at the State Capital.

In January 2018 the band premiered a new work for concert band by Jane Lanctot that took a traditional Cambodian song (800-1000 years old) based on a pentatonic scale and skillfully arranged it for the modern concert band. We performed this piece at Hmong College Prep Academy during a joint concert with the school band.

The Minnesota State Band commissioned a special work by Minnesota composer David Evan Thomas which received its world premiere at our 120th Anniversary Gala Concert at the Benson Great Hall at Bethel University. The work entitled One Fair Summer Eve was inspired by the composer’s visits to the Minnesota State Fair. It includes four movements, I - Pronto, II - Carousel, III - Princess Kay of the Milky Way and IV - On Machinery Hill. This work will be featured at concerts throughout the summer.

Also at our Gala Concert, Minnesota artist and pianist Dan Chouinard performed with the band George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue.

How do we select what music to play at concerts?

A note from our Director Keith Liuzzi

I was recently asked to share some thoughts about conducting, for a workshop held at the University of Pretoria, Australia. Here is the advice I chose to offer:

When programming a concert, I want the musicians and the audience to experience a range of emotions and musical styles. Just like cooking a nourishing meal, I include pieces that educate our minds, touch our hearts, lift our spirits, and bring us joy!

In addition to the actual thrill of conducting rehearsals and performances of this fine Band, I thoroughly enjoy selecting the music for each concert, using my philosophy and ideas of variety and nourishment.

I hope our audiences, too, enjoy our concert programming. Thank you for your support of the music and the musicians.

Minnesota State Band Concert Tours to Small Towns Accross Minnesota!

In 2016 and again in 2018, the Minnesota State Band received a grant from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. Our plan was to increase the number of concert tours, continuing to reach out to smaller communities in outstate Minnesota. Our musical goal is unique among arts organizations. Most of Minnesota’s “established” arts organizations only perform in large concert halls in the Twin Cities. In contrast, the Minnesota State Band brings its music to people all over the state, performing in the communities where they live. Here is a list of small towns we have visited since 2016.

Alexandria, Litchfield, Moose Lake, Iron, Winona, Hutchinson, Park Rapids, Wadena, Fairmont, Chatfield and Sauk Centre

Thank You to All of Our Volunteers!!

Deb Allen (pictured with her daughter Heather) has been volunteering at our ‘Bear Table’ for a number of years. She makes sure concert attendees have programs, assists attendees signing up for memberships, answers questions and promotes the band in every way. Thanks Deb for your dedication and support!

Summer 2018

Introducing the 120th Anniversary State Band Teddy Bears!!

The Minnesota State Band is funded, in part, by a grant from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.

MINNESOTA STATE BAND CELEBRATES 120 YEARS! 1898-2018

The Minnesota State Band is now in its 120th year! What an amazing feat. We are honored and privileged to be your State Band and are very grateful for your support throughout the years, whether it was by attending one of our many concerts, by supporting us financially or both. We could not have lasted 120 years as the “Official Band of the State of Minnesota” without your support.

Thank You!

Our 120th Anniversary Concert

This concert will be a Gala event, performed in the Benson Great Hall at Bethel University. We have commissioned a special work by Minnesota composer David Evan Thomas which we will premier. We are planning this concert for Saturday, November 3 at 2 pm. More information will be available in September on our Web page and in a special newsletter.

An Exciting Summer is Just around the Corner!

This summer, Huber Park in Shakopee kicks off our 2018 Summer Concert Season. Our Principal Director Keith Liuzzi, our Associate Director Nathan Waller and our Conductor Emeritus, Chuck Boody will all take part in this very special concert. Of course our concert begins with “Hail Minnesota” arranged for the band by our late conductor Joe Komro. A special feature will be “Capitol Fanfare” a work which was commissioned by the Minnesota State Band written by Carl Schroeder which the band premiered at the rededication ceremony of the Minnesota State Capitol last summer.

For the last 40 years, the Minnesota State Band has played concerts the first three Wednesdays in August at the Como Park Pavilion. The music of each concert is different. Opening night of the Como Park Concert Series is Wednesday, August 1st with the theme of a “Musical Potpourri” featuring a wide variety of music to appeal to all tastes. The following Wednesday is “Music of the 60’s” including The Marches of Henry Mancini, music from the Beatles, popular movie musicals such as Mary Poppins as well as the works of John Williams. The last Como concert is “A Salute to our State and County.” This concert is one of the most popular we play all year.