From Our DirectorChuck Ebersole, Musical Director

In giving advice to youngconductors, German composerRichard Strauss reportedly said:"Never look encouragingly at thebrass section. If left to their owndevices, they will gleefully drown outthe rest of the orchestra." We will, infact, heed that advice for a portion ofthe dinner concert on November 17,as many of our woodwind playersand vocalists will be featured. Butthere are also pieces of music thatwill showcase the brass andpercussion sections, because the goalof the 2019 Ringgold Dinner Concertis to feature each of the fabuloussections of the Ringgold Band!

Our fine vocalists, Tyler Rutt andAlexandra Booth will welcomeRachael Heater to join them for amedley of songs from LeonardBernstein's "West Side Story."Rachael filled in a couple of timesthis summer, and we're eager towelcome her back! Each of thevocalists will also perform a solonumber, bringing the audience themusic of Frank Sinatra, EllaFitzgerald and the Australian folksinger, Hayley Westenra.

Other featured soloists will beMark Brumbach on Euphonium,Heidi and Al Rochlin on cornets, andJill Haley playing one of her owncompositions on English Horn. Inaddition, it will be fun to hear varioussections of the band highlighted intwo Dixieland numbers: "The Saints

Hallelujah"and "TheOriginalDixielandConcerto."Ourwonderfulbass clarinetand piccolosections willbe showcased in a unique marchentitled "The March of the BelgianParatroopers" and the entire bandwill have a workout in one of ourfavorite pieces from this pastsummer: John Williams' "MidwayMarch."

Also on the program will be EricWhitacre's "Lux Aurumque."Translated as "golden light," thiscontemporary choral work wasarranged for band by the composerto show the amazing sound colorsthat are possible with the modernconcert band. Of course, there willbe marches and other favorites toround out a program, providing avariety of styles to please everytaste. In the same way, the deliciousfood from the Doubletree chefs issure to be equally "tasty!"

Except for a thunderstorm whichended the Brickerville concertprematurely, we enjoyed awonderful summer concert season!The weather was lovely and ouraudiences were spectacular! Wehope you enjoyed hearing us asmuch as we enjoyed performing foryou.Thank you for your support!

www.ringgoldband.com

The Ringgold Band of Reading, PA

Ringgold Band NewsFall, 2019

Contents

Page 2● President’s Corner

Page 3● Notable RinggoldSoloists

Page 5● Member Profile

Page 6● Heard Around theBand Hall

Page 8● Helping the RinggoldBand through theInternet

Chuck Ebersole

Ringgold BandFall Dinner Concert

Sunday, November 17, 20195:00 p.m.

Doubletree Hotel Reading, PA

$37 per person

Tickets will be available fromband members, or by mail

using the ticket order form onpage 10.

President’s Corner: Doug Werner, Ringgold Band President

I am beginning to realize as I get older, that I miss some of thethings I did when I was younger. One of those things is hiking in thewoods. I grew up in the city of Reading as a “city kid” but what wasvery cool was that the woods of Mount Penn were a mere threeblocks away. I spent a lot of time in the woods and currently I amtrying to do more hiking and spend time in the woods again. I mustadmit that as a kid those times in the woods mainly centered around shenanigans, while now Isee them as much needed exercise, a chance to connect with my family, and sometimes achance to be alone with my thoughts. I guess this speaks to “the more things change, the morethey stay the same”. I think in many ways, that sentiment is the same for the Ringgold Band,“the more things change, the more they stay the same”.

The Ringgold band has been providing quality concert band music for 167 years and thispast spring and summer was no different. This past spring and summer we continued ourtradition of performing at various church picnics, community concerts, our annual AnniversaryConcert, the Oley Fair, and other venues, as usual. However, the changes to the band overthose 167 years are many. Just a few things that have surely changed is that years ago therewere no women in the Ringgold Band, it was made up of older men. Also, I am told that therewere times in the last thirty years or so when rehearsals were lucky to have a dozen players inattendance. Thankfully, many years ago the band welcomed women and it is commonplace tohave 50 members at a mid-summer rehearsal. That speaks volumes about the health of qualityconcert band music in Berks County and the fact that things continue to change for thisexcellent band, but the quality of our musical offerings remains the same. This is something ofwhich I am extremely proud to be a part.

Summer leads to Fall and at this time of year I am very excited about this year’s AnnualDinner Concert. This year, our concert is being held at the award-winning Doubletree Hotel inReading. A better venue for this event cannot be found. Our Dinner Concert is the Band’sprimary fund raiser and is always a “top-shelf” event, great food, great music, great venue, youcan’t miss! This year we will feature the many talented musicians and vocalists of theRinggold Band. When Chuck Ebersole suggested that we feature ourselves at this year’sconcert, the idea seemed like a natural decision. The RinggoldBand is full of many talented players, singers, and arrangers. Ifyou haven’t already purchased your tickets, I highly recommendyou do that as soon as you are able, it is guaranteed to be a greatevening!

Musically,

Doug Werner

Photo by Ed Treat

Page 2 Ringgold Band News, Fall, 2019

Photo by B Coughlin

Doug Werner

Notable Ringgold SoloistsBy Wendy Holt Schmehl, Assistant Historian

Our dinner concert this year will feature members of the band as soloists. Most of the concerts the band hasplayed from the 19th century into the 21st have included one or two numbers performed as solos, duets or withsmall groups of musicians or singers. We have showcased almost every instrument from the piccolo and the tuba tothe accordion and harmonica. Many of our concerts featured guest soloists - performers who were not members ofthe band at the time. Among them (to name a few) were Arthur Pryor, Herbert Clarke, Edwin Franko Goldman,Taylor Branson (U.S. Marine Band), and, more recently, Scott Shelsta and Nan Raphael. Our next concert (thedinner concert at the Doubletree) will feature soloists who are currently members of the Ringgold Band.

Over the 167 years that the band has been presenting concerts there have been many accomplished soloists.This article will mention a few of our 20th century Ringgold soloists who continued their musical careers withother notable bands or orchestras. Among them were John Philip Sousa's Band, Count Basie's Band, and the NewYork Philharmonic.

Most flutists and many symphony players are familiar with the name of John Wummer, who was principalflutist with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra from 1941 to 1965. Most of hisbios do not indicate that he started his musical career in the early 1900s in Readingwith the Ringgold Band. He was listed as a soloist on many Ringgold concertprograms from 1916 to 1921. Since he was born in Reading in 1899, he wouldhave been a teenager when he started playing with Ringgold. One newspaperarticle stated that he was 13 when he started playing solos. Among the numbers heplayed during this time period, were "Le Carnevale Russe" by Ciardi and thepiccolo solo "Through the Air" by Damm. His solos "revealed exceptionally finemusicianship" and "provoked much applause." During the early 1920s, he wasaffiliated with Arthur Pryor's Band in Asbury Park and played 3 seasons there. Mr.Wummer was also among the select group of musicians who played with Sousa'sBand; he was listed on the roster for 2 Steel Pier Concerts in 1927 and 1928.Before assuming his position with the New York Philharmonic in 1941, he alsoplayed with the Detroit Symphony and the NBC Symphony. He wasinternationally recognized as a soloist and teacher. We can be proud that he had hisbeginnings here in Reading with the Ringgold Band.

There were many musicians who soloed with the band in the 1970s and 1980s. The three soloists who arementioned in this article are representative of band members who began their musical careers in Reading and laterplayed with other musical organizations.

Fred Marderness was a graduate of Conrad Weiser High School. He studied with local percussion teachers andplayed with Ringgold during the 1970s. He was featured on the marimba and played 2 solos at our Spring concertin May 1976. After graduation from Michigan State University, he became an instructor at various universities, andmusic festivals. Since 1980, he has been affiliated with the Phoenix Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Marderness has alsoperformed with Keith Brion's New Sousa Band.

We have had numerous soloists who played cornet or trumpet with Ringgold. Most notable in the mid 20thcentury was Dave Stahl. After graduation from Penn State, Dave enlisted in the US Army Band where he was asoloist and principal trumpeter in the Herald Trumpets. After his army enlistment, he went on the road andrecorded with numerous groups of the "big band" era - Woody Herman, Count Basie, Buddy Rich, and others.

John Wummer

When he wasn't traveling or playing in New York, Dave was a member of the Ringgoldtrumpet section during the late 1970s /early 1980s. Walter Gier, a previous conductor of theband, was Dave's teacher. Dave displayed his virtuosity on the trumpet at the spring concertin 1977 by playing "Czardas" by Mendez-Monti which was followed by "The Flight of theBumble Bee." He has his own record label and has formed his own big band and SacredOrchestra. In 2014, Mr. Stahl returned to Ringgold to present a solo at our spring concert -"Beyond the Limits", a solo which was written for Dave and premiered in Willow Grove in1972 when he was a member of the US Army Band. Dave Stahl - decades later - still hittingthe high notes.

Kimberly Reighley was another of our 20th century soloists who played with the bandduring the 1970s and 1980s. She played flute and piccolo solos during our summer concerts inthe early 1980s. She also was one of the featured soloists during the 1985 spring concert whenshe played a special arrangement by Henry Gass of the Carmen Fantasie. One of the piccolosolos she frequently played was "Through the Air" - the same number that had been played byJohn Wummer in the early 1900s. Kimberly is the Principal flutist with the DelawareSymphony, Bay-Atlantic Symphony and OperaDelaware. She is also the Co-Artistic Directorof the chamber ensemble, Mélomanie in which she plays both modern and baroque flutes. Ms.Reighley returned to solo with Ringgold in our concert at Hamburg High School in October2015; she played the flute and piccolo solos she had played earlier with the band -"Chaminade" and "Through the Air." Kimberley is Professor of Flute at West ChesterUniversity. Kimberly Reighley - still soaring "Through the Air."

As of this date, we don't know who all of our featured soloists will be at our dinner concert - maybe anotherJohn Wummer or Fred or Dave or Kim? So, come on out; you don't want to miss it.

Page 4 Ringgold Band News, Fall, 2019

The Ringgold Band extends our appreciation to the following organizations for supporting us through grant funding:

Dave Stahl

Kimberly Reighley

This month’s feature turns to a member of the Ringgoldtuba section, your newsletter editor -me - Nevin “Skip”Miller.

I grew up in Center Township about a mile outside ofLeesport, PA. I owe my early musical influence to myparents, who ensured my two elder sisters and I sang in thechurch choir and took piano lessons. The piano lessonsdidn’t last long for me, but at Ontelaunee ElementarySchool, teacher John Seidel presented me with a baritonehorn to play. That was a lot of fun, but more was comingwhen Schuylkill Valley High School band director BruceSchonour asked me to play the tuba. That led to lessons withClair Gross and even some string bass lessons with WesFisher. Throughout all of my school band playing, I alwaysplayed instruments owned by the school. I owe a huge debtof gratitude to my teachers and the public schools forenabling for my continued musical upbringing. With allthese impressive teachers, I formed a great appreciation ofplaying music and especially playing in a group.

Some of my high school friends and I formed a rockband with the unlikely name of The Ultraviolet Catastrophe,a reference to an early problem of physics. With a name likethat, you might predict it would be tough to find work, butthe group did make one public appearance, at a 1982 JuniorAchievement Fun Night held at the Sheraton Inn inWyomissing. I played the bass guitar and took lead vocal for

the classic, although perhaps obscure, “Uncontrollable Urge”by Devo. The reviews were mostly positive.

I met my first wife, Rebecca, while visiting one of mysisters in Massachusetts. Life with Rebecca led to some newmusical adventures, playing the great bass recorder in anensemble with Harold Boehm, a founding member of theReading Community Players, for example. But what got meon the path to Ringgold Band was when I met and startedworking for Jim Fegley, the Reiffton violin maker. Jim was afantastic musician with a great gift for improvisation. Heloved the tuba and owned an impressive collection. I boughtan old helicon from Jim that he had had restored.

With Jim’s encouragement,Rebecca, who played the trumpet,and I started attending rehearsalswith the Ringgold Band in 1991 andbecame members in 1992. Playing inthe Ringgold Band was a new levelof education. I had only played tubain high school and County andDistrict Band festivals, so there wasa lot of band music I had never beenexposed to or had the opportunity toperform before playing in Ringgold.

Ringgold Band is a fine group of musicians, but also afine group of people. As the 1990’s drew to a close Rebeccabecame progressively ill and passed in 2001 from ovariancancer. The Ringgold Band was very supportive through that

difficult journey, and I am verythankful for it.

Along the way, I playedtrombone with a blues band,(another funny name) DuckSoup and the Fowl MouthHorns. I also play tuba with theHappy Dutchmen GermanBand.

I am now married to thewonderful and kind Kathy, whohas taken on the responsibilityof handling the ticket orders forthis year’s Ringgold DinnerConcert. We have two

daughters, Abby, 16 and Emily,12, who are both musicians as

well. I am currently employed by the Home Depot as an ITCoordinator at a logistics facility in Breinigsville, PA.

Member Profile, Skip Miller

Page 5 Ringgold Band News, Fall, 2019

Nevin “Skip” Miller

Skip with Helicon, ca 1995

Abby and Skip, ready to play withthe Happy Dutchmen

Page 6 Ringgold Band News, Fall, 2019

Ed and I had quite a busy year. In March we traveled to San Franciscoto hear our daughter Katelyn sing with the American Bach Soloists inBach's St. Matthew Passion. Three concerts, lots of exploring around SanFrancisco, and meeting up with West Coast family made it a lovely trip.

In May, I traveled withmy mother, Katelyn, andmy sister's family to

Atlanta to see my niece graduate from EmoryUniversity. Lots of laughs and family memoriesto make it special.

Later in May we traveled to Baltimore to seeKatelyn graduate from Peabody Conservatory with a Masters inHistorical Performance.

June took us to Ireland, Scotland, England, and Normandy via aBritish Isles Tour. Ed was especially thrilled to discover Liverpooland follow the footsteps of the Beatles.

September took us to my very special place which is the summercabin in the Poconos for a hunting club that I've been going to since

I was 2 years old. No running water but a rustic cabin ina bucolic setting that always centers me. This year for thefirst time in 40 years we saw a bear roaming around ourcabin. Quite exciting!

In late September, Jim andWendy invited us to spend timewith them in their beautiful newhome in MyrtleBeach. Great tospend time withgood friends andexperience theirlife in the South.

Last and best of all, Ed and I became grandparentsfor the first time. Our son, Drew, and our daughter-in-law Cassandra became parents of a beautiful daughternamed Emilia Grace on October 6th. We are thrilledand looking forward to our new roles.

Heard Around the Band Hall -Cynthia Miller-Aungst, Past President/Education Liaison

Page 7 Ringgold Band News, Fall, 2019

Heard Around the Band Hall -Tom Shade, Assistant Conductor

Assistant Director Tom Shade continues his European travels. After returning from aRhine River Jazz Cruise in April, he and Donna are on a cruise of the western Danube as thisnewsletter goes to publication. This time, visiting Germany, Austria, Slovakia and Hungary.He’s running out of rivers to visit.

Alex began piano and violin in thirdgrade and trumpet in fourth at GovernorMifflin. He won RMF awards on pianothrough sixth grade but then shifted hisfocus to trumpet and violin. From sevenththrough twelfth grade, he wasin every ensemble and madecounty band each year. Hetook lessons from JohnStoudt and Paul Breidenstine.In his senior year, he madedistrict band and was selectedfor region but could notattend. At times, he and Iperformed in church withorgan accompaniment.

Alex was also very activein scouting and became anEagle Scout. He was anoutstanding bowler, rankingsecond in the county. Alexfirst attended a rehearsal with Ringgold ineleventh grade and was overwhelmed by thesound. He subbed on several jobs, such asthe Holiday Concert, Schwarzwald,Fleetwood, and Highlands.

Alex initially wanted to be anaeronautical engineer but, when he got a rareopportunity to fly a Boeing 737 simulator,he realized he wanted to be an airline pilot.

He concluded the fastest way to do that wasto pursue an aeronautics degree with LibertyUniversity online while taking flight lessonsin Allentown. However, as his skill andenjoyment in playing trumpet increased, he

knew he couldn’t give it up.To keep music in his lifealong with flying, he neededto attend Liberty inresidence.

That caused a majorshift in our planning. Itmeant I would have to trainAlex myself for him to earnhis private pilot’s licensebefore starting college inAugust and thus enable himto earn his degree in threeyears. With hard work andsome luck, we achieved thatgoal with nine days to spare.

With the credits earned from his licenseand AP courses, Alex began college as asecond semester sophomore. He wasselected for the wind symphony and will betouring the South next spring. He also has aregular Sunday morning gig with a churchorchestra. He is enjoying his experience atLiberty immensely and is grateful for theopportunity he’s had to play with Ringgold.

Heard Around the Band Hall -Alex Coldren By Dennis Coldren

Alex Coldren

Helping the Ringgold Band through the Internet!Did you know you can help financially support the band just by changing your search engine? The Ringgold Band is proud

to announce we are listed on Goodsearch and IGIVE.Goodsearch donates money to your favorite cause when you search the Internet, shop online or dine out at local restaurants!

Use Goodsearch to search the Internet and they donate a penny per search to the Ringgold Band. Register your credit cards onGoodswipe, and the Ringgold band will receive up to 5% donation on purchases made at local stores and restaurants aroundtown. Use Goodshop or iGive when you shop online and they donate a percentage of every purchase and offer over 100,000coupons to help you save money too! Sign up for their Gooddining program and they'll donate a percentage of your restaurant billwhen you eat at any one of thousands of participating restaurants. It's really easy; it's free, and turns simple everyday actions intoa way to make the world a better place. Please go to www.goodsearch.com to get started and select the Ringgold Band as yourcharity of choice! We have always enjoyed the strong support of our loyal followers, and ask you to consider helping us out inthis painless way at no cost to you!Here’s how to help us on your mobile devices:

FOR ANDROID DEVICES 1. Visit www.goodsearch.com on your mobile device & select the menu icon (3 horizontal dots)

2. Bookmark the page by clicking the star & editing the details 3. Go back to the menu icon & access saved bookmarks 4. Select and hold Dailygood bookmark 5. Select “Add to home screen” 6. Select “Ringgold Band Inc” as your charity of choice.

For iPhone, iPads: 1. Visit www.goodsearch.com on your mobile device and hit the share icon at the bottom

2. Select “Add to Home Screen” 3. When displayed the site name, click “Add” 4. Easily search and earn donations by using the icon on your mobile home screen! 5. Select “Ringgold Band Inc” as your charity of choice.

We thank you for your continued patronage and appreciate sharing our musical talents with you!

The Ringgold Band and Social Media: Keeping Up with Technology!

With the new advances in technology there are many new ways to stay connected to the RinggoldBand! We are striving to keep in touch with our audience through many means including Facebook,Twitter, You Tube and Instagram! Click the links below to connect with us!

Facebook YouTube Twitter Instagram

(Icons made by Freepik from www.flaticon.com)

Page 8 Ringgold Band News, Fall, 2019

Ringgold Band NewsRinggold Band, Inc.3539-A Freemont St.Laureldale, PA 19605

Ringgold Band News is publishedtwice a year for members andsupporters of the Ringgold Band,Inc.

Send comments and story ideasto admin@ringgoldband.com ormail to:

Ringgold Band News3539-A Freemont St.

Laureldale, PA 19605

Editor/Designer:Skip Miller

Contributors:Dennis ColdrenChuck EbersoleSkip MillerCynthia Miller-AungstWendy Holt SchmehlTom ShadeDoug Werner

The Ringgold Band is a family of musicians who enjoy performing concert band music. We arededicated to continuously advancing the skill of our members while providing high qualityentertainment for audiences throughout the region. We are committed to the education anddevelopment of young musicians in order to preserve our rich history and repertoire of concert bandmusic.

The band is funded by private and corporate donations and The Reading Musical Foundation, ofwhich the Ringgold Band is an affiliate.

The band encourages the cultivation of music among community youth. High school and college-agemusicians are invited to rehearse with the band Monday evenings at 7:30 p.m. For more informationabout the band, visit us online at www.ringgoldband.com, or contact admin@ringgoldband.com.

Chuck Ebersole, DirectorThomas Shade, Assistant DirectorJames S. Seidel, Director EmeritusDoug Werner, PresidentLewis Freeman, Vice PresidentCynthia Miller-Aungst, PastPresident/Education LiaisonChrista Lagler, SecretaryTim Simmons, TreasurerMichael Gumpert, Bus. Manager

Cathy Fronheiser, LibrarianWilliam Sanders, Ass’t. LibrarianPatricia Kline, Historian andWebmasterWendy Holt Schmehl, Ass’t.HistorianJill Scheidt, SolicitorGeorge McBlane, TrusteeRandy Ream, TrusteeAl Rochlin, Trustee

Ringgold Band Officers

Ringgold BandFall Dinner Concert

5:00 P.M. Sunday, N

ovember 17th, 2019

Doubletree H

otel, Reading, PA(Free parking available in H

otel Garage)

A Ringgold Showcase

Featuring Our O

wn Talented M

usicians & Vocalists

All tickets $37.00 per personPLEASE M

AKE CHECK PAYABLE TO: Ringgold Band, Inc.

There are 10 seats per table, however, you do not need to reserve an entire table. Reservations w

ill be filled in the order received;how

ever, all tickets will be m

ailed after Novem

ber 4th, 2019. Simply fill out the form

below and m

ail to the address shown.

NAM

E: PHO

NE:

ADDRESS:

TOTAL AM

OU

NT IN

CLUDED: $

I request to be seated with:

All dinners include garden salad, starch, vegetable, dessert, coffee, or teaChicken Roulade w

/Grand Marnier Sauce

Parmesan Crusted Flounder

Pan-Seared Cauliflower Steak

Please Mail Check and O

rder Form To:

Kathy Miller

Questions regarding the dinner portion of the concert

210 Highland Avenue,

should be directed to Kathy Miller 484-951-9522

Kutztown, PA 19530

If you wish to be seated w

ith other partiesplease designate on form

.