BandFest honors Edwin and Richard Franko Goldman

Huntington, Ind. " The musical contributions of two great American bandmasters, Edwin and Richard Franko Goldman, will be honored at Huntington College's 24th annual Band Clinic on Saturday and Sunday, March 8 and 9. Mrs. Paula Hatcher, wife of Daniel Franko Goldman and representing the Goldman family, will speak about The Goldman Legacy in the Longaker Recital Hall on Saturday from 6:30 " 7:15 p.m. The lecture is open to the public at no charge.

Hatcher, a faculty member of the Peabody Conservatory of Music of the John Hopkins University, is a classical flutist. She has toured forty-two of the fifty states and abroad, including Brazil and France. She has performed as a member of the Hagerstown Municipal Band, one of the oldest community bands in the country, and as a soloist with the Goldman Band in New York under the direction of Richard Franko Goldman. She is also equally adept at playing jazz, has recorded in that capacity and currently directs her own group. In addition to her evening lecture, Hatcher will participate in Sunday's Goldman Tribute Concert by conducting various Goldman specialties and serving as flute clinician and soloist throughout the entire weekend.

Founded in 1922 by Edwin Franko Goldman, the Goldman Band has been a vital part of American musical life for over 90 years. The band, originally made up of New York musicians from local symphonies and the Metropolitan Opera, played a series of live, free concerts in New York's Central Park and Prospect Park in Brooklyn. Those concerts are said to have been heard by more people than that of another concert series in the world.

Edwin was a virtuoso cornetist and member of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. He studied composition with Dvorak and composed several popular marches and solo works, wrote volumes on band training and founded the American Bandmasters Association. Upon his death in 1956, his son Richard took over the band.

Richard dedicated himself to carrying on the tradition of excellence in performance and selection of music and was known for introducing music of an international flavor. He is recognized for his transcriptions, arrangements and compositions for band. He served as the director of the prestigious Peabody Conservatory of Music in Baltimore, Md., from 1968-1977.

The Goldman Band continued to perform in the 1980's after Richard's death. Now called the Goldman Memorial Band, the band performs occasionally and in a special annual function in conjunction with the New York State Music Teachers Association for which directors select young musicians to participate.

The Sunday concert of Huntington College's 24th annual BandFest, A Goldman Tribute, is the first tribute to the Goldman's to take place in the Midwest. Admission is free but a ticket is required. To reserve tickets, contact the Huntington College Box Office at (260) 359-4260 Monday " Friday, 9 a.m. " noon and 1 " 4 p.m. Tickets may also be reserved by sending a self-addressed stamped envelope to: BandFest 2003, Merillat Centre for the Arts, 2303 College Ave., Huntington, IN 46750.

Registration is still open for the Band Clinic on Saturday, March 8. Instrumentalists of all ages are invited to participate and may call the Huntington College Music Department at (260) 359-4262 for clinic registration information. Registration is open until Monday, March 3, and the fee is $25. Clinicians will be available for all band instruments, and participants are guaranteed to have an unforgettable musical and educational experience!

Huntington College is a comprehensive Christian college of the liberal arts offering graduate and undergraduate programs in more than 60 academic concentrations. US News & World Report ranks Huntington among the Top 10 comprehensive colleges in the Midwest. Founded in 1897 by the Church of the United Brethren in Christ, Huntington College is located on a contemporary, lakeside campus in Huntington, Indiana.