Young Musicians Blend in With Sag Harbor Community Band

Longtime fans of the Sag Harbor Community Band, which was founded in 1957, have grown accustomed to seeing a fair amount of gray hair among its members. But that trend has seen a marked reversal over the past few years as more and more young people sign up to play in the ensemble, which performs summertime Tuesday evening concerts in Marine Park, as well as on other special occasions.

“Pre-COVID, we always would have a few high school students, who might play through college and beyond if they lived in the area,” said the band’s director, David Brandenburg, “but post-COVID, we have had more and more students joining.”

Today, about 25 percent of the band’s 56 members are in high school or college.

“It’s great to have the students in the band,” Brandenburg said. “First of all, it adds a lot to our sound to have more musicians, generally speaking. On any given Tuesday, somebody might have a conflict, so having more players available is a good thing.”

Brandenburg gave credit to the number of local music teachers in the band for encouraging their students to sign up.

Jonathan Howe, who plays alto sax in the band and teaches music at East Hampton High School, said his colleague Chris Mandato, realizing that all students needed to complete a number of community service hours in order to graduate, began to offer credit for students who attended the band’s weekly rehearsals and performances.

“He realized that community service hours are like currency to our students,” said Howe, who estimated that as many as two dozen East Hampton students had joined the band for at least one season over the past three years.

But students say their reasons for joining the band go way beyond a chance to earn community service credits, with many of them citing a family tradition.

Joseph Rice, who graduated from Pierson High School in June after moving back to Sag Harbor from Connecticut last year, said both his aunt, Dorothy Bennett, and his mom, Beth Rice, play the flute, and his grandmother, Dorothy Kessen, who has since passed away, played clarinet in the band.

“It’s entertaining to talk to the other band members, and to play in a group is very fun,” he said. “Some people have been playing 25 to 30 years. I don’t see a reason to leave. It gives me something to do, and David Brandenburg is fantastic. He’s very knowledgeable and entertaining.”

Burke and Hewie Dunne of Southampton also cite a family connection. Their grandmother, Irene White, is a longtime band member and currently its only oboist. Burke, 16, plays French horn, while Hewie, 14, plays trumpet. Their cousin, Sadie Chaleff, plays clarinet in the band.

“Grandma dragged me,” said Hewie, who is beginning his sophomore year at Southampton High School. But now, he said he’s happy he joined. “It’s cool playing outside of school and meeting everyone,” he said. The difference between school and the community band is “this band is better, the music is harder, there’s a bigger variety instruments, and more players.”

Hewie added that many of the more experienced players have offered him tips to help him improve his playing in his first season with the band.

Burke, who will be a junior at Southampton High School this year, is one of two French horn players in the band. As luck would have it, the other is Ben Jones, a Springs School music teacher, from whom Burke takes lessons.

“He’s really supportive,” Burke said. “But when I make a mistake in band, he calls me on it and tells me how to improve.”

Molly Stillman, is another 14-year-old playing her first season in the band. The alto saxophonist just graduated from Springs School and will be a freshman at East Hampton High School this fall. She was encouraged to sign up for the band by both Jones, who was her music teacher at Springs, and her older brother, Abe, 16, a junior at East Hampton who plays baritone sax.

“It’s fun to be with the older members because they know the music like the back of their hands,” she said. “It makes it easier for me to improve because if they play something tricky, I can sound out my parts.”

Molly said she plans to participate in the band as long as possible. “I’ve grown to really love music and how the band works together,” she said.

Emily Ryan, 17, who graduated this year from East Hampton High School and will attend Northeastern University in Boston this fall, where she plans to study computer science and music, said the band is not for everyone, but “it is enjoyable for the kind of kids who are the right type.”

Ryan, a clarinetist, is in her third season. She is also a composer, and her piece, “Polyphonic Sledgehammer,” was premiered by the East Hampton High School Band last spring. She lives in Montauk and tries to arrange her schedule so she can work at her job at East Hampton Library on Tuesdays to reduce the commuting time.

“It’s just a really nice experience,” she said of playing in the band. “I enjoy the conductor. I really enjoy the people, and I enjoy the music.”

Stella Brecker, 14, who will be a sophomore at East Hampton High School this year, is the daughter of jazz trumpeter Randy Brecker and saxophonist Ada Rovatti.

She is one of those students who joined the band “to try to get a couple of community service hours,” but found out that she really loves it.

“I hope to stick with it,” she said, adding that she enjoys the camaraderie.

She said she started to play the baritone sax in sixth grade after Howe, her music teacher at the time, had students try alto, tenor and baritone saxes “and I was the only one who was able to make sound out of it.” Although she had to play the instrument on a stand and had trouble reaching the bottom keys, Stella said she has learned to love her instrument.

Although she is the daughter of professional musicians, Stella said she felt no pressure to play an instrument and doesn’t engage in too many impromptu performances with her parents: “Just for happy birthday videos,” she said.

Bruce Beyer, the band’s president, said he welcomed the young musicians. “They bring enthusiasm and a fresh approach,” he said. “It’s a joy to be able to attract the younger musicians and a younger audience because that’s how this band will survive.”

“It’s really a good opportunity for kids. They get lots of playing experience,” added Howe. “Most high school students have five to nine years of playing experience. In most cases, they will be sitting next to an adult who has 20 to 30 years of experience. They will learn by osmosis.”

Not only that, but the band, which rehearses in the spring and for an hour before its weekly concerts, has a repertoire of about 100 songs and is constantly taking on new material, keeping young musicians on their toes.

“There’s very little faking,” Howe said of the young performers. “Most everyone there is playing their part the best they can, and it’s just wonderful.”