“The performance at the Johnson County Master Gardeners of Iowa “Taste of Plum Grove” (on July 9 was) the 350th performance (!) of the Old Post Office Brass,” Ken Slonneger (trombone) reminded us at a recent rehearsal.
Wow, that is a big number of performances. It grabbed my attention. I have played tuba in a good share of them over the past 15 years. I had no idea that there had been so many.
The Old Post Office Brass (OPOB) emerged in 1997 from the desire of three members from the brass section of the inaugural Iowa City New Horizons Band to play music written for brass ensembles. Nancy Wombacher, (trumpet), Glo Berry (French Horn) and Wally Johnson (tuba) started as a trio and eventually settled on being a quintet. The group took the name, “Old Post Office Brass” to reflect the home base in the Senior Center, formerly the Iowa City Post Office, where the New Horizons Band rehearses. Over the years, OPOB has developed an extensive repertoire that includes jazz tunes, Dixieland, spirituals, and show tunes.
The New Horizons Band in Iowa City was founded in 1995 by Professor Don Coffman, then the head of Music Education, as a band for adults to learn or reacquaint themselves with wind and Instrumental music. A partnership emerged among the Iowa City/Johnson County Senior Center, the University of Iowa and West Music to not only form a band but to draw its leadership from the faculty and students at the University and to perform for the community several times a year. The Iowa City New Horizons Band subscribes to the national philosophy of the New Horizons International Music Association, founded by Roy Ernst in 1991. Ernst believed that “anyone can learn to play music at a level that will bring a sense of accomplishment and the ability to perform in a group.”
Retirees from many occupations soon gathered to make this NHB band. Some members had kept up their music skills learned in school and honed in college, while others reengaged after years of horns stored in closets. The members play with enthusiasm and soon learn that friendships and good times are part of the equation for success.
Enthusiasm and friendship are why, for almost 30 years, the Old Post Office Brass has enjoyed making music together and entertaining others while doing so. The membership has been somewhat stable with 18 different musicians playing in the group regularly. Remarkably, there have been only two horn and tuba players and only three different trombone players. Why so many different trumpet players? We can only speculate and have fun doing it. What we do know is that a good part of each rehearsal is filled with laughter. We are eager to get together to make music and equally as eager to share it with the public.
OPOB is a self-led group. In each of its major expressions (there have been occasional breaks when a member dies and the remaining members recruit another player), one member emerges as the music leader, who finds new music and suggests a rehearsal and concert order. Early in its evolution, the “easy quintet books” published by the Canadian Brass were a popular source of music. Currently, Ken Slonneger (trombone) seeks out new arrangements such as those by Zack Smith (trumpet) with the Beltway Brass Quintet. The level of complexity matches well with our level of talent and interest: not too hard, still challenging and entertaining. Nearly every public concert we give now has a Zack Smith arrangement, including our closer: Just a Closer Walk with Thee in a Dixieland arrangement.
The members of the Old Post Office Brass enjoy rehearsing and performing standards from the American songbook and having audiences enjoy the music. The group performs for a variety of audiences in different venues. OPOB plays for college-sponsored events at the University of Iowa, care centers in the region, memorial services, community celebrations and service organizations. In 2003, OPOB performed at the AARP National Convention in Chicago.
OPOB accepts donations to the New Horizons Band without charging a fee. Playing for community groups like the Master Gardeners or a care center is our bread and butter. The audience’s expression of joy in the music is our reward.
The founding horn player, Glo Berry, started jotting down when OPOB performed in the community. Others have picked up the record book and that is why we know OPOB is closing in on 350 performances.
It is such a great honor to share with another community tradition, the Johnson County Master Gardeners of Iowa. “Taste of Plum Grove” was launched in 1995 and was held on Wednesday, July 9 this year. The attendees sampled garden foods while the OPOB played a mix of popular songs reflecting the out-of-doors concerts throughout American history. For us, it was a perfect mix of community enthusiasm and good times.
Steve Schomberg loves playing tuba in community bands and the Old Post Office Brass. He graduated from the University of Iowa in 1966. After graduate work and a career at the University of Minnesota and University of Illinois, he retired to Iowa City to be close to his family’s farm and for the music opportunities provided in the community.
This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: Enthusiasm and friendship forge a long musical history | Column
Reporting by Steve Schomberg / Iowa City Press-Citizen
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