All-City Band Concert marks 50 years of school music in Batavia

In 1967, the Batavia music department made a bold move, attempting to showcase all of the band musicians at one concert.

Students in grades five through 12 performed in their individual bands, with a combined number at the end.

Jim Liedberg, a sixth-grader at the time, participated in the inaugural event.

"I can remember being excited to take part in the concert," he said. "It was really interesting to hear the difference of the sound from each level of band. I was proud to be sharing the "stage" with band members, I had only previously watched perform."

Fifty years later, the All City Band Concert is still an annual tradition. This year more than 700 band students from all eight public schools will come together in the Batavia High School gym to celebrate a part of Batavia's musical history. At the special 50th anniversary concert, students will be playing music through the decades, including the Beach Boys and the Beatles.

The concert, which is free and open to the public, takes place at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 4.

I always looked forward to this concert when my son was in band, especially the combined number at the end. One year the combined number was "Seventy-Six Trombones" from "The Music Man." It was so exciting to see the "bones" players come into the gym with their slides held high in the air playing the familiar piece.

I wasn't the only one who enjoyed the All-City Band Concert.

"My wife Shara and I had the pleasure of attending the Batavia All-City Band Festivals as parents," said Patrick Frederick, Geneva High School band director. "We were always struck by the tremendous sense of tradition and support that Batavia and its school district has for the band department and for the arts in general. It was also apparent that the band directors - as well as the entire Batavia music faculty - were passionate educators and advocates for their students. This event was definitely one of the highlights of the year for us as parents, and also a great opportunity for the younger band members to see and hear what they had to look forward to in their coming years in the Batavia band program."

Both of the Frederick kids have gone on to make their mark as performance majors at the University of Illinois. Connor Frederick plays the trombone and recently won the National Jazz Trombone Soloist Division 1 Competition in Washington D.C., sponsored by the U.S. Army Band and the American Trombone Workshop. He competed in a live "playoff" with two other finalists. Connor had the opportunity to be a featured soloist in concert with the U.S. Army "Blues" last March and play with professional trombonist Fred Wesley, who played with James Brown.

"I remember the All-City festival as being a great place for the student musicians of Batavia to come together and make music together across the spectrum of ages in the music department, and especially as being a great learning experience for younger musicians," said Connor. "When I was in fifth grade at All-City, I remember hearing the Wind Symphony for the first time and being really amazed at the musicality of the group. It really inspired me knowing what I could achieve in music if I worked hard and practiced. So eventually, when I worked my way into Wind Symphony in high school, it became very important to me to provide the same experience for younger students."

Connor Frederick is also one of three finalists in the International Trombone Association's Carl Fontana Jazz Solo Competition.

Connor's sister Molly is also an award-winning musician. A French horn player, she was one of 21 college age musicians chosen from band members throughout the United States to participate in the Disney all-American Band, which will perform at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, this summer. Not only do the band members get the opportunity to perform in the park, and work with professional musicians, they also spend the mornings completing a major educational project that reflects study in Composition and Arranging; Careers in Music; Recording and Production. Molly also has fond memories of the All-City Band concert.

"It was an honor to be able to play for the younger students only just starting out," she said, "and to be able to inspire them as I was once inspired."

Batavia has many musicians who have gone on to be music teachers, performers, and composers. The students who take the floor on April 4 should take pride in being part of an amazing Batavia tradition.