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For the Honeoye Falls Community Concert Band, community
is at the center of its name. Community, also, is at the center of its soul.
Within its own community and those it travels to, it brings music and spirit
to celebrate the seasons, the holidays and the good times. Within the
community of its own band members, it brings uncommon camaraderie,
friendship and love for the work of making music.
The ensemble carries forward a rich musical heritage of
bands that preceded it in the historic, mill creek village of Honeoye Falls
– military, brass and concert bands of the eighteen and nineteen hundreds.
And a historical milestone, the Honeoye Falls sesquicentennial celebration,
largely inspired the band’s formation in 1988.
The emergence, growth and enduring vibrancy of the
HFCCB are all owing to a core group of founding members, many of whom are
with the ensemble today. Foremost among them is Director, Lindsey Borden,
the band’s spiritual wellspring. Beyond her accomplished and respected
training in music and performance, she brings a brightness and joy to her
work that fires the spirit of all those she leads. Her constant challenge,
encouragement, artful music selection and interpretation, humor and zeal
have continuously drawn new members, inspired them and kept them coming
back. Lindsey’s heartfelt embracement of inclusion means that younger
musicians, as well as those returning to an instrument, may belong and have
the opportunity to grow, musically.
The band’s sixty active members are diverse in age and
occupation. They range from high school students to retirees. But, as one
member said, “We all share a common love for music and performing it for
others. It makes us like a big family.” Though a wide spectrum of musical
experience and ability is present, all share a willingness to work hard. The
quality of performance achieved, by this group of mostly non-professional
musicians, is astonishing. Yet, perfection isn’t what matters most, nor is
it even the goal. Rather, it is the process of discovering or rediscovering
music and working together to bring it creative life.
The musical repertoire of HFCCB includes the celebrated
traditional marches, musical show tunes, film soundtrack selections,
contemporary compositions and orchestral transcriptions. And, somewhere
during the course of nearly every concert, you can expect a humorous,
tongue-in-cheek musical interpretation or musical twist. Performing
throughout the year with eight to ten concerts on its calendar, the band
rehearses weekly, except for its August break.
The HFCCB receives and is grateful for the continuing, generous support of
the Village of Honeoye Falls, the Town of Mendon and M&T Bank. |
