Eau Claire Municipal Band

The Eau Claire Municipal Band of Eau Claire, Wisconsin, presents free, family-oriented programming throughout the summer at the Sarge Boyd Bandshell in Owen Park. In addition to its regular Thursday evening schedule, the band provides music for the Fourth of July Family Fair at the Chippewa Valley Museum in Carson Park.
While the Municipal Band specializes in patriotic music and marches, its library also includes show tunes, TV/movie themes, light classical, contemporary, and novelty pieces. A typical concert begins with a flag-raising ceremony while a prominent local singer or group of singers leads the audience in the national anthem. Concerts are emceed by someone who delivers a short descriptive narration about each selection. In addition, features such as dancers, a variety of vocalists, a sing-a-long, a classic car show, an art or craft exhibit, a clown, or a juggling act might be incorporated into the program.
The final concert of the season is a tribute to Hezzy Kappus, who played tuba with the Municipal Band for over six decades. It is completely funded by his daughters: Sally Kappus, Susan Kappus Zila, and DellAnn Kappus Sathe.
A semi-professional group with many of its members possessing, contemplating, or pursuing degrees in music, the Municipal Band is open to anyone, regardless of age, who can demonstrate ability to play the repertoire. Although most of the musicians live within a 50-mile radius of Eau Claire, it is not uncommon for former members currently residing elsewhere to return and participate in one or more concerts.
History
The Eau Claire Municipal Band, the city's oldest community musical organization, was founded in 1902 sometimes travelling as far as Madison, Wisconsin to perform. Originally called Bock’s Boys Band, it became the Eau Claire Boys Band in 1904 after Bock and Wentworth parted ways. When the boys reached adulthood, the group renamed itself Wisconsin State Band-Eau Claire. In the late 1910s and early 1920s it became known as the Liberty Band and in 1927 received its present appellation.
In 1931, as the result of a referendum, an ordinance was adopted that required the City to financially support it to the tune of $6,500 per year. In 1974 that ordinance was repealed by the City Council, but the City continued its role as primary benefactor. In 2008, due to drastic budget cuts by the City, the band was forced to seek economic assistance from a variety of sources and, in order to do so, became a 501(c)(3) organization. Since 2010, the City’s annual contribution has amounted to only $2,900 and the band has been charged a fee for use of the park and the bandshell.
Leadership
In the current organizational structure, there is one conductor who answers to a board of directors elected by the members of the band.
Officers are: President, Vice-president, Secretary, Treasurer, Librarian, and Past President.
Conductors
Paul Liebau, a piano tuner and composer who grew up playing in Bock's Boys Band, was the leader when it was called the Wisconsin State Band-Eau Claire. Nearly all of his marches have been performed by the Crosley Military Band over radio station WLW in Cincinnati. He was married to a .
William C. Keller was a music store owner and violin teacher who later became the orchestra director at the University of Wisconsin-Superior as well as the associate conductor for the Duluth Symphony Orchestra.
During Sarge Boyd's 46-year tenure the band's concert series in Owen Park became a major summertime attraction, sometimes drawing crowds of 4,000.
* 1902-19?? Francis "Frank" W. Wentworth
* 19??-1916 Paul Liebau
* 1916-1918 ?
* 1918-1919 William E. Steinberg
* 1919-192? Theodore A. Steinmetz
* 192?-1930 ?
* 1931-1933 Louis Frank Altman
* 1934-1934 William C. Keller, Sr
* 1934-1980 Donald I. "Sarge" Boyd
* 1981-1985 John Anderson
* 1986-2007 Craig Lehmeier
* 2008-present Brad Stoughton
Guest conductors
* Harold "Hal" Edstrom (Co-Founder of Hal Leonard Publishing, the largest music publisher in the world)
* David L. Boyd (High School Music Director, Naperville, IL)
* Jeff Krauklis (Composer and Conductor of the LaCrosse Concert Band, LaCrosse, WI)
* Earl Heartt (Music Department Chair for the LaCrosse Public School District, LaCrosse, WI)
* Jim Gallagher (Arranger and Band Director at Arcadia Middle School, Arcadia, WI)
* Greg Harpke (Band Director at Fall Creek High School, Fall Creek, WI)
* Pamela Lehmeier (Band Director at Independence High School, Independence, WI)
* Donald George (Professor of Music at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire)
* Paul Kosower (Professor of Music at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire)
* Bill Simon (Arranger and Band Director at South Middle School, Eau Claire, WI)
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