Dr. Martin H. Seggelke has been appointed Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Dunedin Music Society and Dunedin Concert Band.

The Dunedin Music Society is very pleased and excited to announce that German-born conductor Dr. Martin H. Seggelke will be officially on board as of August 1st. As the new Maestro, he will be working with the DCB performers as rehearsals begin for the Fall Concert. Martin will also fill the role of Artistic Director, responsible for developing the artistic and cultural vision and activities of the Organization.

Ensembles under Dr. Seggelke’s leadership have enjoyed high critical acclaim for their emotional interpretations and innovative concert programming. With the San Francisco Wind Symphony, he has recorded at Skywalker Ranch, at the 2015 WASBE Conference in San Jose’s California Theatre, and for the Mark Records label. With the ISU Wind Symphony he has recorded on the Naxos and Clavier labels, winning the American Prize in 2015.

Professor Seggelke is a sought-after guest conductor, clinician, guest speaker and adjudicator. He has presented at national and international conferences, has authored book chapters and articles in various music magazines and has received numerous honors, awards and prizes. An advocate of contemporary music, he has commissioned and premiered a large number of new compositions. Maestro Seggelke holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Conducting from the Eastman School of Music, and further degrees from universities in the U.S., Canada, and Germany.

We are excited for the future of the Dunedin Music Society under Dr. Seggelke’s leadership and look forward to sharing this new chapter with our community. Please join us in welcoming Dr. Seggelke, and be sure to register for his debut performance with the Dunedin Concert Band in October: https://mydms.me/event-4782369

When the Dunedin Concert Band started receiving many more performer inquiries than it had seats available, something had to be done. So the DMS launched the Pinellas Community Players with Derek Currier, an expert in helping new, beginner and returning instrumentalists play again.

And what an absolute delight it has been seeing this group change over the years; at one point, there was even a reluctant retiree, Stephen, who had not played his violin in 55 years! And Karen brought her own joy of being able to pick up the saxophone again after years of silence, having been told once by a music teacher that she “shouldn’t play”. With the DMS, and her family encouraging her to play, Karen looks forward to weekly rehearsals and regular performances.

Now under the leadership of Austin Shook and his support team (Performer Relations – Patricia; Library – Marianne), the ensemble continues to grow and tackle more intermediate repertoire with a more balanced ensemble. Advanced and even Expert performers from the DCB also play in this group, because they love helping and encouraging others like Stephen and Karen.

However, Nicole’s experience was a little different – as a new adult cello player, she felt out of place in an ensemble of mostly wind and brass players. Strings have special needs not often addressed in a band environment. So when we launched the “DMS Winter Strings” this past holiday season, both Stephen and Nicole were thrilled!

That meant that the PCP could now focus on its primary participants – wind, brass and percussion players of beginner, proficient, advanced and returning levels.

So we changed the name of the group to reflect its true identity!

Now, the Pinellas Community Players is known as the Pinellas Community Band, and is already booking guest appearances around Pinellas County at traditional and familiar venues, as well as residential developments and parks.

If you play, or once played, a wind, brass or percussion instrument, consider registering for the PCB’s upcoming concert series. Register here.

Dillon and Donna perform live music at Altar’d State, Tampa

In January, a local clothing retail store manager asked if music helped people’s mental health. Yes, we replied, and then we were told that every Monday that store donates 10% of their revenue to a local charity based on a theme set by the store’s corporate head office. For Quarter 1, 2022, that theme was “healing through music and the Arts.”

We were in!

A partnership was created to encourage shoppers to buy products in person on Mondays throughout the giving period, which included the DMS sending performers into the store for a “Mondays @ 2” recital series.

Yes, the DMS gave concerts in a store at International Plaza in Tampa for 14 weeks 🙂

The end result is that the store, Altar’d State, donated over $7,800 to the DMS!

Karen Schmidt, violin, performing at Altar’d State, Tampa

Turns out this was the second largest donation this particular store has ever given a charity (in over five years).

We want to give special thanks to Angelika Robison, Assistant Manager of Guest Engagement, and Dillon Acey, who made this partnership possible but who had returned to Boston before the check presentation ceremony.

It’s such a cool store, too, with bohemian-style clothing and accessories. Here’s hoping we can partner with Altar’d State again in the future…

Store Manager Amanda Wallace, DMS General Director Stephen P Brown, Cellist Rose Mallare, Store Assistant Manager Lauren Vegley