Members of the Dunedin Music Society (DMS) had a hankering to travel, to play music, and to enjoy camaraderie with fellow concert band performers from all over the nation and the world – so in true DMS style, a new ensemble was established! The Florida Symphonic Winds (FSW), initially conceived in 2020, met for three workshops and several rehearsals before embarking on a week-long tour, not only to sightsee in the beautiful regions of Austria and Bavaria, but most importantly to participate in music-making together with communities across the ocean. 

On July 16, the week before the group left for Europe, they performed their prepared program in a pre-tour concert locally in Clearwater, at the Holy Trinity Episcopal Church. 41 musicians and their conductor for this overseas adventure, Dr. Jeffrey Traster, gathered in the church to showcase the music they would be playing in Austria and Germany for an enthusiastic full-house audience.

Florida Symphonic Winds in rehearsal for a pre-tour concert

Mondsee, Austria

On July 22, as FSW percussionist Stephanie Lafleur noted, “Everyone arrived [in Europe] on time, and we loaded a beautiful motor coach headed for Mondsee. The ride from Munich was rather long since it was a Friday afternoon, and the locals were heading out for the weekend or summer holiday. The view from the bus, however, did not disappoint. The countryside was dotted with villages and lush fields. As we got closer to Mondsee, the mountain line got more dramatic out our large bus windows.  Finally, we arrived at Schloss Hotel in Mondsee, an adorable boutique hotel set in an idyllic Austrian village.”

The Florida Symphonic Winds 2022 European Tour skimmed the edge of the Austrian Alps

One of the ensemble’s first concerts was at Mirabell Gardens in Salzburg. The group set up their instruments and equipment in the shady outdoor venue as audience members passed by. The concert consisted of 12 pieces of American and European contemporary and classical music, wrote ensemble member John Herring. Todd Emmer remarked, “As we play, some audience members are obviously deeply affected and there are some shared tears among audience and band members.” 

The musicians were excited and pleased with their performance.  One of the emotional highlights of their sightseeing visit to Salzburg was a tour of Mozart’s birthplace!  The FSW also performed in the town square of Mondsee.

Florida Symphonic Winds performing an outdoor concert at the Marketplatz in Mondsee, Austria, near the church in the wedding scene from the movie “The Sound of Music”.

Vienna, Austria

On the fourth travel day the ensemble departed from Mondsee to Melk and Mank, still in Austria. Highlights in those towns included Melk Abbey founded in 1069 and the Schafer Brass Factory where horns are made from sheets of metal. Finally the FSW made it to beautiful Vienna. According to trumpet player John Herring, “Off to an early start in Vienna, the FSW toured the Art History Museum.  This was followed by free time to explore other cultural activities such as the ongoing Film Festival.  The FSW prepared for another outdoor concert at 6PM in Vienna at the Maria Theresien Platz on the other side of the Art History Museum.”

Florida Symphonic Winds performing at the Maria Theresien Platz in Vienna, Austria

On July 28, the intrepid group hit the road toward Wurzburg, Germany. As Stephanie commented, “we stopped along the way for breaks and lunch. In the late afternoon, we arrived in Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany. This medieval town is located on the “Romantic Road” and is full of kitschy shops, sidewalk cafes, and great photo opportunities. We quickly set up our concert in the town square, adjacent to the church and in front of many spectators. Our music was well received and it was amazing to look out into the crowd with the small German village as the backdrop!” 

Overseas discovery

One of the audience members in the crowd at Rothenburg, Jan Senkyr, spotted the band and posted on social media: “We saw you guys! It was an amazing performance. We went all the way to Germany to stumble upon your performance and find that we have great talent from our own backyard in Dunedin.” Hopefully she and her family will be new audience members of all the Dunedin Music Society ensembles right here at home!

Dunedin resident Jan Senkyr traveling with her family came across the Florida Symphonic Winds in downtown Rothenburg, Germany!

Amid sightseeing days filled with museums, wonderful breakfasts, marketplaces, and medieval churches, the Florida Symphonic Winds concluded their tour by playing together with the Moderner Spielmanns- und Fanfarenzug Retzbach-Zellingen band, and enjoying community friends, a macaroon festival, and other summer traditions held in Retzbach. Finally, at the end of the concert tour, musicians had the opportunity either to come back to Florida or to extend their stay for a visit to Prague, Czech Republic. 

Tremendous thanks must go to Lee Lafleur, DMS Tour Coordinator, and Maury Schulte of Tour Resource Consultants, as well as our friend Sabine Binzberger in Retzbach, for putting together an inspired moment of memories treasured by so many. 

Keep moving

After 2½ years of isolation and uncertainty throughout the world, it is magnificent to see musicians teaming up with each other around the world and forming new bonds of friendship through the shared love of live music. With future workshops, weekend retreats and tours already being considered, who will the FSW connect with next, we wonder? 

Welcome home, Florida Symphonic Winds.

Florida Symphonic Winds and the Moderner Spielmanns- und Fanfarenzug Retzbach e. V. performed together at a festival in Retzbach, Germany.

Contributors: Todd Emmer, John Herring, Stephanie Lafleur, Jan Senkyr.

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

As the world shifts into a post-isolation era, the Dunedin Music Society is shifting its focus towards being CURIOUS, EAGER and RESPECTFUL.  These are the characteristics that will define the culture of the DMS in 2022 and beyond.

Why?

How?

What does that even mean?

Let’s explore it…

In early 2020, when it became clear that we all had to isolate ourselves from each other, the DMS took one week off to determine what to do and how we were going to respond to “flattening the curve” for two weeks… which soon turned into two months. And ended up being on the verge of two years.

At that time, when both the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee met, we adopted a focused approach:

Cautious, Caring, Optimistic.

This focus allowed us to convert many of our planned in-person events to online activities, such as the three Virtual Band Festivals. The last one included 17 bands from all over the USA, and 13,000 viewers from all over the world!

Then, in late 2020 when our new fundraising consultant helped us launch our COVID Catch-Up Challenge (remember that ketchup bottle image? Yeah – we miss it, too!), we altered our approach slightly to:

Recover, Rebuild, Reconnect.

That perspective influenced the operating boundaries when we decided what events to host, whether online or outdoors and, eventually in early 2021, indoors, too. The Pinellas Community Players continued live-streaming their concerts, and the Dunedin Concert Band rehearsed in Dunedin’s old Fire House alongside lawn mowers and tons of mulch… sometimes with the bay doors open (brrr…).

We still managed to host a total of 105 events in 2020, and 159 online and in-person public performance and educational events in 2021.

So what’s next?

Depending on which of the latest scientific findings you choose to follow – and, quite frankly, which media outlets, too – it appears as though COVID-19 is progressing through the normal stages of a virus life cycle and becoming a prevalent but less potent part of everyday life, much like influenza and other coronaviruses.

Yes, even when we have a common cold, we need to stay away from others, take precautions at home, and rest. However, as we learn to better incorporate potentially dangerous health concerns into our daily and possibly annual routines, it is clear that we no longer need to isolate quite as much as we have during these past two years.

Because of that, the DMS is returning to a mostly in-person schedule with a few online activities here and there.

The DMS has recovered from this isolation period, rebuilt itself, and is successfully reconnecting local communities with live music… and each other.

With that approach nearing its completion, what perspective do we take on now?

Be Curious

Curiosity is an attractive trait that has caused all manner of invention and discovery. Musicians who perform without knowing any of the social, historical, or musical context of the music they are performing are delivering a sub-standard service. They are selling the audience, the ensemble, and themselves short of a complete musical and emotional experience.

It’s good to be curious about who you’re performing alongside, too! A performer who played in one of our ensembles for several years has his name on a plaque currently beyond the boundaries of our solar system (yes, on one of the Voyager spacecrafts). Another has been performing and recording for the movie composer John Williams for three decades. Both of these incredible people have sat alongside other incredible people who are teaching high school biology, filling out tax forms for others, homeschool moms and dads, and corporate landscapers. Get to know the people around you – you’ll be amazed at the connections you make.

Be Eager

Wanting to learn, to grow, to know more, to do more, to contribute, to share, invite, encourage…

Helping society at large – and our local communities in particular – be better places to live; be better neighbors and workers; be better performers and listeners: Anyone willing to help others demonstrates a keenness that is admired, comforting, and beneficial to all.

But it starts with the individual who is willing to help get stuff done, help behind the scenes, help others with transportation, with cooking, with learning their part, supporting others conquer a more difficult part beyond their comfort zone, being willing to attend a concert with unfamiliar music… and sharing the experience with others.

Be Respectful

Our commercial consumerism has idolized the singer-songwriter, and “music” these days is more often than not associated with the lyrics that are added on top of the music. Music is its own language, the language of emotions. We don’t need lyrics while watching a movie and the music is driving and intense, or soft and romantic. The music creates the mood more than the action does. Music deserves much more respect than modern society gives it… music is more than songs.

In addition, it is good to respect each other as well – those who may have advanced musical experiences as well as those who are brand new at creating and sharing music. Those who listen to music deserve as much respect as those who perform it. Many musicians focus on what they have to offer, and don’t seem to mention that they are sharing something with an audience – what’s it like from their perspective? What are they experiencing?

So that’s the DMS approach beginning in 2022:

Curious, Eager, Respectful.

How do you choose to engage in these three concepts?