ARTICLE SOURCE: Kelowna Daily Courier
The Kelowna City Concert Band is hitting the high notes this spring.
Not only will one of Kelowna’s longest- standing community organizations present an outstanding Spring Concert on Saturday, but its artistic director/conductor Robert Payne is a finalist in the City of Kelowna’s Civic and Community Awards program.
North American Soundscapes will be a musical journey across the continent featuring beloved selections such as Shenandoah, Red River Valley and Prairie Songs. The concert will be presented at 7:30 p.m. at First Lutheran Church, 4091 Lakeshore Road.
Tickets are $25 for adults, $20 for seniors, $12 for students, and children 12 and under are admitted without charge. Tickets are available by phone at: 1-250-469-8940, online at: theboxoffice.ca/upcoming-events/kccb-north-american-soundscapes and at the door.
“The majority of our performances throughout the year are free of charge,” explains Bev Thomas, the band’s publicist and second euphonium player.
“Our Spring Concert is our one ticketed event annually. The proceeds help sustain our band and its programming for the entire Kelowna community. Robert’s recent nomination for the Honours in the Arts Award (winners announced May 4) is so well deserved for building, supporting and promoting the band.”
Asked about his motivation, Payne replied: “I believe that collective music-making is one of my main purposes in life. When the Kelowna City Concert Band collaboratively works and seeks to realize the composers’ intentions, it is a triumph of artistry and humanity.”
Another driving force is “to raise the profile of this fine ensemble and help enrich the musical thread in the fabric of our city’s developing culture. This ensemble — musicians from every walk of life and every demographic — brings together students who are still in high school to retirees who are beyond 90 years of age! What better way to build community?”
Serious musicians rarely talk about the magical moments and their emotions when the collective whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
“I have identified times in rehearsal when the ensemble has delivered the ‘shiver moments’ that the composer has offered. They are unique, special and singularly experiential. They are indescribable! We just bask in the majesty of the music that we make with pride and elation! When those moments happen, I believe everyone present feels them.”
There is no limit to the potential of this ensemble, he added. “There is a collective energy that is propelling us toward greater musical heights and deeper artistic expression. We are exploring those heights and depths every week as we craft our sound, develop our technique and polish our collective artistry.”
This concert band is also remarkable in the range of its repertoire as presented in its series of free concerts.
The City of Kelowna’s Remembrance Day performances — one-hour before and 45 minutes after the official ceremony — is wartime favourites and lighter fare from the swing era and beyond.
The Christmas concert with holiday favourites supports the Central Okanagan Food Bank; more than $4,000 was collected last December. In June, free outdoor concerts will be at Guisachan Heritage Gardens on June 10 and Ben Lee Park on June 17, both at 7 p.m.
On Wednesday, July 1 — Canada Day — an outdoor concert at the Rotary Centre for the Arts Common at 10 a.m. will feature patriotic music, regimental marches and surprise popular arrangements. On July 8, a performance at Waterfront Stage will kick-off Parks Alive.
Also remarkable is the range of musical experience which brought band members together.
Payne graduated from the Brandon University School of Music with a major in piano and double minor in trumpet and percussion.
As a music educator for 31 years in Winnipeg, he taught concert band, wind ensemble, jazz band, chamber ensemble, percussion and piano.
He has performed as guest conductor for the Manitoba Provincial Junior Honour Band, Manitoba Central Region Senior Honour Band, and numerous other divisional/regional honour bands; was a clinician/adjudicator at many music festivals in Manitoba as well as the Windscapes Band festival in the Okanagan.
He was president of the Manitoba Band Association for six years, was honoured with the prestigious Award of Distinction for his outstanding contribution to music education, and was chairman of the National Youth Band of Canada for its 2019 tour.
After moving to Kelowna in 2017, he performed with the Kelowna City Concert Band, volunteered with the Central Okanagan Jazz Festival and Okanagan Symphony Youth Orchestra, and performed with the Okanagan Symphony Orchestra. He served as substitute conductor for the concert band in 2018-19 seasons and in early 2020 was appointed artistic director and conductor.
Thomas had a much different musical history.
“I grew up in a very musical family; music was always part of our lives. My grandfather played in the Salvation Army Staff Band and my parents encouraged several of us to learn instruments as kids. Before high school, my parents sent my brothers, sisters and me to a music camp, where I first learned to play an instrument. I went on to play in the Junior Band in the Salvation Army, which was really where my formal musical journey began.
“After that experience, I took music in high school and graduated with honours in music. Then, life took over and I didn’t play for more than 50 years. After retiring to Kelowna, I discovered the Kelowna City Concert Band and it felt like the perfect fit.
“I picked up a euphonium, took lessons and worked my way back into playing. Joining the band has been such a joy; it truly feels like a blessing to be making music again.
“I also volunteer as the band’s publicist, drawing on my background in marketing from my years in Edmonton. It’s been incredibly rewarding to support a group that I care so much about.”