It has been another active and successful year for our band. Since our last Annual Meeting in October of 2010, we have rehearsed forty-one times, performed eleven times, and had one recording session. Our “formal concerts” have been arranged in four series, in which the same program has been performed in Enumclaw and either Buckley or Sumner. The first series was presented on December 5th (Buckley) and 6th (Enumclaw). The second series was presented on March 27th (Buckley) and 28th (Enumclaw). The third series was presented on June 20th (Enumclaw) and 27th (Sumner). The fourth series was presented on August 15th (Enumclaw). Unfortunately, inclement weather forced us to cancel a concert in Sumner on August 23rd and we rehearsed instead. We participated in parades in Enumclaw on December 4th and July 4th. And we performed at the Tahoma National Cemetery on Veterans' Day (November 11th) and at the Enumclaw Veterans' Memorial on May 28th. The recording session was held at the Enumclaw High School Auditorium on September 19th.

Our concerts have continued to include solos and other features. In December, Stephanie Magnusson played a flute solo with the band and Jack Datin (flugelhorn) and Doug Weeks (euphonium) played a duet piece with the band. Todd Frazier played a horn solo with the band in March. For our June concerts, Tim Fleming played a baritone saxophone solo with the band at the Enumclaw concert and Rick Pabst played the same solo on trombone at the Sumner concert, and Erin McBride played a cornet solo with the band in our August concert. Assistant conductors Stephanie Magnusson, Tim Fleming and Todd Frazier conducted the band in several pieces over the past year, with great success.

Since last fall, we have been offering individuals both within the band and from our audience the opportunity to donate the cost of a set of music for the band, for which they are acknowledged each time the music is performed. Through a rather circuitous chain of events, this initiative led me to change the theme of our August concert from “The Winds of Summer” to “The Dog Days of Summer” and we invited a Canine Musical Freestyle team from the Family Dog Training Center in Kent to perform to four of the pieces from our August concert. The unusual combination of band and dancing dogs attracted a lot of attention and led to one of our largest audiences for a summer concert.
We have continued to have our indoor concerts and our Summer Favorites professionally recorded and “archival” copies (not for sale to the public because of copyright restrictions) have been available for purchase by members of the band. This fall, changes in interpretations of the Fair Use rules for copyright laws have made it necessary to obtain mechanical licensing rights for all of our CDs, making future recordings available for sale to the public and also opening the possibility of digital downloads of individual tracks and entire performances via the internet in the future. We also continue to have compilations of our Holiday Favorites and Summer Favorites for sale at our concerts and from our website.

During the past year we enjoyed “snack and visit” gatherings at rehearsals on November 29th, March 21st and June 13th. I look forward to more such gatherings with my “band buddies” next year.

Since last October, we have added eight new members and had five players leave us. In terms of instrumentation, we added players of the following instruments: one flute, one oboe, two clarinets, one tenor saxophone, one trumpet, one French horn, and one baritone. The players we have lost played the following instruments: one clarinet, one cornet, two trombones and one baritone. Two players have joined and then dropped from the band during year (one alto saxophone and one tenor saxophone). Seven people on the roster have not been at rehearsals for several months, but I'm reluctant to remove them until I am told they are not intending to return.

In terms of instrument needs, we still really need a bassoon player, but could use additional players in just about every section except perhaps french horn and saxophone (don't get the wrong idea: we value every horn and sax player we have).

I'm very grateful for the help some people have provided with some of the logistical details of concerts (publicity, moving equipment, set-up and takedown of the stage, program distribution, and donation collection). I also want to thank Jack and Kathy Datin and Dru Dubuque for the procurement, presentation, and sale of concessions at our concerts, which has helped earn some revenue for the band.

Our webpage is a great resource for the band, providing concert dates, directions to rehearsal and concert sites, photos, and other useful information. Thanks to Todd Frazier (french horn) for so ably maintaining it.

I also want to thank those who have served on our Governing Board, particularly Holly Gentes, Jeff Jennings, and Erin McBride, who are due to complete their service on the Governing Board on November 1st. Thanks also goes to our continuing Governing Board members: Jack Datin and Steve Britton.

We're very lucky to continue to have the use of a full-function Canon copy machine (“Janet”), donated to us by Enumclaw Stationary. We're also very fortunate to have the support of the Enumclaw School District, generously allowing us to use the band room at Enumclaw Middle School and their music stands and percussion equipment. Thanks also to Tim Fleming and the students of the White River High School Band, who move and set-up the chairs, stands, and percussion instruments for our concerts at their school; and to Lynda Alley, director of the Enumclaw High School Band, who allows us to use their stands and percussion equipment at EHS. I also want to acknowledge Calvary Presbyterian Church, which so generously allows us to use their folding chairs for most of our outdoor performances.

I have selected themes for the concerts for the upcoming year as follows:

December, 2011: “Good Tidings to All”
March, 2012: “Roam the World with Us!”
June, 2012: “Name Those Tunes XIV”
August, 2012: “Summer in the Country”

In closing, I'm very satisfied and encouraged by the continued vitality of our group, despite the difficult times which the country is currently experiencing. Last year, I expressed concerns about rehearsal attendance, finances, and diminishing membership. While those concerns will probably never completely wane, the problems do not seem as troubling this year (though rehearsal attendance continues to be a problem). My hope and expectation is that the band will continue thrive for many years to come. Thanks for another great year of very rewarding and pleasing music-making and for all your dedication, help, and friendship.