By SHEILA DONNELLY Austin Daily Herald.

Wednesday, February 21, 2001

By SHEILA DONNELLY

Austin Daily Herald

The largest community band ever assembled in Austin’s history will be playing at the SPAMTOWN USA Festival on July Fourth for a concert at Horace Austin Park.

The community band also will be playing at the bandshell for an hour and 20 minutes at the grand finale of the festival. The Fourth of July is on a Wednesday this year so the SPAMTOWN USA Festival will be five days packed with activity, according to organizers.

"The grand finale of the SPAMTOWN USA Festival will be the Austin Community Band performing ‘Stars and Stripes.’" festival executive director Cindy Samuel said. "This will coincide with fireworks lighting up the July sky. The Austin Community Band has a long tradition here in Austin. These are people from the community who volunteer their time to play in the band. They work and live in the Austin area and they are friends with one another."

Ben Bednar has been a member of the Austin Community Band since 1953. He joined the band after he returned home from the Korean War in 1952.

"The band director then was Vit (Victorio) Sperati," Bednar said. "My dad played the sax with the band. I play the clarinet. My uncles played the clarinet and horns. Back then, we rehearsed at Shaw Gym. The band played marches, overtures and more classical music. Now we play more contemporary music. Shaw Gym doesn’t exist anymore."

Brian Koser is the band director. This is the first time the SPAMTOWN USA Festival committee has asked the Austin Community Band for a concert in the park. The Austin Symphony formerly performed the concert in the park. The band starts preparing for their summer concerts in April.

"We anticipate having several vocal soloists as well as instrumental soloists," Koser said. "The crowd loves the George M. Cohen pieces of patriotic music. We will be performing several medleys from musicals that will be familiar – music from ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ as well as Wagner overtures and a salute to the armed services."

Koser anticipates the community band will be made up of 60 musicians from high school students to retired adults. He always has wondered how many musicians could fit inside the bandshell walls. It seems he is going to find out.