History of the Wilmette Community Band 

45th Anniversary — 1981 to 2026 

By James Swinger, Band Historian

May 15, 2026
 

About Community Concert Bands and Wind Ensembles  

 

Community concert bands in the modern sense grew out of the civic and military band traditions of the late nineteenth century. During that period, town bands, factory bands, and military bands were common in North America and Europe. Their repertoire consisted primarily of marches, operatic arrangements, dances, and patriotic music.

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One of the most influential early figures was John Philip Sousa (1854–1932), whose touring band popularized the concert band format and produced marches that remain staples of community band programs today.

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These ensembles typically consisted of woodwinds, brass, and percussion, the instrumentation that still defines the modern concert band. Many bands were civic organizations supported by municipalities or local businesses.

 

The Chicago-area wind band tradition over the past 75 years has been shaped primarily by a network of conductors centered on Northwestern University, the University of Illinois, the University of Michigan and regional community ensembles. Among the most influential figures are John Paynter, Harry Begian, and William Revelli, along with numerous suburban ensemble directors who have sustained the region’s vibrant community band culture.

  

The following is an overview of these three influential figures.

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John Paynter (1928–1996) 

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Institution  

Northwestern University Bienen School of Music

 

Community ensemble  

Northshore Concert Band

 

Influence  

Paynter is arguably the single most influential figure in the Chicago wind band community.

 

Key contributions:  

• Founded the Northshore Concert Band in 1956. 

• Built Northwestern into a leading wind conducting program. 

• Raised artistic expectations for community bands through symphonic wind repertoire. 

• Arranged numerous orchestral works for winds. 

• Mentored many conductors who now lead Chicago-area ensembles.

 

Through his work, he demonstrated that a community band could perform at a near-professional artistic level. 

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Harry Begian (1921–2010)

  

Institution  

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign School of Music

 

Influence  

Begian’s influence on the Chicago region was profound.

 

Key Contributions  

• Trained many conductors who later led Chicago-area bands. 

• Promoted expressive interpretation of wind band repertoire. 

• Conducted frequently at Midwest Clinic events.

 

His students populate school and community ensembles throughout Illinois and the Midwest.

 

William Revelli (1902–1994) 

 

Institution

University of Michigan Marching Band and the University of Michigan concert bands from 1935 to 1972.

 

Influence  

Revelli’s influence extended throughout the Midwest and beyond.

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Key Contributions  

• Established rigorous rehearsal techniques and ensemble discipline.

• Encouraged composers to write serious works for band. 

• Helped transform the university wind band into a major concert ensemble.

 

Revelli’s students became hundreds of band directors across the United States, many of whom later founded or conducted community bands.

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Introduction to the History of the Wilmette Community Band

 

In the 45-year history of the Wilmette Community Band there have been nine directors/conductors. Concert band directors/conductors have a key role in selecting the music the band will play, preparing it for public performance with the band in rehearsals and shaping the overall musical character of the band. Their work is aided by band members who also serve as associate/assistant/substitute conductors and by guest conductors at specific concerts. This chronicle of the band’s history is divided into sections corresponding to the era covered by each of the directors/conductors.

  

When the Band became incorporated in 1987, a Board of Directors, consisting of band members elected by their peers, was established and has played a continuing role since then in managing the business affairs of the Band, including revenues and  expenses, fundraising, marketing/publicity, arrangements for concerts, rehearsal and personnel policies, among other items. The Board is led by a member originally titled  Chairman, later and currently titled President. There have been five Chairmen/Presidents in the 45-year history of the Band.

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David Nelson Era (1981-1986)

 

The Wilmette Community Band was formed in June 1981 under the name Wilmette Symphonic Band by David Nelson, who was then Director of Instrumental Music at Wilmette Junior High School, and who was the first Conductor of the band.

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The Band’s first public concert was on Tuesday, July 28, 1981, at the Wallace Bowl in lakefront Gillson Park, Wilmette, Illinois. A copy of the program for this concert can be seen here​. The forty-five members of the Band were volunteers of varying ages and skill levels from Wilmette and other surrounding Chicago suburbs and Chicago itself. Among the members playing at that concert were Associate Conductor Lori MacRae (flute), who later succeeded David Nelson as Conductor; her husband Mark MacRae (trumpet); and Jeff Urban (trumpet), who later became Section Leader and then also served two terms as Chairman then the long time President.

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Lori MacRae Era (1986-1990) 

 

When David Nelson moved out of state in 1986, Lori MacRae became Director. Both Lori and her husband Mark had played in their undergraduate years in the University of Michigan Bands under the renowned William Revelli.

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The Associate Director was Dr. Joseph Car (trumpet).

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The Band had begun as a summer-only concert band, but in 1986 it transitioned to a year-round ensemble.

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In 1987, the band was incorporated as an Illinois 501(c)(3) not-for-profit community concert band, supported by member dues, performance honoraria and donations, under the name “Wilmette Community Band.” Consequently, the first Board of Directors was elected with Richard Quaintnance (tuba) as Chairman. In 1989, Jeff Urban (trumpet) succeeded Quaintnance as Chairman. Among Board members — and  subsequent long-time Band members — Alice Magos (oboe/flute) as Treasurer carefully tracked Band income and expenses, and James Carreira (trumpet) as Business Manager made key contributions in fundraising and arranging concert dates for the Band.

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Throughout the MacRae era the Band played concerts at the Wilmette Community Fair, the Wallace Bowl at lakefront Gillson Park in Wilmette, Ridgeville Park in Evanston, Lamb’s Farm, First Illinois Bank of Wilmette (predecessor to Chase Bank), Wilmette Sidewalk Sale, the Wilmette Santa Parade and Northbrook Court at Christmas.

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MacRae led efforts to expand the Band’s membership, especially of younger players, pointing out that there were no audition requirements — all skill levels were welcome —  and that rehearsals and performances were intended to be enjoyable fun experiences.

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In April 1988, in a notable first, the Band organized and played a benefit concert. A young boy who was a third grader in Wilmette at the time had had to have a heart transplant. The concert, which was arranged in cooperation with the Wilmette Junior High and Sixth Grade bands, successfully raised several thousand dollars (approximately $8800 in 2026 dollars) that was donated to the boy’s family to help them meet the medical expenses they had incurred. Later that year, the boy was reported doing well.

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In a notable engagement in March 1990, the Band joined with the Deerfield and Arlington Heights Community Concert Bands for: ”The Super Concert of 1990” with John Paynter as Guest Conductor and Bruce Briney as Trumpet Soloist in Robert Russell Bennett’s Rose Variations at Northwestern University’s Pick-Staiger Concert Hall in Evanston.

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John Christie Era (1990-1994)

 

When Lori and Mark MacRae moved out of state in 1990, John Christie, whose name was one of those given as prospective candidates by John Paynter to Personnel Manager James West, became the next Director.

  

He was previously Director of Bands at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island for 14 years and had directed the Palatine Community Band. He also served as Editor of The Instrumentalist, a national magazine for school instrumental directors. He had played in the University of Michigan Bands under William Revelli and played bass trombone with the Northshore Concert Band under John Paynter. He was then teaching at the University of Illinois Chicago and also wrote arrangements and transcriptions for band and wind ensembles.

  

Dr. Joseph Car (trumpet) continued as Assistant Director. Christie and Car together with a newly-revitalized Board of Directors strived in this era to expand the size and to improve the musical quality of the Band, to increase awareness of the Band, to  discover new concert opportunities, to solidify the Band’s business structure, and to raise funds for new music and equipment purchase. Leading Board contributors included continued long-time Band members Terry Fertig (flute) and Sally Nador  (French horn) as Publicity Managers, Donald “Bill” McCluskey (clarinet) as Treasurer, and James West (percussion) as Personnel Manager. In the Board elections held in October 1990, Jon Anderson (trombone) was elected Chairman. He served until October 1993 when Jeff Urban was again elected Chairman.

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In 1991, the Gross Point Band, which had a long history of its own — having been formed around 1890 in the western portion of what is now Wilmette that was then the independent Village of Gross Point — merged with the Wilmette Community Band. The merger came about through the joint efforts of Chairman Anderson and Kay Colmorgan, Chairman of the Gross Point Band, with the approval of the respective Boards of Directors.

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In December 1992, after a year-long administrative process, the IRS notified the Band that its application for Federal 501(c)(3) status had been approved.

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The Band appeared in concerts throughout the era at the Wilmette Women’s Club, the First Presbyterian Church of Wilmette, Northbrook Court, the Chicago Botanic Garden, Lamb’s Farm, the Wallace Bowl in Gilson Park (at which Car was the featured  conductor of Poet and Peasant Overture), Masonic Temple of Wilmette, and other venues. Prominent at some of these were John Christie’s arrangements of The Star Spangled Banner and 3 Christmas Carols.

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In July 1994, a select group of Band members playing on the back of a flat-bed truck made the Band’s first appearance in the renowned Evanston Fourth of July Parade. The Band has consistently been in the Parade every year since then to the present,  come rain or shine.

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After Dr. Joseph Car’s retirement in Summer 1994, Dick Schory (percussion) offered to  become Assistant Director. When Car left, he donated his personal music library to the Band. Many pieces the Band plays to the present are from that donation.

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In October 1994, Christie abruptly resigned at a Board Meeting upon being confronted by a fall off in support among a number of Board and Band members who objected to actions he was taking toward the goals to further improve the Band’s musical  standards, expand membership, and build bigger audiences in the coming 1995-1996 season.

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Dr. Christopher Bianco Era (1995-2001)

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In February 1995, the Board brought in Christopher Bianco as Conductor. He received a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from Northwestern University, taught at Libertyville High School, and conducted a trumpet studio. He also studied conducting with John Paynter,

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Later, he left the Chicago area in 2001 to complete his formal training at The University of Texas at Austin, where he served as a teaching assistant for the conducting program, UT Wind Ensemble, Chamber Winds and Longhorn Band. He received the Doctor of Musical Arts Degree in Wind Conducting in December of 2004.

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Jason Geistweidt Era (2001-2001)

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Jason Geistweidt holds a Bachelor of Music Education from Southwestern University. He later went on to advanced training in electroacoustic composition and musical  technology.

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In July 2001, Geistweidt directed the Band in a concert at the Wallace Bowl in lakefront Gillson Park in Wilmette.

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Joel Helfand Era (2001-2004)

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Joel Helfand succeeded Geistweidt as Conductor in Fall 2001. He graduated from the Chicago Musical College, is an alto saxophone soloist, and for many years led his own band in the Chicago area.

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In December 2001, the Band celebrated its 20th year with a Holiday Concert conducted by Helfand at Saint Joseph School Auditorium in Wilmette.

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Hilary Strauch Era (2004-2010)

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Hilary Strauch was Director of the North Chicago Community High School Band and plays French horn with the Northshore Concert Band. The Assistant Conductor was Renee Brown (flute).

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Strauch stepped down as conductor, but continued as a Band member (French horn) in 2011 and 2012.

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A concert that Strauch had arranged, a Joint Concert with the North Chicago Community High School Band in April 2011, gave the young North Chicago musicians an opportunity to play alongside mature counterparts who continued to enjoy music performance well beyond their school years.

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Mark Mosley Era (2010-2013)

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Mark Mosley became Conductor in 2010. He is a graduate of the University of Illinois. He studied conducting with Harry Begian at Illinois and also with John Paynter. He was formerly Director of Bands at Rich East High School in Park Forest. He plays oboe and saxophone, and served as President of the Northshore Concert Band. His wife Sarah Good Mosley (percussionist) also joined the Band.

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Among the first concerts Mosley conducted with the Band was the 2011 Spring Concert in April 2011 at Wilmette Junior High School Auditorium, the venue for all the Band’s free public concerts in this era. Featured works included Armenian Dances by Alfred Reed, which was dedicated to the memory of Dr. Harry Begian, and Chicago Medley arranged by John Tatgenhorst, a Band member (percussion) and nationally prominent composer and arranger.

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At the 2012 Spring Concert in April 2012, Band member Pat Milhalec was the English Horn soloist in Hector Berlioz’s Roman Carnival Overture and soprano Kacia Waldschmidt soloed in Adele’s Laughing Song (from Die Fledermaus) by Johann Strauss, Jr., and Simple Gifts (from Old American Songs) by Aaron Copland, both arranged by Mosley.

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One of the last concerts conducted by Mosley with the Band was the Ides of March Concert on March 15, 2013. The featured soloist was Thomas Madeja, a prominent  Chicago-based trumpet player and teacher, in Alexander Arutunian’s Trumpet Concerto in A Flat. The featured work was The Free Lance March (On to Victory) by John Philip Sousa, arranged by William Revelli.

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Mosley and his wife Sarah moved on to become co-founders and co-conductors of the Windy City Winds Chicago community band in September 2015.

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Dr. David Fodor Era (2014-Present)

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Dr. David Fodor took over as Conductor of the Band in 2014, after retiring from his 37 year teaching career. He taught 23 years (1990-2013) at Evanston Township High School. He holds a PhD. in Music Education from Northwestern University, where he studied with John Paynter, an MA in Percussion Performance from Western Illinois University, and a BS in Music Education from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he studied with Harry Begian. He leads and plays drums with the In Full Swing Jazz Orchestra and teaches percussion methods at Northwestern University.

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One of the first public concerts Fodor conducted with the Band was the then-annual summer outdoor Lighthouse Concert sponsored by the Lighthouse Park District of Evanston on the grounds of the Grosse Point Lighthouse. The concert featured trumpet soloist David Young in Satchmo!, a salute to Louis Armstrong arranged by Ted Ricketts.

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Establishing a new tradition, the Band under Fodor played the “Sounds of the Season” Annual Holiday Concert in December 2014 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Evanston, the venue for all the Band’s free public holiday concerts going forward. It featured the  Trinity Lutheran Choir singing seasonal favorites, which has become an annual tradition for the Band’s holiday concerts, and Band member Jackie Tilles (flute) as Guest Conductor of Nutmeggers March by Glen Osterling. Tilles frequently conducted the Band’s rehearsals when the regular Conductor and Assistant Conductors were unavailable.

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A highlight of the Band’s 35th Anniversary Concert in June 2016 was that the Band performed selections from its original concert program in 1981, including Rhythm of the Winds by Frank Erickson, Days of Glory by John Cacavas, Highlights from The King & I by Rogers/Hammerstein, arranged by C. Paul Harforth, and Colonel Bogey March by Kenneth A. Alford.

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The COVID-19 pandemic was a major challenge for the Band. Concerts were either canceled or held as virtual events from April 2020 to April 2022.

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An exception was the Holiday Concert at Park Center in Glenview in December 2021 that also celebrated the Band’s 40th Anniversary. In honor of the anniversary, the Band had commissioned a new composition, Lighthouse Celebration by Dennis Eveland, a veteran of more than three decades in music education, which the Band premiered at this concert. Also featured was Band member Flute soloist Angela Wong in Concertino for Flute by Cecile Chaminade arranged by Clayton Wilson.

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Post-pandemic, the Spring 2022 Concert was at Trinity Lutheran Church. A featured work was Ravinia Overture by Band member John Tatgenhorst, a musical tribute to the summer music venue. Also featured were Band member oboe soloists Cheryl Filipe and Anne Fleming in Gabriel’s Oboe by Enrico Morricone arranged by Robert Longfield, and guest percussion soloist Debbie Katz Knowles on Drum Set in Concerto for Drum Set by Larry Neeck.

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In 2023, Jeff Urban retired as President of the Board and became President Emeritus. The new President was Robert Taylor (clarinet).

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In recent years the Band has become a proud member of the Association of Concert Bands, the international voice of community bands. The Band also applied for and received a grant from the Illinois Arts Council.

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In 2025, Robert Taylor retired as President and became President Emeritus. He was succeeded by Paul Isaacson (tenor saxophone), who is the current President.

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The latest concert was the “Musical Mobility” Winter Concert in February 2026 at the Band’s new larger public venue, the Winnetka Community House. The concert featured Assistant Conductor Scott Mummert (clarinet) in Stagecoach by Patrick Roszell, the  Band’s Percussion Ensemble in Haut Metall Holz by Michael Huestis, Alto Saxophone Soloist Band member Gabe Reyes in Concertante for Alto Saxophone and Symphonic Band by Clare Grundman, and Assistant Conductor Jonathan Ibach (French horn) in A Ship in the Mist by Rosanno Galante. Among the other pieces in the concert, conducted by Dr. Fodor, the medley of tunes from Bond films, Bond…James Bond arranged by Stephen Bulla, was an audience hit.

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More recently, in May 2026, members of the Band appeared in the 3rd Annual Chamber Concert held at the Wilmette History Museum. Twelve chamber groups performed, including duets, a trio, quartets, quintets and sextets.

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A list of past performances/programs and a selection of photographs dating back to February 2014 are available on the Past Performances/Programs page of this site. Additional photos are featured across the site, including the Front Page and the Photo Gallery.

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Also, photographs of the Wilmette Community Band Band and of the Gross Point Band from the 1980s and 1990s can be found in the Photograph Collection on the Wilmette History Museum website (wilmettehistory.org) using the website’s search tool.

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Acknowledgements

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Many thanks to our sponsors and other donors for their support.