Last weekend I drove up to Rock Island, Illinois for for the Sesquicentennial anniversary... 150 years... of the Augustana College Band.
120+ alumni, from as far back as the class of '64, had one rehearsal in the afternoon and performed that evening. We played Holst's First Suite in Eb and that County Tune from Grainger Derry.
Trombones as far as the eye can see:
Assembled forces:
Me, appearing confused as the conductor calls out rehearsal letters while my part has only rehearsal numbers:
The Augustana Band was founded in 1874 as a student group. Although it grew in size and was a consistent part of college events it did not have an actual faculty conductor until 1960.
Previous college administrations had not wanted to to detract from the widely acclaimed Augustana Choir, which was regarded as actual angels descended from heaven.
Augustana itself has the classic American college campus with tree-lined paths and stately old buildings. The only thing missing is college boys in racoon coats waving pennants.
Augustana College was founded in 1860 as a seminary for the Augustana Lutheran Synod, teaching Latin, Greek, and the Bible. Over the next few decades it evolved to offer a more "classical" curriculum... teaching Latin, Greek, and the Bible.
My grandfather Johannes, the Lutheran minister, when being a Lutheran minister was very stern stuff, graduated from Augustana 100 years before me in 1882, as did his five children and nearly all his grandchildren. I am the end of the line however. There will be no more Holméns flocking to pay the current tuition of $51,000 per year.
The boy in the cap is my father circa 1928...
Seen during a tour of the recently re-furbbed music facilities:
Augustana will need to revise these plaques with four-digit years... we're about to lap the class years of some of the honorees. My aunt Ruth taught voice there until 1980...
Although Augustana calls this "Fryxell Museum", it turns out my uncle Fritiof Fryxell is not actually on display inside, just a bunch of old dinosaur bones... and rocks!
Ever since this event was scheduled three years ago I have endeavored to keep my trombone playing going... one... more...day... but ultimately, it didn't matter: with eight tubas, four euphoniums and 14 trombones I could only approximately hear myself.
All in all, I'm glad I went. I got to catch up with many classmates I had not seen since the 80s and retell the various dramas of that time. HE was sleeping with HER? I had no idea!
It was extra special because Augustana charged us each $120 to take part, plus $35 for the reception afterward. I presume they were trying to dissuade any actual musicians from showing up.
A brief excerpt from the performance:
But this is the last hurrah, it is unlikely I will be in an ensemble again after this.
Last Hurrah
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robcat2075
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Last Hurrah
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