The rare opportunity to relax under the trees, munch on a picnic dinner, enjoy the fresh spring breezes and listen to flute-tooting nurses and clarinet-blowing barristers presented itself to Bakersfield concert band groupies this past Saturday.
The CSUB Community Concert Band, led by CSUB music Professor Gordon Mehling, performed to the delight of a large, receptive crowd at Silver Creek Park.
“It’s really great to be a part of something like this,” flautist Cheryl Barr said.
Barr works as a registered nurse for State Farm Insurance by day, but enjoys honing her musical skills by night under the supportive and challenging direction of Mehling.
“Music is my hobby, not my vocation,” she said. “This gets me out of the house one night a week, and it’s something fun that I really enjoy.”
The band consists of 64 musicians, including current and former CSUB students, local music teachers, other community members, and even a few precocious high school students. Band members meet once a week at CSUB for a three-hour practice session.
“A lot of work goes into each performance,” clarinet player Rebecca Blanca said. “We’ve been practicing for this particular concert for the past seven weeks.”
Blanca is a liberal studies senior at CSUB studying to be a grammar school teacher. She has performed with the band for the past four years.
“We perform throughout the year,” she said, “but we have one big concert each spring. This fall we did a concert for the homeless veterans. That was really nice.
“We perform at places like The Marketplace, local parks or on campus. It’s a good way for people to keep up with their music while getting to play with an excellent group of musicians and a really good director.”
Mehling, wearing a Stars and Stripes covered shirt, led the band in an evening of patriotic songs, marches and spirituals.
“For an outdoor concert, we do several light things that will appeal to both the younger and older members of the audience,” Mehling said. “Plus we try to do at least one classical piece and a couple of new pieces. This time we did two songs that were hot off the press. I like to include a little bit for everybody.”
“Gordon chooses songs he thinks the audience will like,” Marilyn Mehling said of her husband. “But he’s also interested in choosing something that will challenge the band members. He always finds at least one song that is going to be tough, that will stretch the abilities of the musicians.”
The concert did not go off hitch-free. Shortly after intermission, the wind kicked-up, sending unsecured sheet music aloft. Scantily clad park patrons had to hunker under the blankets they originally brought to sit on, and musician-slapping flags were moved.
A boisterous basketball game took place a few yards from the concert, and the usual Silver Creek crop of skate boarders scudded their way around the concert area, occasionally clacking in time to the music, but mostly interfering with the audience’s unobstructed enjoyment of the set.
“I thought we had reserved the entire area,” Mehling said. “It was unfortunate that we had to compete with the basketball game, but I found it most disturbing that they did not even stop for the ‘Star Spangled Banner.’ Some people don’t appreciate how lucky they are to live in this country.”
Members of the audience were undaunted, however. Colorado native Matt Bohn enjoyed the rousing songs while prone under a tree.
“This is excellent,” he said, momentarily sitting upright. “It makes for a relaxing evening.” Bohn had read about the concert on the Internet at bakersfield.com.
Cal State student Mary Gutierrez and companion Lindsay Thompson attended as part of a music appreciation class assignment.
“I didn’t really know what to expect,” Gutierrez said. “There are a lot more people here than I thought. The music is sort of ceremonial, but it’s nice. The band is really good.”
Even some glitches with the audio system did not deter the enthusiastic Mehling who seemed determined to provide the Bakersfield community with a stirring and polished performance.
“He really gets into the music,” Blanca said. “He works hard and he wants us to do a good job.”
“The greatest pleasure is getting to perform,” Mehling said. “It’s a lot of hard work until we get to the performance stage, and that’s the pay-off.”
Runner@csubak.edu