What a summer for the
Delta Music Makers! It began
with a glorious evening concert at Government House in Victoria performed
by the whole 50-piece band, and finished with a 5-concert tour of Germany
and Austria by 28 musicians. This
is a historic time for the band; 2002 marks its 20th year of existence. The band began as a group of adult beginners taking a
night-school course in January of 1983, and has grown in the subsequent 20
years to become an active, proficient, and popular community band.
Large, appreciative
audiences enjoyed the band's five European concerts, held in the
German towns of Rothenburg, Lenting, Ettal, and Schmitten, plus one
Austrian town, Hallstatt, on the beautiful Hallstattersee.
“Delta was well
represented by this group of amateur musicians,” says music director and
Ladner resident Curt Jantzen. The
Europe tour was the culmination of years of planning by Jantzen, drummer
Hugh Martell, and baritonist Curt Radke.
In Lenting, southern
Germany, the Canadian group performed jointly with their local
counterparts, Trachtenkapelle Lenting.
The Lenting audience enjoyed the contrast between the two bands,
with tuxedo-clad Delta performing Broadway musicals, Canadian folk song
arrangements, and Souza marches, while the Bavarian band, in colourful
ethnic lederhosen, played a
variety of German marches and waltzes.
The two groups culminated with a joint performance on the final
march number, then celebrated with local delicacies, including bratwurst,
schnitzel, and of course, liters of German beer. “There’s
no such thing as a language barrier when people have common interests,”
remarks tuba player Jesse Oliver. “We formed a strong bond of
friendship, even though few of us spoke the others’ language.”
Many of the Delta Music Makers are planning a return visit to
Germany, while the Lenting band is considering a trip to B.C. soon.
The Delta musicians stayed
just ahead of all the flooding in Europe this summer. They experienced very heavy rain in Salzburg, but the serious
flooding occurred the day after they left.
Fortunately, no rain fell during their five outdoor performances.
Prior to departure, the
Delta Music Makers enjoyed performing for the Lieutenant Governor at her
residence in Victoria on July 18. It
was a perfect evening for a concert in the gardens, as evidenced by the
several hundred Victoria residents who attended and enthusiastically
supported the band.
The Music Makers keep very
busy with 15 concerts annually around the lower mainland, including Ladner Market, the Delta Hospital, the
Concerts-in-the-Park series, and the Christmas concert at Ladner Rec.
Center. Their second CD,
“Time Goes By,” featuring the band and vocalist Maureen Toronitz, was
launched last week. The Delta Music Makers rehearse at Delta Secondary
School in Ladner on Tuesday evenings, under the umbrella of Delta
Continuing Education.
All supporters, friends,
and former members are invited to a grand Twentieth Year Re-union Party in
April, 2003, to celebrate 20 years of music and community spirit. Contact the band via their website: www.deltamusicmakers.org,
or by phoning Curt Jantzen at 946-2309.
Director Curt Jantzen
organizes a major tour every three years; the band visited the UK in
1999, and the Canyonlands of Utah and Arizona in 1996. They’ve
also enjoyed travelling to Whistler, Vancouver Island, Florida, and
California in previous years. All members pay all their own travel
expenses; they enjoy combining their love of music with the pleasure
of travelling with friends. The members arrange their own
vacation-time from work to coincide with the band’s travel plans.
The next major tour, probably in 2005, will involve the Canadian
Maritimes, or Cuba, or Ireland and Scotland.
