The Neighborhood Files

Wakefield Concert Band Elects Officers and Board Members

Community band looks forward to serving the Rhode Island community in 2011.

January 4, 2011

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The Wakefield Concert Band recently elected new Officers and Directors. L to R: Jay Swoboda, Board Member; Stacey Snow, Treasurer; Elaine Shanley, Vice President; David Stephenson, President; Sarah Denis, Secretary; Steve Brown, Board Member. Nick Shanos

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The Wakefield Concert Band recently elected new Officers and Directors. L to R: Jay Swoboda, Board Member; Stacey Snow, Treasurer; Elaine Shanley, Vice President; David Stephenson, President; Sarah Denis, Secretary; Steve Brown, Board Member.

Credit Nick Shanos

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The Wakeﬁeld Concert Band, as a newly self-supporting community musical organization, is pleased to announce that it has elected its ﬁrst slate of Ofﬁcers and Directors.

The Bandʼs new ofﬁcers are David Stephenson of Wakeﬁeld, President; Elaine Shanley (Wakeﬁeld), Vice President; Stacey Snow (Exeter), Treasurer; and Sarah Denis (Wakeﬁeld), Secretary. Steve Brown (Wakeﬁeld) and Jay Swoboda (Kingston) were elected to theBandʼs Board of Directors.

"In 2010 we established our independence," explained Band President David Stephenson, reﬂecting on the fact that, until last July, the Wakeﬁeld Concert Band was supported by the Town of South Kingstown. The Band is now a self-supporting non-proﬁt musical organization.

"Last year," Stephenson continued, "we also grew in stature and community recognition. In the past three years, the Band has raised some $15,000 for South County Hospital," he added.

The Wakeﬁeld Concert Band also actively supports the Jonnycake Center in Peace Dale. Last summerʼs outdoor concert series in Marina Park, for example, resulted in donations of more than 2,500 pounds of food. More recently, the Annual Community Holiday Concert raised $139 in cash and several hundred pounds of toiletries and personal care items for the Jonnycake Center.

Throughout the year the Band also participates in fund raising concerts sponsored by other groups such as the Society of St. Vincent de Paul at Jesus Saviour Church in Newport.

The Wakeﬁeld Concert Band, founded in the late 1890s, has been playing music throughout Rhode Island for more than a century. Band members come from all walks of life and have diverse musical backgrounds but play with one singular goal: to encourage community cultural enrichment and foster musical enjoyment.

David Stephenson, the Bandʼs President, explained that while it is now an independent, non-proﬁt organization, the Wakeﬁeld Concert Band continues to serve as a community band. "We invite musicians of all ages to join us and to celebrate life through music," he emphasized.

To arrange an interview with the Wakeﬁeld Concert Band or for further information, please call Director Barry Lieberman at (401) 294-7101 or visit the Wakeﬁeld Concert Band Web site

Thanks. We'll email you the next time we update this story.

Terry Murphy

9:18 am on Wednesday, January 5, 2011

The Wakefield Concert Band is a truly talented group of musicians who clearly love what they do. On the evening of December 5th with temperatures hovering in the low 20's they stood by the Neighborhood Guild's tallest evergreen, playing holiday carols as they do every year, to kick off the holiday season at the Town's Tree Lighting ceremony. Despite the biting cold they were able to entertain the hearty souls who also braved the weather to see Santa light up the tree. South Kingstown Parks and Recreation thanks the Wakefield Concert Band for its continued commitment to the community.