“The Cleverest Band in the World: Marching and Playing for Columbia,” a special exhibit on Band history, was on display at the Columbia Alumni Center October 19, 2012 – April 6, 2013.
The show featured a range of memorabilia telling the story of Columbia bands from 1904 until today – on the field, in the concert hall, on TV, in movies, and wherever else Band members gather to entertain in their own patented way. Featured: a video with a soundtrack including just-found recordings of the Band from as far back as 1933.
You can find some historical photos from the exhibit here. More, we hope, before long.
Exhibit credits:
Blazers from Al Bergeret ’70CC (French horn) and David Thomson ’79CC (cymbals). Rugby shirt from Frank Mirer ’66CC (trumpet, head manager). Sweater from Evan Jacover ’98SEAS (clarinet). Cabbage Patch Kid from Cathy Webster ’87CC (flute, drum major, marching band head manager); Band mini-sweater created by Barbara Webster (Cathy’s mother). T-shirts from J. Donald Smith ’65CC (clarinet, head manager), Ross Staffeldt ’73CC (trumpet), Steven Greenfield ’83CC (clarinet). Band pin from J. Donald Smith. Richard Hofstadter letter from Peter Janovsky ’68CC (oboe, head manager). Crow from Michael Ackerman ’84CC (percussion). Matilda, the story of Columbia’s goat mascot, from Michael Susi ’85CC ’87GSAS ’88GSAS. Mug from Ed Coller ’63CC (alto saxophone and bass clarinet, head manager); rubber banana from Dan Carlinsky ’65CC ’66J (trumpet); New York State license plate from Constantino Tobio ’95CC (cymbals, head manager). Sheet music courtesy of the Columbia University Wind Ensemble and the Chatfield Music Lending Library. Herald trumpet and banner from the Columbia University Marching Band.
Audio courtesy of: Gil Aronow ’79CC (clarinet and saxophone, head manager) of Sony Music Entertainment, J. Donald Smith, Ross Staffeldt, David Josephson ’63CC ’72PhD (conductor), Jonathan Thayer ’68CC (oboe and sarrusophone), Ben Young ’92CC of WKCR, and Edward Backlund.
Video thanks to John Colella ’13CC (snare drum), Stephanie Tarras ’10BC (trombone), and Victoria Birmingham ’15BC (miscie).
Photos by and courtesy of Peter Andrews ’14CC (trombone, head manager), Eileen Barroso, Cliff Blanchard Jr. ’52CC ’53SEAS, Jimmy Caldarise ’13CC (mellophone), Jasper Clyatt ’13CC, Ed Coller, Dana and Cheryl Dowd, Herb Gardner ’55CC (trumpet, dance band leader), Adam Grais ’90CC (snare drum, drum major), Meko He ’12GSAS (bass drum), Jenny Hsu ’10SEAS, Jonathan Jager ’11CC (clarinet and percussion, drum major), Dennis Klainberg ’84CC (trumpet, head manager), Bob Kolt, Sid Konikoff ’62CC ’63SEAS, JeffMishler ’06SEAS (percussion), Tiberio Nascimento ’76CC (trumpet), Winn Periyasami ’13BC (melodica), Hayley Peterson ’12BC (drums and miscie, drum major), Hugh Rogers, Alan Romanczuk ’69CC (French horn and didgeridoo), Tim Tash ’86CC (violin, banjo, harmonica, and tuba), Manny Warman, Columbian, Columbia Daily Spectator, Columbia College Today, Columbia University Athletics, Columbia Alumni Center Library, New York Library of the Performing Arts, Carnegie Hall Archives, Columbia University Archives, Barnard College Archives, and the Columbia University Band Archives.
Thanks and a tip of the drum major’s plumed hat to all of the above plus: the ever-suffering Jerry Kisslinger ’79CC ’82GSAS, Lindsey Dean, Mia Wright, and Barbara Rodriguez of the Office of Alumni and Development, and the superhuman Jocelyn Wilk of the University Archives. And special gratitude to Samantha Rowan ’96BC (saxophone).
Also: Peter McHugh ’11CE of the Office of Sports Information/ Media Relations, Alex Sachare ’71CC of Columbia College Today, Andrew Pease ’04TC (music director) and Alex Donnelly ’14CC (euphonium, president) of the Columbia University Wind Ensemble, Rob Hudson of Carnegie Hall, Rosemary Hanes of the Library of Congress, Beth Hennessy of the Chatfield Music Lending Library, Ilhan Citak of the Lehigh University Special Collections, and Tom Everett of the Harvard University Band.
And: Seth Abbey ’95CC, Lloyd Hugh Allen ’98CC (flute, head manager), Steve Bachenheimer ’68SEAS (clarinet), Tyler Benedict ’13CC (bass drum), Bob Berne ’60CC (lion), Henry Black ’63CC, Catherine Censor ’90CC (violin), Izumi Devalier ’07CC, Marty Farber ’71CC (oboe and sarrusophone, head manager), Rob Freeberg ’78CC (trumpet, conductor), Richard Heyman ’69CC ’73P&S (tuba, head manager), Joe Klein ’58CC (euphonium and sousaphone, conductor), Marty Konikoff ’69CC ’70SEAS, Peter Lefferts ’73CC (drum major), Roger Lehecka ’67CC ’74GSAS, Andy Lewin ’63CC, Abigail Lorge ’98CC, Marshall Meyer ’64CC (clarinet), Rob Rowan, Mark Schlesinger ’67CC (French horn), Jeff Schneider ’67CC (trumpet), Michael Schnipper ’69CC (trumpet and lenthopipe), Irwin Sollinger ’60CC (tuba, head manager), and the ladies and gentlemen of the current Columbia University Marching Band and Columbia University Wind Ensemble, who have only begun to learn about their bandcestors.
With apologies to those inadvertently left off this page. Please feel good about having helped. It’s a noble cause.
Stephanie Tarras ’10BC (trombone)
Dan Carlinsky ’65CC ’66J (trumpet)
J. Donald Smith ’65CC (clarinet, head manager)
