The Cupertino Symphonic Band held its annual Fall Concert on Oct. 13 at 3:00 p.m. in the Quinlan Community Center. Admission was free, but attendees could donate canned food to West Valley Community Services.The concert, held to honor veterans, included a bass trombone solo, a rendition of The Beatles’ “Yellow Submarine” and the first performance of a piece 30 years in the making — “Just for Fun,” composed by the President of the Cupertino Symphonic Band, Ken Gudan.
“It was a lot of work to get here, and I’m excited it happened,” Gudan said. “They played it as well as they could, and I hope people enjoyed it. We’re just so happy to see 30 years of work happening to its fulfillment.”
Planning for the performance started around August; the program lasted 90 minutes and consisted of 10 pieces in total, with five before intermission and five after. During intermission, a table full of homemade pastries baked by band members was available for the audience to take as they waited for the concert to resume. The music played in the concert was chosen with the help of a committee in August before being finalized by conductor Jason McChristian. McChristian acknowledged the challenges the band faced while playing.
“The opening piece is a tricky one because there’s so many exposed parts,” McChristian said. “It’s always kind of hit or miss, whether in a professional group or a community group, and we nailed it today. So I’m very, very pleased.”
Though the program included many upbeat pieces such as “Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachians” and “A Night in Tunisia”, others like “Black Granite” and “Band of Brothers” had a more somber tone as they were chosen to honor veterans. Audience members stayed after the performance to congratulate the band members and show appreciation.
“We have a lot of regulars who come and support us,” McChristian said. “They don’t know anybody in the band, but they just love to listen to music. “
