Arts & Entertainment
Final Gig for West Suburban Concert Band's Remaining Founding Member
The 63-member band of area residents who practice weekly have some surprising connections to the Supreme Court and to the Czech Republic.
On Aug. 17, the West Suburban Concert Band—founded in 1957 as a way for musicians of any skill level to get together, practice, and perform—is to hold its last concert of the summer in Riverside, Ill., at The Scottish Home, 2748 Des Plaines Ave.
Of the band's 63 regular members, nine hail from La Grange or La Grange Park, and a handful hold a certain amount of celebrity—either for their connection to the original band, to the Czech Republic, or to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Donna Oselka is the last original founding member in the band; she still plays French horn but will be retiring this year after 53 years with the band.
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Band member Diane Wood, currently a judge sitting on the Federal 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago, was one of the elite few considered to be the next justice of the U.S. Supreme Court for seats now held by Justice Elena Kagan and Justice Sonia Sotomayor.
Joe Martan, of Western Springs, has been president of the band since 2005. Martan, a French horn player, was invited in May to be the first American guest conductor at the Czech Republic's annual municipal band festival—one of the oldest in the country, where he presented both an American circus march and a traditional Czech march. He was invited by people he had come to know after visiting the country yearly to teach American Law to Czech law students.
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Martan describes the West Suburban Concert band as, "People who play music for the fun of it."
It's for fun, but it doesn't sound half bad either. (Watch the video to the right of this article for a taste.) Their concerts fill with crowds of up to 800 people.
"In the summer, being able to watch a free show from people who are clearly passionate about what they do is a unique joy," said one regular fan from La Grange Park.
It has a come-as-you-please kind of system. The open rehearsals are Wednesdays at 7:30pm (except in the summer, where there are no rehearsals, just concerts) and they tend to have about 55-70 people joining them with their instruments in hand.
"It's a free, no commitment group, so you aren't expected to pay once you arrive," Martan said. "We're able to maintain through voluntary contributions from members and neighbors."
The director of the band is Henry Hiorns, former chairman of the music department at East Leydon High School.
Ray Nilles, of La Grange, is the assistant director and band librarian. He plays bass clarinet and was previously the band director at Highlands Junior High School.
"We never really know who to expect, but at the June 30th concert in La Grange Park we had between 600-700 people, and in Wheaton we reached at least 800," Martan says, "People from the neighborhood enjoy coming out and seeing what it's all about."
Another regular fan, from Countryside, said: "It's just a nice, relaxing way to spend a summer night. They're talented, and they're reaching out to the community. It's a good way to get the family together and get outside."
