History

History Book

As one of the projects of the Friends of the Golden Gate Park Band,  our Historian David Bandy wrote a book on the history of the Golden  Gate Park Band.  See also our PRODUCTS page for information on ordering  this book.

The History Book has a written history of the  Band, celebrating its over 5,000 concerts in the Park and 125 plus  years as a musical treasure for the City of San Francisco's residents  and visitor.  The book talks about the early years of the Band and each of its seven conductors, including the current one.  It contains numerous photos.  You may complete the PDF Order Form below or purchase it at the Golden Gate Park Band Festival each June and at some of the Golden Gate Park Band concerts.

Download the complete articles taken from the October 2010 issue of “The Journal of The Association of Concert Bands”

...excerpt from ACB October 2010 by Bill Nemoyten

   When we learned that the Saint Helena Community Band would be a participant in this year's Golden Gate Park Band Festival, I saw the possibility of a unique way to promote the 2010 Festival if we could get Francis Ford Coppola, the famous director of "The Godfather" epic and many other films, to agree to do a radio interview.
   A story about Coppola appeared in the press in 2007 that had caught my attention. It told how F.F. Coppola had played the tuba in his high school band and was a member of a very musical family. As a young and up-coming maker of movies, he once told the fabled dancer Fred Astaire about how he loved to play the tuba in his school band. He related that he had to play a beat-up, dented old school instrument that was so bad that one time some of the students had made a fire in it! He had always dreamed of some day owning his own instrument. Astaire was so impressed by his enthusiasm for the instrument that when the movie they were working on ended, Coppola found the gift of a shiny new tuba in his office.
   For many years, Coppola was too busy working on his movies and later on his wineries to be able to play in a band. When he finally had time to devote to it, he decided that since there was no community band in Saint Helena, California, the site of his family home, he would have to start one.

Writen by Bill Nemoyten

Check out our new History Book on the PRODUCTS page.

Download the complete article taken from the February 2009 issue of “The Journal of The Association of Concert Bands”

...excerpt from ACB February 2009 by David W Bandy

San Francisco's Golden Gate Park is the home of one of the most magnificent outdoor musical stage structures for concert bands within the entire United States. The Spreckel's Temple of Music was constructed at the beginning of the twentieth century and dedicated to the public on September 9, 1900, in front of an audience totaling more than seventy thousand. The concert presented by the Golden Gate Park Band on that date has been followed by thousands of additional concerts by bands of all shapes and sizes, of all ages, and from multiple continents. 2007 marked the 125th anniversary of the Golden Gate Park Band as well as the first annual Band Festival hosted by their newly formed support group, the Friends of the Golden Gate Park Band. With the successful launching of their inaugural Festival during the previous summer, the Friends once again produced a weekend-long event on June 21 and 22 of this year, aptly dubbed "The Truly Great 2008 2nd Annual Golden Gate Park Band Festival." This summer's Festival saw eleven dedicated ensembles from throughout Northern California once again performing throughout the weekend with programs as diverse as the groups themselves.

Writen by David W Bandy

Golden Gate Park Band

Download the complete article taken from the October 2007 issue of “Association of Concert Bands’ Advance”

...excerpt from ACB October 2007 by Patricia Wheeler

The Golden Gate Park Band was founded in September of 1882, the same year that outlaw Jesse James was killed. San Francisco wanted to be like other major American and European cities and have their own community band so, The Golden Gate Park Band started with 12 musicians, conducted by Yusave Fuchs.

This group grew quickly with the addition of the members of the 2nd Artillery Regimental Band which was originally a support unit for the San Francisco "F" Company, a part of the California National Guard. Today, all 30 members belong to the Musician's Union "Local 6."

The first bandstand, built in 1883, was a small, wooden structure on an elevated area in front of a larger opening where people could come with their horses and carriages to hear the Band. There was also a walkway lined with benches for pedestrians. The concerts were quite popular with San Franciscans, and the series was expanded in 1883 when I.C. Coggins was appointed manager. The Band was enlarged to 25 members, and regular contributions were pledged by the Park Commission, local businesses, and the Market Street Cable Railway Company which encouraged citizens to come to Golden Gate Park and hear the Band.

Writen by Patricia Wheeler

Check out our new History Book on the PRODUCTS page.

Check out our new History Book on the PRODUCTS page.

Download the complete article taken from the October 2007 issue of “Association of Concert Bands’ Advance”

...excerpt from ACB October 2007 by Patricia Wheeler

The Friends of the Golden Gate Park Band was formed in 2006 to develop a series of programs and projects to support the Band and to serve as a springboard for raising the public's awareness of the musical treasure they have in the Golden Gate Park Band. A series of projects were undertaken in 2006-07 for this celebration.

The Band Festival was the 125th Birthday Bash for the Golden Gate Park Band. Over 80 community bands from throughout Northern California were invited to participate. Nine bands plus the Golden Gate Park Band performed at the Festival, held in the Temple of Music of Golden Gate Park on Father's Day weekend, June 16-17, 2007. Most of the participating bands, including the Golden Gate Park Band, are members of ACB. The participating guest bands and their conductors at the Festival are listed below.

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Check out our new History Book on the PRODUCTS page.