The Eagles Band: A Part of Berkshire County History
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Eagles Community Band has been performing music in the Berkshires and beyond for nearly 90 years.
In its second year back since the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, fans can look forward to free summer concerts at The Common and Springside Park as well as numerous other performances throughout the year.
"I would say they were as eager to get back to playing as they were to see their friends," principal conductor Carl Jenkins said about the musicians. "It was really was very special for some."
Band manager Deanna Fraher added that people will come up to band members after performances, thank them, and say how they have been waiting for their return.
There are different ensembles within the band including a concert band, stage band, brass ensemble, and trombone ensemble. The musicians try to get together at least once a week for practice.
Board President and stage band conductor James Stakenas likes that the band is a social outlet for people.
"There are some friends in the band that I've had for 30 years," he said.
"Not all the time in the band but we've made some good friendships and we've made some great music and it's one of the things that I really like about the organization, it' s social organization as much as a musical organization."
He said the board met frequently during the worst of the pandemic to brainstorm how to keep members safe and allow them to participate.
"All the board members rallied to participate and it really was a smooth opening," Stakenas added. "And we've not rested, we've continued to look at the numbers, we continue to look at the policies."
Musicians 12 years or older can become members and the players cover a wide range of ages. In the summer there are around 45 members and the rest of the year there are around 65.
Founded in 1936, it is the oldest continuing performance ensemble in the Berkshires. The band was originally sponsored by the Fraternal Order of Eagles Aerie 358 and became a nonprofit organization in 1993.
Fraher explained that it started as a marching unit and transitioned into becoming more of a concert band in the mid- to late 1990s. This was primarily due to the age of the members, as most of the trumpet players were in their 70s and 80s.
The Eagles Band has three premier concerts: a spring concert at First United Methodist Church, a free concert at the Colonial Theatre in November, and a holiday concert also at the church.
"The second one and the most important one for us is the one at the Colonial on the first Friday of November," Fraher said. "We usually fill the house, it's a free concert for anybody that attends so it gives the community a chance to come to something at the Colonial that doesn't cost them much of anything and it gives us a chance to be in a more formal concert venue."
With the Colonial Theatre concert, the band has brought in soloists to feature from different avenues.
The free outdoor concerts are called the "Concert in The Park Series." There will be four this summer: three at the Common under the pavilion and one at Springside.
"The summer concerts are far more of a pops-oriented, kind of lighter weight music, a lot of Broadway show tunes and marches, patriotic tunes, folk tunes," Jenkins said. "Anything that might be a little bit more familiar to the audience."
Before the pandemic, there were about 200 people attending the outdoor concerts. In past years, the organization has played about 30 performances annually.
The band also plays one concert a year with another high school group, which Jenkins said has been well received by the public school community.
When asked what their goals are for this year, band members had varied answers.
Jenkins would like to see how much he can challenge the musicians with musical material. Stakenas would like this to be a growth year, returning to some kind of normal, building audiences, and getting additional venues.
Fraher explained that the organization is looking into getting a larger rehearsal space because they have had to turn people away due to limited capacity. She described the Methodist church as a godsend that has provided space for almost free for nearly 20 years.
For more information on The Eagles Band and for a concert schedule, visit eaglescommunityband.org.
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