Thanks to Mitch for his report on the rewarding military band scene in Washington. Bands sometimes get a bad name in classical music circles because many of us have never heard a truly first-class band. The US military bands enjoy the services of first-class musicians equal to the best of our symphony orchestras. They deserve respect. Repertoire has always been a problem, and the best composers have seldom contributed. Still, this may be changing, and a truly excellent and unique band literature may emerge in our time. In any case, I would far rather hear the Marine Corps Band play Sousa that hear the Seattle Symphony play Beethoven! At least the Marines would give you the real thing. I myself have a soft spot in my heart for the far more humble community bands -- amateurs who play for the love of it in their local parks in the summer. This too is music, and it contributes to the joy of multitudes all across our land. David Lamb in Seattle *********************************************** The CLASSICAL mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's HDMail High Deliverability Mailer for reliable, lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html