Event Calendar & News: Alumni News
Alumnus Grows 27-Year Community College Band from 17 to 80 Members
From a 17-member band rehearsing in a school cafeteria, to an 80-member band performing in the prestigious Schlesinger Concert Hall, Kennedy Center, and Georgetown University, the Alexandria Band has come a long way since 1977.
The band owes its success to founder, director and conductor Bob Petrella, who graduated
from the MSU College of Music with a bachelor’s degree in music education in 1966. He is professor of music for the Visual and Performing Arts Division at Northern Virginia Community College’s (NVCC) Alexandria campus––one of six campuses at the second-largest community college in the United States.
Bob Petrella’s MSU Experience
While at MSU, Bob Petrella studied with Professor of Clarinet Elsa Ludewig Verdehr during her first year on the MSU faculty in 1962. Recently, he attended the 2004 Clarinet Festival, a reunion of Verdehr’s students, featuring guest artist performances and master classes, and alumni/student performances.
“Elsa is a great teacher and performer. She had a profound influence on me musically, and I attribute her for my teaching abilities,” said Petrella.
Petrella was also a member of the Spartan Marching Band and MSU Concert Band under the direction of Leonard Falcone, who also had a great influence on him. As an alumnus, he’s been back for Marching Band reunions and toured with the Alumni Concert Band to Italy in 1985, Scandinavia in 1998, and Eastern Europe in 2001.
“These tours help me feel a continuous connection with MSU, not to mention the privilege of performing under the baton of Director of Bands Emeritus Ken Bloomquist,” said Petrella.
After graduating from MSU, Petrella joined the U.S. Army Field, with which he performed in 49 states. He then completed his master’s and doctoral degrees in clarinet performance from University of Maryland. Petrella is currently a member of the Virginia Grand Military Band, made up of alumni and retirees of the Washington-based service bands. |
The 80-member Alexandria Band is NVCC’s student/community mixed band, with members ranging from ages 16 to 82. It has evolved from rehearsing in a school cafeteria, to a gymnasium, to regularly scheduled performances in the Rachael M. Schlesinger Concert Hall––which has been praised by The Washington Post and has become a favorite place for Washington, D.C.––based military bands to perform and record.
The band performs four concerts each year with repertoire consisting of symphonies, large overtures, marches, pieces written for the concert band, and orchestral transcriptions for concert band. In addition to conducing the band, Petrella also selects the repertoire, prepares the parts, and handles all the logistics.
Each year, the band performs with NVCC’s 80-member campus choir and resident dance ensemble. Petrella also reaches out to the broader community through annual concerts featuring elementary school students. Future plans include band demonstrations at elementary schools to pique students’ interest in music. Petrella has also organized special concerts at various venues around Washington, D.C., including several events at the “Old Post Office” Pavilion, Kennedy Center, and Georgetown University––opportunities usually reserved for “professional” musicians and those engaged in serious musical studies.
“The band ties the entire community together through the involvement of the students and community band members, the campus community that attend the concerts, and visiting artists and ensembles that perform with the band,” said Jean Netherton, NVCC provost from 1976 to 1992, MSU alumna (Ph.D. Education), and former MSU physical education faculty member.
Flute player Suzy Carroll joined the band shortly after moving to and starting a new job in Alexandria, and has been a member since the band’s inception.
“Dr. Petrella is such a wonderful person and fun director,” said Carroll. “At times, when something goes wrong during a rehearsal, he launches into funny stories relating his own musical education experiences under Dr. Falcone at MSU. And over the years, Dr. Petrella has expanded the musical curriculum, which keeps me challenged.”
Because of the diversity of the members––from retired professionals who performed in college, to U.S. Armed Forces ensemble members––the band provides an extraordinary variety of learning and performing experiences for its members, according to retired NVCC Division Chair Rudolph J. Fiorillo.
“For beginning music students, this is a unique experience to learn and perform with experienced musicians of this caliber,” said Fiorillo. “This, in turn, expands the band’s variety and level of literature, which attracts a large following from the Washington Metropolitan area. The band is a great marketing and recruiting tool for the college, as well as a unique musical educational experience for our students and community members who join.”
There are a number of students who have remained a part of the ensemble for over 25 years. “This is a testimony to Bob's leadership and to Bob's commitment to his students,” said Fiorillo. “Students truly admire, respect and love Bob as a person, as a professional musician, and as an educator. They would literally do anything for Bob, and quite often he asks them to do just that in their musical endeavors! It is indeed thrilling to see and to hear Bob's ensemble when it performs––young and old, professionals and amateurs––truly a mix of our community and a reflection of the community college spirit.”
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