Saturday, April 22. 2023
Our friend, Peter, started playing in the Minnesota State Band last year. He invited us to his concert this afternoon and we were happy to go. When we got downtown to the History Center, the line to get into the parking lot was 10 cars long. Huh. There were more than 10 cars in the line to pay as we scurried inside with only a few minutes to spare before the concert started. The last time we went to one of their concerts, it was at a high school and it was not terribly well attended. Not true today! By the time all the people straggled in, the 314-seat hall was basically full. To hear a band!! How fantastic!!
Our senator, Amy Klobuchar, gave a very nice (and funny) video introduction to the band on their 125th anniversary. She pointed out that Minnesota is the only state that still has a state band – and then said with complete confidence that Minnesota has the BEST state band. They started off with asking us to join in singing Hail! Minnesota! I didn’t sing. I don’t know why. I didn’t actually know the song, but that really wasn’t why. They put the words up and everything. Keith didn’t sing, because he never sings. I always sing along. I sing along with the Canadian national anthem, making up words about moose and plaid and happiness if I need to. They were about halfway through when I noticed I wasn’t singing along. Huh. I thought I should start singing along, but what if someone had noticed I wasn’t singing and figured I was deaf and didn’t know…no wait… I was at a concert. They would know I wasn’t deaf. Now they were getting 3/4ths of the way through. Maybe “they” thought I was mute and would assume if I started the song off mute, I would still be mute. Then I wondered if I thought I wasn’t from Minnesota enough to sing along. I have lived here for really, really almost 30 years (next month). There was not an ID check. I could sing along. I would sing along. Oh, last line now… I should probably go with the mute thing as my back story, if anyone asked. But then I wouldn’t be able to explain, because I was mute…then the song was done and I forgot about it. Phew, that was a lot.
The next thing was that they had sponsored a contest to have someone write them a State Band fanfare, and our friend, Glen Newton, won. He submitted two fanfares and won first and second place. He was there and we got to congratulate him on a job well done during intermission. He has written several pieces for different ensembles that Keith has had the opportunity to play. I always really enjoy his work. I enjoyed the fanfare very much. (My friend is having a vow renewal at Ren in the Glen this summer. I volunteered Keith to play a fanfare before the ceremony – you know, come one, come all kind of thing. I wonder if he will write the fanfare. I will keep you posted.)
The theater had a nice steep pitch to it, so you could see all of the band members. I found Peter right away – A) I know what he looks like; and B) I know what instrument he plays. I felt happy with myself anyway. We found Andy, Matt and Lillie’s dad, too. I knew he used to play in the band, but he wasn’t there for the last concert and I figured he had moved on in the roughly 20 years since I had updated his status. I met Lori, Matt and Lillie’s mom, at Ojibwe park shortly after Alexander was born. It was really the first time I had left the house with both boys after Alexander was born. I walked to the park and was watching Benjin playing, while Alexander slept in the stroller. A mom with a bike trailer full of kids came to the other side of the park and sat on a faraway bench. Her kids were roughly Benjin sized, and, eventually, Matt started playing with Benjin. Lillie was littler and a little more cautious, but Matt was adventurous and didn’t really care that Benjamin was way more interested in being startled by him than playing with him, and just told him how to play the made-up games until Benjamin started playing. It was early days of living in Minnesota and we had met zero people. I’m not even sure Benjamin knew what other kids looked like. After quite a long while, the mom called her kids over and they started getting organized back into the bike trailer. They were getting away!! I was panicked. I frantically looked through my bag. The only paper I had was a checking deposit slip. I wrote down our phone number and quickly approached. I (OH, so eloquently) blurted out, “Be our friends.” “Please.” “We are new. We don’t know anyone.” She warily took the paper and said she would give me a call sometime and biked away.
I just stood there and watched them go. I regretted not talking to the mom while I had the chance. I realized I had sounded sort of insane. Obviously, you have figured she called, and they became our very first Minnesota friends. I found Lori and Lillie sitting DIRECTLY in front of us in the auditorium a couple songs into today’s program. We have lost touch through the years, but connected phone numbers today, so hopefully we can get together some time soon.
The woman behind us was an oooooo-er. She could have been watching fireworks. Every time a piece ended she would sigh, or mmmmm, or awwwwww, or ohhhhhh myyyyyy, or ahhhhhhh. Every time the conductor announced a piece she would whisper, “oh yes!”, or “wonderful,” or “yayyyyyy.” This is such a common phenomenon that it shouldn’t surprise me at all to be in front of one, but I still never quite get it. I am a noisy movie watcher. I admit it. When I am startled, I gasp or scream (depending on level of surprise), but in no way does the announcement of the name of a tune (which is already possibly known to me, because it is listed in the program) make me want to verbalize my enthusiasm. It’s not horrible, or anything, but I just do wonder about it.
Anyway, the concert was good. It was a little long, given that there were announcements to make and people to thank and history to note. (One person just retired from the band who joined in 1971!!) Keith and I spend a lot of time talking about concert programming, so I am definitely judgy about that. It turned out we knew quite a few people in the audience, so there was plenty of chatting after the show. I was super cool and wearing three necklaces. I am sure everyone noticed.
It was stooooooopid cold and windy and standing outside for last minute visiting was dumb, but also pleasant.