The Band
We are your neighbors, friends and colleagues.
Where can you find world-class music in a family-friendly atmosphere that’s free to one and all? Look no further than Cville Band. Our team of volunteers and Music Directors share their skills and experience in a range of styles to entertain the whole family. From classical and marches, jazz and Broadway tunes, to movie scores and rap from Hamilton. Our ensembles add more variety to enjoy in person with performances in your schools, community centers, breweries and other more intimate settings.
Charlottesville has changed a lot since 1922, and so have we. Our members represent many different neighborhoods, age groups, professions and backgrounds. We find common ground through the power of music and can’t wait to share it with you.
Ensembles
Seven different ensembles give our musicians the opportunity to play in smaller groups and explore their own unique sounds. These eclectic teams perform a variety of styles such as Dixieland, Celtic folk tunes, waltzes, marches and more. Perfect for spaces like outdoor stages at vineyards, the ensembles help bring Cville Band’s big sound to smaller venues. If you’d like to book an ensemble for your event, please contact us.
Centennial Music Scholarship
To help celebrate our 100th season, we endowed a new scholarship program for young musicians in Charlottesville City and Albemarle County public schools. Seventh and eighth graders who play trumpet, trombone, French horn, euphonium, tuba, flute, clarinet, bass clarinet, oboe, saxophone, or percussion can apply for scholarships that provide free, once weekly 30-minute lessons throughout the school year. At year’s end, scholarship recipients get to perform a piece with the Band at one of our live concerts. We are proud of our inaugural class of 9 winners for 2022-2023!
Solo Competition
We love to encourage and support talented young musicians in our area, and the James W. Simmons Solo Competition gives local high school students the chance to shine. Each year the winner performs as a featured soloist in one of the Band’s major concerts and is awarded the Rev. Dr. Genevieve Murphy Scholarship for Young Musicians. This scholarship, in the amount of $2,000, will go towards higher education costs at the winner’s choice of college or university. Past winners have been accomplished players from five area high schools specializing in flute, clarinet, trumpet, trombone or saxophone.
To download information and audition requirements, please click here.
2023 Winner
Lizzie Mayhood
Albemarle High School
Lizzie Mayhood is 18 years old and a senior at Albemarle High School. She has been studying flute with Angela Kelly since 2016. She currently plays in the Charlottesville Symphony under the direction of Ben Rous. She is the principal flute in the Albemarle High School Wind Ensemble led by Andrew LaPrade, as well as the piccolo section leader in the Albemarle Marching Band. Lizzie has participated in multiple All-State ensembles, and she was one of the winners of the Wednesday Music Club Senior Camp Competition in 2021. She attended Beyond the Masterclass with Jim Walker, where she won the Young Performers division of the competition. Lizzie has also attended Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, where she was the principal flute in their Masterworks Orchestra. Outside of music, Lizzie enjoys reading, knitting, and baking, and she plans on continuing to play the flute while studying physics next year.
PAST WINNERS
2022 Samuel Hall | Albemarle High School 2020 Reid Dodson | Charlottesville High School 2019 Rose Bittle | Albemarle High School 2018 Jason Dech | Fluvanna County High School 2017 Charlotte McDonald | Charlottesville High School 2016 Maggie Archer | Louisa County High School 2015 Chris Hays | Charlottesville High School 2014 Geneva Knight | Charlottesville High School 2012 Marie Fernandez | Monticello High School 2011 Samantha Marshall | Monticello High School 2010 Anthony Poehailos | Monticello High School
Board of Directors
Greg Harris
President & Treasurer
Renee Vollrath
Vice President
Greg Alexander
Secretary
Steve Layman
Ex Officio
Eric Allison
Cheryl Gomez Barber
Ellen Donlon
Janelle Ellis
Kerry Finnegan
LaVahn Hoh
Dave Johnson
John LaPrade
Leo Mallek
Susan Payne
Michelle Schroeder
William D. Tucker, III
Current Band Members
Board of Directors Greg Harris, President & Treasurer; Renee Vollrath, Vice President; Gregory Alexander, Secretary; Eric R. Allison; Cheryl Gomez Barber; Ellen P. Donlon; Janelle Ellis; Kerry Finnegan; LaVahn Hoh; Dave Johnson; John LaPrade; Leo Mallek; Susan Payne; Michelle Schroeder; William D. Tucker, III; Stephen R. Layman, ex officio
Music Director Stephen R. Layman Flute Stacy Bolling, Katie McCartney, Kelly Graham, Janet Onnie, Mary Reitsma, Christine Steele, Mary Ann Stumbaugh, Jessie Tosto E Flat Clarinet Doug Nash B Flat Clarinet Greg Alexander, John Blum, Alden Dent, Ellen Donlon, Cheryl Gomez Barber, Burt Marks, Bob Notari, Fred O’Bryant, Brent Paquet, Cait Richards, Lynda Sawyer, Michelle Schroeder, Jennifer Schultz, Marvin Scoggin, Rachel Sutphin Alto Clarinet Pam Evans Bass Clarinet Sharon Dudley, Patricia Sutker Oboe James Prodan, Charles Torian Bassoon Billy Faggart, Cathy Grant Alto Saxophone Tim DeSimone, Glenn Lankford, Robert LaRue, Bonnie Slater Tenor Saxophone David Moody, Louie Nicastro Baritone Saxophone Brian Hamshar French Horn Allison Alexander, Becky Allen, Eric Allison, Deborah E. Buchanan, Ann Eichelberger, Janelle Ellis, Erin Richter
Baritone Horn H. Wayne Clark, Mike Gottier, Kerry Finnegan, Emily Torman Trumpet Susan Allen, Jerry Barber, Sammy Barnes, Jon Botts, Steve Brecker, James Brown, Don Brubaker, Brittany Deacon, Harry Decker, Matthew Morrill, Ken Nelson, Jeff Vaughan, Mike Watkins Trombone James Allison, Frank Boone, Scott Colley, Robert Graham, Burton Hable, Dave Johnson, John LaPrade, Stephen Sanford, Renee Vollrath, Ray Wyant Tuba Mike Allen, Matt Black, Tryon Bauer, Basil Istwany, Bob Kammauff, Henry Taylor String Bass Janice Wood Percussion Robbyn Callahan, Lisa Cook, Gary Fagan, Charles Harris, Greg Harris, John Lyon, Brian Socolow, Theresa Torian, David Youel Honorary Members David Goodwin, Gary B. O’Connell, Peter Easter, Leo Mallek, Wick McNeely
OUR MISSION
We are The Charlottesville Band: local musicians enriching community life through excellence in musical performance and education since 1922. Through our free concerts, varied repertoire, and partnerships, we provide our members and audiences with experiences that entertain, uplift, and inspire.
The Charlottesville Band unites people through a love of creating and performing music. We strive to build a diverse and inclusive culture where all musicians can perform, all audiences can listen, and all people can grow through the expression and enjoyment of music and performance.