Submitted by Grays Harbor College
A new musical group, the Grays Harbor Concert Band will be forming in the Fall, directed by Harborite Tiffany Maki. The band will be sponsored by Grays Harbor College, much like the Grays Harbor Symphony Orchestra and Grays Harbor Civic Choir have operated for many years.
Maki, who has played piano since she was a child, is eager to recruit musicians from the community who like to play band music. Her first band experience was as a clarinetist with the fifth-grade band at Aberdeen’s McDermoth School. She also played with the Miller Junior High band, directed by Dr. William Dyer, who is now music faculty at the College. Her band experiences continued on while she attended Aberdeen High School and she later played with the Aberdeen Elks Band, directed by Craig Wellington.
A graduate of AHS where she also accompanied the jazz band and sang with the Symphonic Choir, Maki attended GHC and Central Washington University. Although she now works for the State’s Children’s Administration, she admits that music remains her passion.
“I am excited to bring a new musical project to this community, one that involves instrumentalists of all ages and music lovers of many genres, “ Maki remarked. She currently performs with the Dukes of Swing, Aberdeen Elks Singers, Maki-Mehlhoff Duo and Vinyl Moon.
“It has been several years since the Harbor had a community band,” GHC’s Dyer points out. “I know Tiffany will enthusiastically recruit Concert Band members from Grays Harbor and Pacific county high schools as well as from the community.” GHC students can enroll in Concert Band and receive college credit, while community musicians can also participate. As with the Symphony Orchestra and Civic Choir groups, the College provides rehearsal and performance spaces, in addition to offering college credit to those requesting it.
Open to musicians of all ages and abilities, Concert Band is slated to rehearse weekly on Thursdays starting on September 21, 2017, in the Music Pavilion on the GHC main campus in Aberdeen. Three concerts at the Bishop Center are planned for 2018 on January 14, March 25 and May 20. For more information, contact Tiffany Maki at 360-581-1241, tiffany.maki@ghc.edu.
