When Joseph Martin conducts for the Denver Municipal Band, he’s usually approached by people. Sometimes it’s for the music, but mostly, it’s to share their tradition with him.
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“The parents come, or the grandparents come up to me and say, ‘You know what? I listened to the band when I was my grandkids' age, and my grandparents brought me here,’” Martin said.
He’s watched for years as the little kids dance their hearts out in front of the stage and their parents hand the torch off from generation to generation. It’s extra special to Martin as the band celebrates its 165th anniversary this year.
The Denver Municipal Band has set a record, too, as the oldest continuously playing professional concert band in the nation. It formed back in 1861, more than a decade before Colorado became a state. The musicians brought Denver together as it was developing.
“People, as it started to become a city, thought, ‘What we need to have is community, we need to bring people together for activities,’” Martin said. “A professional ensemble was necessary for them to do all those things, and ever since then, the band has been doing that.”
Today, the band has several different ensembles that vary in size and purpose, from a 40-piece concert band to a three-piece woodwind trio. The organization is largely known for its concerts in the park. They’re always free with the intention of getting the whole community together.
“All you gotta do is bring a dog and a picnic basket and a smile, and go sit on the grass in the beautiful parks,” Martin said. “It’s a huge equalizer, getting access to some of the best cultural offerings here.”
The band has brainstormed several new ideas to debut in their concerts. Later this year, they plan to feature some aerial dancing from Denver Dance at a concert, or for the 4th of July concert, they plan to have Denver council members read the words of Abraham Lincoln while the band plays a patriotic song.
But the band stays true to its traditions. Martin recalled a time when he removed the annual armed forces salute, where Veterans get recognized for their service.
“This veteran came up to me, and he said, ‘I come here every year expecting that I can get recognized for my service, and you took that away,’ and I thought, ‘Never again,’” Martin said. “These people, they come there, and it's a big deal for them and their families.”
The band has also met people where they’re at and performed at schools and jails. Endsley wants to ensure that cultural resources are not just available to those with resources.
“Our whole mission is to kind of build community through music,” Shane Endsley, Director of Educational Outreach for the band, said. “It's more than just a band, it's like this whole organization that's really inclusive and adaptive.”
The band has built a community even within Endsley’s family. His dad, Gerald, played the trumpet for the band when he was finishing up high school, and in the late 80s, he became the conductor. It wasn’t long before Shane followed suit.
“I started playing with the band when I was kind of about that same age, when I was sort of 17 or 18,” Endsley said. “My mother played principal flute in the Denver school band for almost 40 years, and my sister played for a while. We've had a lot of family involvement, and that's how I kind of am involved now.”
Endsley and Martin hope the Denver Municipal Band continues to be a community service and institution while also building traditions for those who listen 100 years from now.
The Denver Municipal Band’s next free concert is Friday at The Savoy in Denver at 7 p.m. More details and upcoming concert locations can be found on the Denver Municipal Band’s website.
