USAFE's concert band spreads
musical goodwill throughout Europe
By Kent Harris, Stars
and Stripes
Kent Harris / Stars and Stripes
Director Lt. Col. Denny Layendecker leads the United States Air Forces Europe Concert Band
in a performance in front of hundreds in the Italian city of Concordia. |
CONCORDIA, Italy — More than a dozen Italians, only a fraction of those present at
the U.S. Air Forces Europe Concert Band’s performance Tuesday night, looked
bewildered when a reporter tried to ask them questions in English.
Only two of them spoke that foreign language. The rest? Well, they just wanted to
listen to the music, whether or not they could actually understand the lyrics.
Music, as band director Lt. Col. Denny Layendecker says, isn’t really a language.
But that doesn’t stop the band from spreading the command’s message of goodwill
across countries where USAFE does business.
"We’re a tool," Layendecker said before the performance. "And a
very effective tool. I’ve seen this band open doors."
Layendecker has been leading the band for about six years. That’s more than 2,000
performances at functions ranging from changes of command to concerts for local nationals
like those in Concordia, an ancient city about an hour’s drive from Aviano Air Base.
It was the band’s fifth of six concerts in the area. The fourth in the larger port
city of Trieste a night earlier drew one of the largest audiences Layendecker said the
band has performed in front of by itself. About 900 seats were set up. People kept coming
until there were about 3,000 gathered, he said.
"By the time we were done, they were worried about people falling into the
water," he said, referring to the performance venue close to the Adriatic Sea.
Concordia’s turnout wasn’t nearly as large, probably between 300 and 400. But
it was the first time the entire band had performed there. Layendecker said that when the
band returns to a venue it has played before, attendance often grows substantially.
He recalls a venue in the former East Germany where the band was greeted with little
more than polite applause its first year. By the end of the concert the second year, the
audience responded "like we just hit a grand slam down by three runs with two outs in
the ninth. It was just a roar."
The band is used to getting a few claps here and there. Based in Sembach, Germany, it
will perform between 340 and 360 times before the year is up. For the Italy trip, about 45
of the 60 members gathered their instruments and loaded them up in two buses and set off.
Only about a quarter of the band’s performances are for local nationals. With a large
geographic area to cover and so many dates, "our logistics are nuts,"
Layendecker said.
Was it worth it? Back to those two Italians who did speak English.
"I think it’s very good for this town, such a small town, that they’re
here," said Concordia resident Elisa Sedrra. Her favorite part? The singing of Senior
Airman Michele Feliccia.
Sedrra said she was surprised by the variety of music the band played. And she
wasn’t the only one.
"We’re not used to this kind of music," Alessandra Bozzetto said.
"It’s very good."
Mission accomplished.
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