The newly formed Ramona Town Hall Brass Band is a community based ensemble comprised of working adult musicians and select high school age musicians.  Although primarily based in the town of Ramona, many “plank owning” members live outside of the town limits yet willingly participate to perpetuate the concept of the small-town band from the turn of the 19^th to 20^th centuries of the American past.

 

The band has a repertoire spanning the beginning period of wind band music in the US and prefers to keep a limit to this up to the first decade of the 20^th century.  For special occasions the time line can be stretched and appropriate music is performed, but to keep to the band’s image and theme, the best era is the Sousa era.

 

The actual story of the band is paralleled to a typical town band of that time in many ways.  Bands of that period held the Sousa band as the ideal, so our “look” and feel are along that vein.  Our appearance is typical of a town band on a limited budget.  As in the Sousa band ear, many musicians are military veterans and local students mentor with the “Old Salts’ within.  The attire reflects this in that at a concert or ceremonial situation, those that have served proudly wear their uniforms, and they get the young ones dressed as best they can.  Perhaps there is a musician or two who never served, so they would be seen in their Sunday best on those occasions.

 

Membership in the band is decided by the director, and it is expected that a prospective musician first: be able to play a brass or percussion instrument and second: read music well enough to not need rudimentary instruction during a very limited schedule of rehearsals.  Each member is expected to gradually acquire the proper attire to keep the look of the band as intended.

 

By name, the brass band excludes woodwinds, except a piccolo, but this shouldn’t discourage woodwind players from contacting the director.  If enough woodwind players are found, then we can augment the brass to form a modern wind band for concert performances as well having the brass band for Town Hall events.

 

To find out more, email the director,  Ken Serfass at ramonatownband@yahoo.com

 

 

Ramona Town Hall Brass Band Member Biographies

 

	Kenneth J. Serfass Bandmaster, Ramona Town Hall Brass Band Conductor, Tubist, Composer, Teacher

Ken is a retired US Marine Gunnery Sgt having served as a musician his entire 20-year career.  A Pennsylvania native and transplanted San Diegan, he is very active in Southern California as a performer and music educator.  He has guest-conducted and been a clinician at several area high school music festivals for a number of years.  His love of American Civil War history has led to a position in Old Town San Diego State Park as a historical impressionist and leader of a brass band for the park, the Washington Square Citizens Brass Band of San Diego.   Since retiring from the Marine Corps in 2004, he has been the arranger and brass coach for Ramona High School’s Royal Alliance band and is also brass coach for the San Diego Youth Symphony ensembles.  He plays tuba with and conducts the Kearny Mesa Concert Band at Mesa College and is the staff arranger/ composer now for 7 years.  He also has played tuba with and conducted the Hollywood Wind Ensemble of Los Angeles, is a founding member of the 2nd US Cavalry Brass Band, founded a brass quintet, the Hidden Valley Brass and the newly formed Ramona Town Hall Brass Band.    Before returning to San Diego in 2002, Ken was founding conductor of the Crystal Coast Community Orchestra while serving as Enlisted Bandleader with the 2nd Marine Division in North Carolina.  He also studied advanced conducting techniques with JoAnn Falletta of the Virginia and Buffalo (NY) Symphonies during that period.  In recent years Ken has been active in the drum and bugle corps activity on the east coast, traveling to New Jersey to play contra bass bugle in the Bayonne Bridgemen Alumni Drum and Bugle Corps and this is where he met his wife, Gail who was a member of the corps’ color guard and a local teacher..  She has recently moved to California after they married and they live in Ramona.                          Ken has developed quite a catalogue of arrangements and compositions for all sorts of ensembles, but of all his accomplishments, he will say he is most proud of his daughter Erin, his “Punkin”.

	Ed Nystrom Ramona Town Hall Brass Band Euphonium

Our charter member who makes the trek from Redondo Beach to Ramona, Ed Nystrom represents a Civil War veteran, who is now  a member of the fraternal "GAR", the Grand Army of The Republic of the 1890's period.   Forty-Five years after high school Ed bought an old euphonium and got back into music.  Now he plays in the annual Tuba Christmas celebration in Los Angeles, The Long Beach City College Evening Wind Symphony, The 2nd Cav/Brigade Brass Band and the Ramona Town Hall Brass Band.    He is pictured here with a true period horn of the 1860's which he uses enthusiastically at Civil War re-enactmetns in Southern California.   In the Civil War re-enactor community he is affectionately known as:   "Pvt. Ed the ORG (old retired guy)"

	Joe Furfuro Ramona Town Hall Brass Band Coronet, Trumpet, and Bugle

Joe Furfuro has been playing for 25 years on B-flat & E-flat cornet, B-flat trumpet and Soprano bugle.    He enjoys playing all over the San Diego area and performs in several bands such as  Kearny Mesa Concert Band, San Diego Concert Band, Mesa College Jazz Band, Old Town Washington Square Citizens Brass  Band Of San Diego, the 2nd US Cavalry Brass Band, the Ramona Town Hall Brass Band, and was in the Kingsmen Drum and Bugle Corps, Anaheim CA, the very first winner of the Drum Corps International World Title in 1971 and 1972.   Joe's band appearance sets him apart and represents those in civilian life who play an instrument and wish to perform along side the veterans in the local town band.  It was true in the 1890's and still true today.

	Terry Graves Ramona Town Hall Brass Band Trombone

Terry Graves was born in Murphy, NC which is nestled in the heart of the Appalachian Mountains .  He was introduced to the trombone in the eighth grade at Ranger Middle School.  Terry studied Bass Trombone with Dr. Robert Kehrberg at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee , NC and Tenor Trombone with Mr. Jerald Shynett at The University of North Carolina at Wilmington where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Music Performance.    He has played in several professional ensembles including; the Smokey Mountain British Brass Band, the Tuckaseegee Trombone Quartet,  the Peninsula Trombone Choir, the Wilmington Symphony in Wilmington, NC, and the Bremerton Symphony in Bremerton, Washington.   Currently Terry is a member of the Kearny Mesa Concert Band, the Old Town Washington Square Citizens Brass Band, the Ramona Town Hall Band, and he is the Bass Trombonist for the San Diego Festival Chorus.  He also volunteers his time playing and arranging music for his Church Praise Band.   Terry is a member of Kappa Kappa Psi, National Honorary Band Fraternity.   Terry is married to his beautiful wife Mary, who is a Medical Service Corps officer in the United States Navy and they have an eight year old daughter, Katlyn, who is developing into a very talented organist.

 

 

MORE BIOGRAPHIES TO FOLLOW. . . . . . . . . . . .