Jim Cash got a master's degree in music. He spent four years as the lead trombone player in the U.S. Army's touring band in Washington, D.C. But when he became a Navy officer, he stopped playing for almost 14 years.
Now he's back, playing music again. A lot of that is thanks to the Salt Lake Symphonic Winds. "All of us are kind of the same way. We remember what it was like when we played all the time in college and performed. We enjoy making music together as a group and trying to convey that feeling and the sounds to the audience. That's why we do it. That's why you get the guys that drive down from Logan and all the way up from Utah County to be part of this."
One of those people who drive all the way down from Logan every Tuesday night for rehearsals is the band's director, Thomas Rohrer, who is already busy as Utah State University's director of bands. Why does he do it? "The raw enthusiasm of folks that are playing instruments at a very high level for the sheer enjoyment of playing," said Rohrer. "These are folks that are from all walks of life. Some of them are music teachers and they're just using this to keep themselves sharp and continue professional growth, and others are just folks that enjoy playing the instruments.
"And they play at such a high level that you put that combination together and it's really pretty fun to be with these folks."
Now in its 13th season, the group is in better shape than ever. Last year, the Salt Lake Symphonic Winds made its debut at the Sugarhouse Fourth of July celebration, with an audience of roughly 60,000 people. This year, the group will play for the national convention of the MENC, the National Association for Music Education — an honor that Rohrer describes as "prestigious." And the performance calendar is full.
The season starts Wednesday with a concert that will include Viewmont High School and Bountiful Junior High. "More than half of our concerts are just us playing alone," said Rohrer, "but one or two concerts a year we like to have with an outside group, whether it be a high school or sometimes a junior college or something like that.
"Sometimes that gives us a chance to not only build a little bit more of an audience but also reach out and show folks that you don't have stop playing your instrument when you graduate from high school."
The next concert will be a festival of sorts, a warm-up for the holiday season in St. Mary's Catholic Church in Park City. In February, the group will heat things up in Ogden with a fiesta, combining with Ogden High's band for some Mexican- and Spanish-influenced music.
In April, Rohrer is issuing an invitation for all comers to "Meet the Salt Lake Symphonic Winds," the title of its concert at Temple Square. For people who haven't heard the group before, Rohrer said this will be a good opportunity to become familiar. "Also, I wanted to use a couple of soloists from the band in that one, so they'll get to meet us individually, as well."
The final concert, titled "Energico Furioso," will feature a lot of quick showpieces, with flourishes and overtures. And then next summer, the group will reprise last year's success at Sugarhouse Park.
One thing that Rohrer hopes people will discover is that "a band of this nature is every bit as legitimate as a symphony orchestra, and bands don't just play marches, they play a wide variety of things."
The band members know that, so every Tuesday night the financial analysts, social workers, medical writers and music educators continue to gather.
If you would like to be a member of the Salt Lake Symphonic Winds, contact manager Chris Earl at cearl@dsdmail.net. To request a concert, contact Salt Lake Symphonic Winds president Jim Cash at jcashsprint01@earthlink.net
If you go
What: Salt Lake Symphonic Winds, Bountiful Junior High School Chorus
Where: Viewmont High School, 120 W. 1000 North, Bountiful
When: Wednesday, 7:30 p.m.
How much: free
Web: www.slc.k12.ut.us/staff/briblo/slsw/index.html
Also
Nov. 29: St. Mary's Catholic Church, Park City, 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 28, 2006: Ogden High School, Ogden, 7:30 p.m.
April 8: Assembly Hall, Temple Square, 7:30 p.m.
April 20: MENC Conference, 5:15 p.m.
May 16: Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center, 7:30 p.m.
July 4: Sugarhouse Park, time to be announced
E-mail: rcline@desnews.com