On most Monday nights, Paul Hawkins, a retired U.S. Postal Service carrier, lugs a French horn in a black case to a small instrumental music room at Trinity Christian School in Forest Hills.

Mr. Hawkins, 72, is one of about 60 members of the East Winds Symphonic Band, a community band comprising musicians from mostly east suburban communities that has been performing in the area for 25 years.

   Listen in

Hear samples from the East Winds Symphonic Band:

"Olympiada" by Pittsburgh composer Samuel R. Hazo.

"Cakewalk" from the "Suite of Old American Dances" by Robert Russell Bennett.

"Strike Up the Band" by George and Ira Gershwin; arranged by Warren Barker.

For more information, visit the East Winds Symphonic Band 's Web site.

   

"It's something to do on a Monday night," said Mr. Hawkins, of Monroeville, on a recent cold Monday night. He was there for rehearsal for the band's Christmas concert, to be held at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Franklin Regional Middle School in Murrysville.

Mr. Hawkins, an 18-year member of the band, started playing the French horn as a teenager. "I was 16 when I took up music and I loved playing the French horn," he said.

A musician who longed to perform, Mr. Hawkins said he never had a chance to truly pursue his love of playing the horn until he joined the band. Members say it has grown over the years because of people like Mr. Hawkins who were just looking for an outlet for the music within them.

That is how the band was formed in the fall of 1981, said Roger Schneider, one of its founding members.

"We were a group of friends who enjoyed playing instruments and we played in a number of small bands here in the eastern suburbs," Mr. Schneider said.

"We came together and decided to start a symphonic band for people in the community who love music and want to pursue their interest of playing in a band but didn't really have a chance," he said.

Since then, the band, which started out with a small number of people holding their rehearsals in the small basement of a Methodist church in Wilkinsburg, has grown by leaps and bounds.

"What amazes me is that, since we started playing together, the band has almost tripled in size because of people who enjoy playing music," said Mr. Schneider, 62, a plant manager at American Thermoplastic Co, in O'Hara.

"We are a diverse group with a broad range of life experiences," said Mr. Schneider, a baritone horn player. But, over the years, as the band grew, its demographics changed to a certain extent.

The band now has more younger people than it once did, and it comprises a cross-section of people from different fields of work, study and profession.

Bill Wade, Post-Gazette
Director Susan Sands leads the band during rehearsal.
Click photo for larger image.

"Our members are college students, teachers, engineers, public employees, bus drivers, retirees and even some professional musicians," said Susan Sands, the band's conductor since 1990.

"We are not just a band, we are a community group," she said, adding that the band performs in about 10 concerts or festivals a year.

The East Winds Symphonic Band recently celebrated its 25th anniversary at an October concert at Rodef Shalom in Shadyside, a venue the band has been performing in since its early years.

The band will host the fourth annual Three Rivers Community Band Festival in May, featuring performances by the North Suburban Symphonic Band, the West Hills Symphonic Band and the Community Band South.

A stay-at-home mother of three, Ms. Sands, 47, of Sewickley, is the third conductor to stand at the helm of the band since its inception.

An oboist, Ms. Sands joined the East Winds Symphonic Band in 1988. She holds a bachelor's degree in music from Susquehanna University and a master's degree in education from Penn State.

"Conducting a band like this is a great thrill. It's like playing a giant instrument," she said before leading off the rehearsal with a simple but meticulous right hand gesture of her baton.

Tickets to the concert cost $10; $5 for seniors and students. Tickets are available in advance by calling 724-327-7922 or 412-953-7917. Tickets will be available at the door if the concert is not sold out.

First Published: November 30, 2006, 5:00 a.m.