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Member Information
AHCB Hall of Fame
Carol Commerford
- Flute & Conductor
- Member 1987-Present
- Hall of Fame Class of 2024
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Carol Commerford has been one of our conductors since 1987. She played a role in the band’s incorporation, has decades of volunteering on committees, and initiated some of our unique community outreach programs.
Carol joined the band in Feb 1987, after hearing about it from her college friend Sandy Stoeckel. A trained musician and music educator, she was well qualified to take on conducting duties in late 1987. She and Sandy made a dynamic team as co-conductors for over 35 years, sharing the huge responsibility of choosing the right mix of music for the Band as it grew musically, and then preparing the band to play well. Carol was comically known to say in rehearsal, “Straight-through, no-stops!” only to stop anyway when something didn’t go well. The band would tease her about it, but we all understood that part of having fun is playing well. And, if you saw the Post-it® notes on her scores every week marking specific spots to work on, you would start to comprehend the amount of time she spends preparing for each rehearsal, so that the band does play well at each and every concert. She continues to conduct the band today.
Carol didn’t stop her volunteering at conducting duties. She connected the band with a professional legal organization to aid in establishing the band’s non-profit status and collaborated in the writing of charter, bylaws and policies. She served on the very first Executive Board, led the Conductors Committee numerous times, revitalized the Social Committee, and currently leads the Performance Committee, which organizes the 20+ concerts the band does each year.
Carol was the lead on several of our unique community outreach activities. In 1998 and 1999, the band hosted a Community Band Weekend, open to band musicians from across the area. With nationally known clinicians, these sessions were a chance to recreate our high school band camp experiences without having to learn marching routines. Carol also led the implementation of what is now known as the René Sanders After Hours Community Band Scholarship at the Community Music School of Webster University which has funded private lessons for students of band instruments since the early 2000s. Assisting her friend Bob Meeks, she played a role in establishing the Sounds of Missouri Band and Chorus, which allowed AHCB members and others to play their way across England, Germany/Austria, and Ireland on three different trips from 1993-1997.
Carol brought her excellent musical talents to the band as well. Besides conducting, she has been a leading member of the AHCB flute section, and a key soloist on flute and piccolo. She has played in and organized many different ensembles for our Ensemble Concerts, including The Schnapps Sisters and MeMes vocal groups, flute ensembles, and clarinet/flute duets. And she recently formed the AHCB Jazz Band to serve band members who craved this style of performance also providing an option for smaller venues.
For her countless hours of conducting preparation, rehearsals and committee work, and her enthusiasm, creativity and musicianship, we selected Carol for the Hall of Fame. Carol reflected on what the band has meant to her over the 38 years (and counting) of her participation and leadership:
“In addition to a cherished musical outlet for me, the AHCB is a home where I have developed lifelong friendships with the best people on earth, some of whom essentially became part of my family.”
