Submitted by Brian Wuerch
This spring marks the five-year anniversary of the Hamilton County Community Band (HCCB). To celebrate, the band will perform a concert on Sunday, March 19 as a thank you to the community and to recognize those band members who have served with the band all five years.
HCCB, with 80-plus volunteer members, was formed on Feb. 25, 2018, with a meeting between current Director Brian Swart, Noblesville Schools Band Director Eric Thornbury, and director of the Fishers Community Chorus Marc Feeney. These three men saw a need for a true community concert band in Hamilton County.
“Our mission is to have a ‘FUN’ atmosphere that is inviting to all musicians,” Swart said.
HCCB performs multiple concerts in and around the Hamilton County area. Rehearsals are held weekly on Sunday evenings at Noblesville High School.
To further commemorate the fifth anniversary, the band commissioned a piece by prolific composer Sean Sumwalt. The piece, titled “The Road Home,” is based on the folk style choral work of Stephen Paulus. Sumwalt’s original iteration was written for the Spirit of Muncie Band and Guard and was performed during the 2022 Band Day at the Indiana State Fair.
Speaking to his process in creating this arrangement, Sumwalt said, “I’m a very visual person, so I had to create an emotional roadmap throughout the arrangement.”
As the song unfolds, the listener can sense the 10 emotional landmarks beginning with innocence and, in the final bars, a sense of oneness.
A well-known composer especially in the arena of independent filmmakers, Sumwalt’s works have been featured in the California Independent Film Festival, The Catalina Film Festival, the H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival, the Indie Gathering, The Cleveland International Film Fest, the Terror Film Festival, the Big Island Film Festival, among many others. His score for SARGE won “Best Music in a Film” at the 2016 Reading Film Festival and has worked on the hit Netflix docu-drama series Chef’s Table. While writing for Chef’s Table, the show was nominated for an Emmy two years in a row (2015-16) for Outstanding Music Composition for a Series.
Composer Sean Sumwalt in rehearsal with the Hamilton County Community Band. (Photo by Brian Wuerch)
Sumwalt holds a Bachelor of Music in Composition from Butler University and a Scoring for Motion Pictures and Television Graduate Certificate from The University of Southern California. He is a member of ASCAP as both a composer and publisher. He is also an adjudicator with the Central States Judges Association (CSJA).
Many HCCB band members are currently or have been band and music teachers and will take the podium as guest conductors throughout the evening. Guest conductors include many familiar names in the Indiana music education scene: Mark Sands, Mel Carpenter, Melissa Johnson, Toni Bays, Sabin Martinez, Joe Poio, and Eric Thornbury. Sumwalt will also be present to conduct the commissioned piece, “The Road Home.”
Please consider joining the celebration with the band and lead director Brian Swart at 7 p.m. on Sunday, March 19 in the Noblesville High School Auditorium. A free will offering will be collected to help with purchase of new music and equipment. HCCB also welcomes corporate sponsors. Information can be found at hamiltoncountycommunityband.com.