THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, June 29, 1994 TAG: 9406280142
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 10 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MARLENE FORD, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: 940629 LENGTH: Medium
This summer the Tidewater Winds concert band begins its 10th season. From marches to opera overtures to Broadway show tunes, the band presents 23 free concerts for fair-weather music lovers.
{REST} Wielding the baton in front of the group for those same 10 years is founder and conductor, Sidney Berg.
``Don't you know how I got the idea?'' he asked, leaning onto a sprawl of musical scores. ``I was attending a music conference and I had just heard the ODU and the VCU concert bands in performance. Why, that set me off like an old fire horse. Why not some summer concerts for wind players in the Virginia Symphony?''
At that time, Berg was principal timpanist of the symphony as well as director of music education for the Norfolk Public Schools.
Marching to his own beat, which colleagues will say is typical for this gravel-voiced, white-haired, robust figure, Berg pulled in the support. Favors, endorsements, money. They came from his bosses in the Norfolk Public Schools right on down to former music students.
That first year the school provided rehearsal facilities, the large instruments - xylophone, bass drums - music stands and some in-school printing. (The Tidewater Winds remains a project of Norfolk Public Schools with numerous other public and private funding sources.)
``I called one of my old Maury band students, Joe Vita, who was the head of one of the big grocery chains,'' Berg recalled. ``He said he was too busy to meet with me, but what did I want. `Twenty-five hundred dollars to sponsor a concert,' I said.
`` `You got it' was the answer.''
He also got another Norfolk band student, James Hosay, to compose a festive concert opener, called ``High Tide.''
So with a combination of some Virginia Symphony wind players, civilian and military musicians and some high school players, the band began making music. From the first summer, the concerts have been in the Sousa band tradition.
Showman, as well as impresario, Berg is a jaunty image in his nautical whites as he leads the group. It's music from classical transcriptions to virtuosic solos to snappy marches. It's a little something for everybody, and always family entertainment.
Berg hesitates, probably for dramatic affect, when asked about the most memorable of these programs.
``A real high point was the time the Russian navy was in town and their commanding officer appeared as guest conductor,'' Berg said. ``Some people think I had this all rigged ahead of time, because the concert title was ``The Russians Return,'' he said. ``But last year we played a concert called `The Russians Are Coming,' and this just meant we were playing more Russian music - `Russian Sailor's Dance,' `Romeo and Juliet.' ''
He added, ``That concert we made the front page of the newspapers.''
There have been other highs: an appearance by Frank Scimonelli, retired post horn soloist with the U.S. Navy Band; their first concert in the lovely Wells Theater and solos by many local musicians.
The concerts have always been free. But the venue has changed over the years. Because of the weather, most of the concerts are now indoors. However, each season brings new musical high points, and this summer should be no exception. The weekly themes include: ``The Music of America,'' ``Evening at the Pops,'' ``The Music of Broadway,'' ``Concert Favorites'' and ``A Broadway Spectacular.''
by CNB