Alliance Classical Players

Inducted 2024

 

During the summer of 2005, longtime friends, native Romans and professional musicians/music educators Colleen Reilly O’Neil and Kristin Kelly Hahn, decided that Rome needed a professional-level concert band that would provide outstanding performances, free and open to the public. They modeled the concept on the former Rome Civic Band, which performed under the direction of John Flaver Sr in the 1970’s, and Herb Geller’s RFA Wind Ensemble and Alumni Band, which presented concerts in downtown Rome during the 1980’s and early 90’s. With the help of the City of Rome Parks Department, and with a grant from CNY Arts, Rome Community Concert Band (RCCB) presented its inaugural season in the summer of 2006 with two outdoor pops concerts in downtown Rome. The mission of the RCCB has been to promote a sense of community and enhanced quality of life by presenting entertaining musical performances of high artistic merit. All performances were free and open to the public. All of the musicians contracted by the RCCB were professionally trained; most made their living playing and teaching music, and all were recognized for their superior performance skills. Many hailed from Rome; but some also came from other areas throughout the Central NY region.

From 2006 to 2013, RCCB worked closely with the City of Rome and Rome School District to present concerts at locations such as Fort Stanwix National Monument, The Green at City Hall, Gansevoort Park and the former bandshell at Franklyn’s Field, with rain locations at RFA and the Capitol Theater. Over the years, the band was conducted by Michael Cirmo, Anthony Joseph, and Mike DiMeo, and enjoyed guest solo appearances by vocalists Scott Rutledge and Andrea Falvo, trumpet player Pat Carney, and clarinetist Jeffrey Geller, to name a few.

Having a professional concert band in a small city is an expensive task that requires collaboration of many sources. In 2014, when resources began to be less than what is required to put up the band, RCCB shifted to a chamber music model, enabling the group to present more concerts with less available funding, and less dependence on other entities. In July of that year, RCCB presented a successful small-ensemble series of concerts at Rome Art and Community Center as part of the “Summer Nights Music Series.” Chamber music concerts continued in 2015 and 2016, when RCCB collaborated with Jervis Library to present a summer concert series. The concerts were a mix of classical, jazz and children’s programming and met with appreciative acclaim by audiences. Alliance Classical Players (ACP), a chamber music group made up of RCCB musicians, performed during each of those 2014-2016 summer seasons.

Since 2017, ACP has made its home at Rome Art and Community Center (RACC), with the music series “Classical at the Center.” Past concerts have included pieces for chamber music ensembles of varying sizes, from selections for solo piano to works for a 13-piece wind ensemble. The series is held in the rooms of RACC’s beautiful mansion, and features food, drinks and mingling over music meant for an intimate chamber setting. Alliance Classical Players is set to present its tenth season of in-person concerts with a series called “Milestones and Memories.”  Concerts will include classical, contemporary music, family concerts and jazz.

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