It’s time to “toot the horn” for the Chatfield Brass Band & Lending Library! On April 11, it was inducted into the Minnesota Music Hall of Fame. The Brass Band joins an elite group of 223 previous inductees which includes Bob Dylan, Judy Garland, Bobby Vee, Mollie Busta-Lange and the Minnesota Orchestra as well as many others.
The induction took place at Turner Hall in New Ulm. The Brass Band was asked to provide pictures, a history of the group and a CD of their favorite song to be displayed at the Minnesota Music Hall of Fame. About 21 members of the band were present at the induction.
During the event the Notochords from Rochester provided dinner music; a member of the group, Rick Keane, was also inducted into the Hall of Fame. The other five inductees included Chan Poling, Twin Cities Catholic Chorale, James “Cornbread” Harris, Cathy Erickson and Swede Wagner.
According to Director Carmen Narveson, the Brass Band was chosen after two letters of recommendation had been submitted to the selection committee. Rick Keane had actually nominated the band for the honor. “The committee chooses a broad spectrum of music,” Narveson noted. Inductees came from all over Minnesota.
Chatfield Brass Band was organized in 1969 by Chatfield attorney Jim Perkins. Western Days was just a few years old and Perkins recruited a band for the celebration. At first the band consisted of only men. Later wives and other women were allowed to join. The band began with only 13 members, but grew to 40 or 50 over the years.
Perkins was not a quitter – nothing discouraged him. He went to conventions around the country and set up a table, encouraging donations.
Lending Library Manager Jerel Nielsen enthused about Perkins’ great memory of titles and composers. When Perkins needed more music for his band, he decided other bands probably had the same need. The result was the Chatfield Music Lending Library. In 1973 the library was incorporated with tax-exempt status as a nonprofit. The library now has one of the most extensive collections of concert band music in the world.
At first, music was stored in the attic of Perkins’ house; after several moves as it expanded, a new library was built in 1981 on a farm owned by the Perkins family.
Nielsen shared that when he came to work there in 2017, 34 file cabinets of orchestra music were given to the Rochester Pops Orchestra. Files were double stacked with bankers’ boxes full stacked on top. Since then the top files have been taken down for safety.
The carefully organized files hold more than 50,000 pieces of music. Each year around 780 pieces are lent out; the music travels as far away as Finland, England, Italy, Malta and Australia. The Lending Library has its own website with a searchable list of available music. A lot of the music is no longer in print or is out of copyright.
Multiple copies and full band sets are available. Fees for a full set for members are $25; for non-members they are $30.
The library is supported with an anonymous grant of $10,000 to $11,000 that comes from a bank in New York City each year.
More music is often donated. Nielsen noted that he’d just received an email from a person in Cedar Falls who’ll be bringing in two to four more boxes of music.
Today’s 40-member Chatfield Brass Band is not just brass; it is a concert band and includes woodwinds and percussion. Director Carmen Narveson would like to add more brass. The band has five trumpets and three trombones with not a lot of percussion. Narveson selects her music carefully to suit her band.
The Brass Band always welcomes new members. Many of the members join the band after not having played since high school. Sometimes young people in high school and college join the band. Carmen considers this a good lesson for the youth; they learn that music is a life-long skill that keeps the brain active. “It’s amazing how many engineers have been in the band!” Narveson exclaimed.
Band members travel from Adams, Grand Meadow, Pine Island, Mabel, Iowa and the Wabasha-Kellogg area to play and practice with the Brass Band.
Rehearsals are currently held Thursday evenings at 7 p.m. in the Chatfield Elementary bandroom. Carmen remembers standing on a desk in the lending library building to direct the band for practices during COVID in April 2021 with the players socially distanced between the file cabinets. Usually practices were at the high school until the new elementary was built.
This summer the Chatfield Brass Band will be doing all the Music in the Park events. In the past, they had brought other bands or groups. The band has been working on 35 pieces for the series. The band has a lot of experience and a lot of younger people as well.
Narveson and the band are looking forward to playing for everyone at the Chatfield City Park at 7 p.m. for the Music in the Park series beginning June 11 through July 23. Be sure to mark those Thursdays on your calendars so you can enjoy some great music from one the recent inductees into the Minnesota Music Hall of Fame – the Chatfield Brass Band!
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