History
The Dryden Area Intergenerational Band & Chorus was organized by Jody Earle in 1996 to provide music for the year-long Town of Dryden Bicentennial celebrations. Although the initial groups were small, the members had such fun participating in the summers of 1996 and 1997 that the ensembles continued beyond the bicentennial. Over twenty years later, the organization continues to provide a free family activity each summer that encourages intergenerational sharing and music-making.
Jody decided to a step back from the leadership of the group and in 2015 a Board of Directors was formed to run the organization with her guidance. Today, a Board of 5 volunteers organize the summer season program through year-long organizational meetings and work days. The Earle Family still plays an integral role in the leadership of this group.
Music Directors
Band
1996-1997: Bill Cushman
1997-2003: Robert Bruns
2004-2008: Elizabeth Eleck
2009: Richard Huyge
2010-2015: Elizabeth Eleck
2016-2022: Robert Oldroyd
2023: Skyler Roswell
Chorus
1997-2001: Rachel Dickinson
2002-2003: Christine Bruns
2004-2009: Barbara Saroka
2010-2021: Jennifer Rafferty
2022: Robert Manners
2023: Scott Miller
Past Programs
Evan, Brian, Jody & Corey Earle at DAIB&C Concert 2015
"The Dryden Fair March"
In 1996, sheet music for piano titled "The Dryden Fair March," copyright 1894, was discovered in the Dryden Historical Society archives. The late Malcolm Lewis, a retired Ithaca College music professor and composer, created a band arrangement of the piece for the Dryden Area Intergenerational Band (or Dryden Community Band, as it was called at the time). The arrangement aims to capture the typical instrumentation and sound of an early nineteenth century community band, and the song remained one of the signature pieces of the ensemble for many years.
20th Anniversary Celebration
In 2015, the organization celebrated its 20th anniversary by commissioning local composer Sally Lamb McCune to write a new piece for combined band and chorus. Her piece, titled "The Heart of the Tree," was set to a poem by Henry Cuyler Bunner (1855-1896), who was born in Oswego, NY. The text captures the long-lasting impact of growing something for future generations, which seemed an appropriate way to honor the growth of the Dryden Area Intergenerational Band & Chorus since its modest beginnings.
"The Heart of the Tree"
by Henry Cuyler Bunner (1855-1896)
What does he plant who plants a tree?
He plants a friend of sun and sky;
He plants the flag of breezes free;
The shaft of beauty, towering high;
He plants a home to heaven anigh;
For song and mother-croon of bird
In hushed and happy twilight heard—
The treble of heaven’s harmony—
These things he plants who plants a tree.
What does he plant who plants a tree?
He plants cool shade and tender rain,
And seed and bud of days to be,
And years that fade and flush again;
He plants the glory of the plain;
He plants the forest’s heritage;
The harvest of a coming age;
The joy that unborn eyes shall see—
These things he plants who plants a tree.
What does he plant who plants a tree?
He plants, in sap and leaf and wood,
In love of home and loyalty
And far-cast thought of civic good—
His blessings on the neighborhood,
Who in the hollow of His hand
Holds all the growth of all our land—
A nation’s growth from sea to sea
Stirs in his heart who plants a tree.