Batavia Concert Band gives nod of appreciation, tribute, plenty of music during opening night

Centennial Park came alive again Wednesday with the sounds of Batavia Concert Band's music in its 99th season, and the evening included a recognition of GO ART!'s support, and a tribute to former music teachers Neil and Nancy Hartwick, who left indelible notes on the hearts of many former music students from the city school district.

Batavia Concert Band presented GO ART! with the Friend of the Band Award for giving a grant of $5,000 that will be used for equipment, licensing music, chairs, sound, and percussion instruments, band leader Jason Smith said. 

Neil Hartwick was a prominent presence at the Batavia City School District, and Nancy taught mostly at Attica and at times in Batavia, while both were adored and respected for their talent roles as musical leaders in the community, band member and tuba player Peter Mark said.

“They were both wonderful people. She was a flutist, and Neil was clarinet and saxophone. Back in high school, I had him during my years in 1970 and ’71. I was out by then, but he had an excellent jazz band and he and the Sertoma Club, along about the early 70s, somewhere in there, were the ones that formed the Batavia Pageant of Bands.

"So if you're familiar with that era, you may remember the Memorial Day weekend with all of these bands from all over the area coming down and marching through the streets and having a great time,” Mark said. “Neil and Nancy were both really close to their students. And most of us that came through a program with Neil or Nancy just remember they were wonderful friends. They were more than just teachers, more than just the average teacher. They were friends with all of their students. We had a great time with them.”

When Neil died in 2017, Nancy asked that a Memorial Fund be established to benefit Batavia Concert Band, and memorials have gone to the fund ever since. Earlier this year, Nancy died in January, and the fund was renamed the Neil and Nancy Hartwick Memorial Fund, and their wish was to support the concert band via memorial contributions, Mark said.

“We've named the fund the Neil and Nancy Hartwick fund in honor of both of them," Mark said. "And former students contribute to that fund that we pay, we have other people as well, of course, and to keeping their legacy going.”

The concert band will play a  seven-week free series at Centennial Park at 7 p.m. every Wednesday through the summer.  

To donate, please make your check payable to: The Batavia Concert Band, and Mail to: Batavia Concert Band, PO Box 1705, Batavia, NY, 14021-1705. On the bottom of your check, please indicate the name Nancy Hartwick. Or those with a Venmo account, send to @bataviaconcertband.

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Photos by Steve Ognibene.