CarlisleBand.org

About Us

Who We Are

The Carlisle Town Band members come from Carlisle and the surrounding areas. The ensemble with members who range from teens to senior citizens include: music educators, teachers, business people, doctors, nurses, engineers, college students and high school students, etc.

New members are always welcome and any musician may join. There are no auditions or fees. Many members had not played their instrument in years but. through involvement in the organization, they have rediscovered the enjoyment of playing in a fully instrumented concert band.

The band's repertiore includes Patriotic music, marches, broadway, movie show tunes, polkas, waltzes, overtures, old time songs, comedy numbers-- there's something for everyone!

Members of the band are all volunteers and come from a multitude of different occupations. The Carlisle Band has a strong sense of community purpose and provides musical entertainment at community events. Admission is always free.

In particular, The Carlisle Town Band performs at retirement centers and nursing homes bringing musical entertainment to the special audience. The band is also one of a few marching community bands. They march in Memorial day parades, halloween parades and Christmas parades.

Band Director

Bernie Pitkin, Band Director

Bernie Pitkin received the Master of Music Education and the Bachelor of Arts degrees from the University of Massachusetts and served as the Director of Music for the public schools of Hadley, Massachusetts before moving to Pennsylvania.

He was, for several years, the low brass instructor and assistant director of bands for Allegheny College in Meadville, PA before moving to Shippensburg. He owns and operates The Band Shop, a wind instrument repair business in Shippensburg, and has been on the faculty at the Cumberland Valley School of Music since its inception in 1990. He has been the interim Director of Bands at Shippensburg University. Bernie’s performance credits include the Harrisburg Concert Band, Harrisburg Lyric Opera, the Allegheny Summer Music Festival, and various brass ensembles. He is currently teaching at Wilson College and and has taught at Shippensburg University.

Band Officers

2008 Officers

President	Craig Jurgensen
Vice President	Deb Hartman
Secretary	Bob Loy
Treasurer	Reinhard Beel
Director	Bernie Pitkin
Librarian	Joyce Shatto
Historian	Charles Sanders
Management Group:
-- Concert/Parade Scheduling	John McHugh
-- Rental Agent	Brenda Long
-- Equipment	Roger Wolf
Facilities Manager	Jerry Morgan
Uniform Manager	Judy Smith
Fundraising	Craig Jurgensen
Recruitment	Bill Shover
Trustees	Charles Sanders - term through 2010
	Kathy Petty - term through 2009
	Dr. Donald Roeder - term through 2009

The Carlisle Brass Band

The Carlisle Brass Band is a recent outgrowth of the concert band, which was organized to give our brass players a different kind of literature to play, and also to hearken back to the original concept of the Carlisle Band.

According to our recently published history, the original conception of our band, in the mid-nineteenth century, was as a brass band, and we hope to extend that tradition into the twenty-first century.

Of course, we will always maintain the present instrumentation of the concert band. In the future, we also hope to feature the other side of the band in some repertoire for woodwind ensemble.

Players Needed!

Interested in joining the Concert band? We are looking for the following instrumentalists:

Bassoon
Percussion

Please email us at info@carlisleband.org to inquire.