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About

The National Concert Band of America (NCBA) was founded in 1974 by veterans and legendary players from each of the Washington-area military service bands. As such, our heritage lies in the history and traditions of the Military Bands of the U.S. Armed Forces. Currently, our membership includes veterans of our country's great military service bands, as well as civilian musicians who have demonstrated outstanding instrumental proficiency and musicianship.

Mission

Mission

To promote the traditions of the American Concert Band through masterful performances.

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  • To be a premier volunteer concert band.

  • To provide a continuing musical experience to highly qualified musicians in the greater Washington, D.C, area in the spirit of music as a lifetime avocation.

  • To perform a wide variety of music in the tradition of the great concert bands for the enjoyment of audiences and musicians.

  • To perform in honor of military service members, veterans, and America’s patriots.

  • To foster the development and growth of music education by being role models for the lifelong pursuit of musical excellence.

Vision

Conductor
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Music Director
Principal Conductor

Wolson Gustama

Wolson Gustama is the eighth Music Director and Principal Conductor of the National Concert Band of America and currently serves as the Director of Bands for West Springfield High School in Springfield, Virginia. In his role, Gustama oversees nearly 160 students in several ensembles, including the West Springfield High School Wind Symphony, Symphonic Band, Concert Band, the WSHS Spartan Marching Band, Jazz Band, and numerous chamber ensembles.

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Prior to his work at West Springfield, Mr. Gustama served as the director of bands for Dutchtown High School in Hampton, Georgia. Under his leadership, the band was invited to several prestigious events, including the Georgia Music Educators Association (GMEA) In-Service Conference, the University of Georgia January Festival “Janfest”, the Southeastern United States Concert Band Clinic (SEUS) at Troy University, the Music for All Southeastern Regional Concert Festival at Georgia State University and the University of South Carolina Honor Band Clinic. Before joining Dutchtown High School, Gustama served as the assistant director of bands at Stephenson High School in Stone Mountain, Georgia.

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He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music Education from Bethune-Cookman University, a Master of Music in Music Education from Florida State University, and an Educational Specialist Degree (EdS) from Piedmont College. He is the National Band Association (NBA) committee chair for the William P. Foster Project. He holds memberships with the Virginia Band and Orchestra Directors Association (VBODA), Virginia Music Educators Association (VMEA), National Band Association (NBA), Phi Beta Mu International Bandmaster’s Association, and the National Association for Music Educators (NAFME). Gustama is a native of Brooklyn, New York, and currently resides in Arlington, Virginia, with his fiancé, Sergeant First Class Adiza Jibril, and their dog, Sushi.

Assistant Conductor
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Associate Conductor

William R. Terry

William R. Terry, Master Chief Musician, USN (Ret.) is a native of Glens Falls, NY and began playing the clarinet in the fifth grade. For 55 years, he has been a professional clarinetist, music educator and conductor.

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Mr. Terry began his 30-year career as a Navy Musician in 1966 with the position of staff instructor at the Armed Forces School of Music in Little Creek, VA. As part of his duties, Mr. Terry wrote a conducting curriculum and taught the Refresher, Intermediate, and Advanced Band Leader Conducting Courses for Army, Navy, and Marine Corps personnel. He also founded the School of Music Student Wind Ensemble, which performed quarterly concerts.

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In 1977, Mr. Terry was transferred to the United States Navy Band in Washington, DC as a clarinet instrumentalist in the Concert and Ceremonial bands. For 18 years he was the Senior Enlisted Conductor for both of those units. He served five Officer-in-Charge/Leaders and produced several recordings of the Navy Band. After retirement from the Navy in 1996 he established the Director of Admissions and Job Placement Departments at the Omega Studios School of Applied Recording Arts & Sciences in Rockville, Maryland and served in those positions until retirement in 2009. In retirement, Mr. Terry remains an adjunct professor with Omega Studios School teaching Music Theory and Career Skills, and a recording studio musician at Omega Studios.

Players

Players

* Principal       + Section Leader    

Flute

Katherine Riddle *+

James Waters

Suzanne Bloom

Samantha Clarke

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Piccolo

Julie McDonald​

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Oboe

Natalie Jones *+

Mark Guillen

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Clarinet

Susan Dexter *+

Bill Terry

Deanna Tomanelli

Kathryn Lawson

Karen Guerra

David Pritzker

Keith Highfill

Randy Small

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Eb Clarinet

Kristi Perry

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Bass Clarinet

Cheryl Conway

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Bassoon

Kathryn Beyer

Sarah Hewitt

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Alto Saxophone

Laura Osborne *+

John Peasant

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Tenor Saxophone

Tom Lerubino

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Baritone Saxophone

Carey Johnston

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Trumpet/Cornet

Nikki Daley

Finn Marks

Larry Demas

Christine Horting

Ben Stern

Tim Smith *+

Randy Whittenberger

Rick Whittenberger

Rod Hill

Franklin Wade

 

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Horn

Jennifer Schafer*+

Alex Childs

Susan Wiltsie

Margo Buckelew

Paula Danko

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Trombone

Nico Lopez

David Karseboom

Melissa Bayliss

DeAngelo Palucho

Steve Bectel

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Euphonium

Erik Lundquist*+

Tony Ciarlante

Claire Wong

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Tuba

Rob Ross *+

Tom Jozefowicz

Andrew Skinner

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Percussion

Leona Roskowski*+

Jim Bartelt

Kenny Marr

Joann Troy

Board of Directos

Board of Directors

President 

Jennifer Schafer

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Secretary

Katherine Riddle

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Treasurer

Susan Dexter

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Member-at-Large

Tony Ciarlente

Larry Demás

Kaitlin Grimm

Erik Lundquist

Laura Osborne

David Pritzker

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Executive Director 
(ex-officio)
Christine Jones
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Music Director
(ex-officio)

Wolson Gustama​

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Associate Conductor
(ex-officio)

William R. Terry

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Past President
(ex-officio)

Timothy Smith

Rob Ross

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Social Media Coordinator
(ex-officio)

Nikki Daley

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Librarian
(ex-officio)

Carey Johnston

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