ENMU Alumni Band reconnects

STAFF WRITER

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Alumni of Eastern New Mexico’s music program converged on Portales this weekend to reconnect and meet other alumni, all leading up to a concert at Buchanan Hall on Saturday afternoon.

Staff photo: Eamon Scarbrough

Eastern New Mexico University Director of Bands Dustin Seifert leads the ENMU Alumni Band in a performance of Eric Whitacre’s “October.”

The ENMU Alumni Band meets the weekend after Father’s Day every even-numbered summer for several reasons, according to ENMU Director of Bands Dustin Seifert.

“I suppose the reason we do it is several-fold: One, it’s to rekindle the passion that these former students, now alumni, had for the fine art of music; two, to allow them to share it with one another once again; and three, to enhance the bond that they have to ENMU and the Portales community by giving them, over several days, the opportunity to mingle and socialize,” Seifert said.

At a Friday afternoon rehearsal, several alumni from various years expressed why Alumni Band is an important event.

2016 graduate Sarah Maynerich, who plays the flute, said that Alumni Band does more than offer alumni an opportunity to reconnect with music and their peers.

“Not only do we just get together and keep music alive within ourselves, we actually raise money for scholarships that go back to the students, which is really amazing,” she said.

Jim Little, a trumpet player who graduated in 1966, said that his favorite part of the weekend is rehearsing for the concert.

“It’s people working together for a single cause, and we hope that the result of the rehearsals is going to be a wonderful concert,” Little said. “This is where the real action happens. This is where the music is formed.”

Reconnecting with peers is important for percussionist Heather Hagler, a 2012 graduate.

“I love band always, and it’s fun to come back and play together with a lot of other alumni after we go our separate ways after graduation and don’t see each other as much anymore,” she said.

According to Seifert, alumni return to ENMU every other year to relive the pivotal experiences that they had when they were students.

“I think that anyone who has attended a university is proud of that university for one reason or another, and the music program at ENMU is something that a lot of alumni are rightfully proud of,” he said. “They had great experiences here when they were students and they want to come back and try to recreate the way that it felt during times past.”