conductor . And so they did , and I came to Pittsburgh and worked for three weeks with the band . They persuaded me that it was a good idea to stay with them as their musical director , so I did — and it was a good idea .”
The city of Pittsburgh also sold Gourlay and his wife , Lea , on his new position .
“ We had no idea that Pittsburgh was such a beautiful city ,” says Gourlay , who resides on Mount Washington . “ After my wife came over for a visit from the UK and saw the city , she told me to reconsider taking the job . We still like living in the city very , very much .”
Some of the many highlights of Gourlay ’ s career include performing with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra , the BBC Symphony Orchestra and the Orchestra of the Zurich Opera . He was a member of the Philip Jones and English Brass ensembles with which he has toured the world , and he also continues to perform as a soloist extensively .
With such an impressive resume , many would think Gourlay might put his artistic pursuits first , and then consider the needs of the audience . But that isn ’ t who Gourlay is .
“ Without the audience , we are nothing ,” he explains . “ We play for them ; otherwise we might as well sit in our front rooms and make a noise with our instruments . All too often , artists and arts groups forget that people are not there to be educated — they are there for an evening of entertainment and they want to be uplifted . We don ’ t want people to sit there in their suits and just consume the music — listening to Beethoven again and again . We want to interact with them and want them to go home happy , with a spring in their step .”
The mission of RCB , a 28-member band founded in 1981 , is to entertain , educate and engage citizens locally , nationally and internationally in the American musical culture .
Locally , the band presents 51 regional concerts over seven months to citizens at
seven regional venues , and maintains an acclaimed youth band and Saturday Music Program .
Nationally , it has routinely conducted concerts at venues including Pennsylvania ’ s Musikfest , New York ’ s Chautauqua Institution , Michigan ’ s Interlochen Center for the Arts , Indiana ’ s Conner Prairie , and North Carolina ’ s Thalian Hall . With appearances on NBC ’ s “ Today Show ” and NPR ’ s “ Performance Today ,” RCB also tours internationally every several years .
Gourlay chooses the material the RCB performs based on audience preferences . He spends the concert intermissions receiving feedback from them .
“ We have an incredibly loyal audience ,” he notes . “ We have original audiences who were at the very first concert in 1981 — that is amazing ! I don ’ t think there is another arts group that has that loyalty . What I know about my audience is that they know what they like , and they like what they know .
“ For example , we are preparing a ‘ Blockbuster Film ’ evening and I know there are going to be some younger people in the audience who would like to hear songs from ‘ Star Wars ’ and ‘ Star Trek ,’ but at the same time I know there will be audience members who want to hear ‘ Tara ’ s Theme ’ from ‘ Gone with the Wind .’”
“ What I personally appreciate the most about the concerts is that they are fun , they offer a bit of the unexpected , and everyone in the audience seems to enjoy them so much ,” says Dolores Nypaver , RCB Board Chair . “ The band performs a wide variety of music , from Irish to rock ; big bands , movies and musicals ; marches and patriotic tunes ; and our wonderful
“ What I appreciate most about the concerts is that they are fun , they offer a bit of the unexpected , and everyone in the audience seems to enjoy them so much .”
Christmas music in December . James includes all age groups in our music repertory and our concert attendees always leave smiling .”
Bringing the professional arts to people in the ’ burbs is part of RCB ’ s mission . “ We used to have a concert series downtown at the Byham Theater and at Heinz Hall ,” says Gourlay . “ But I keep telling people we are not the symphony and we are not trying to compare ourselves to the symphony , or do anything that they do . There is nothing wrong with what they do , of course — it ’ s wonderful . But as soon as we start to try to copy something like that , then we lose our own identity and our identity is based on the people . We don ’ t just perform in our concert halls — we go into senior centers , schools , supermarkets — we go wherever we can play our music and bring joy to the people .” ■
Some of the upcoming RCB concerts will be held at the following locations . To find out more information on concerts and purchasing tickets , visit the website at rivercitybrass . org .
Carson Middle School 200 Hillvue Lane , McCandless Linton Middle School 250 Aster Street , Penn Hills
The Palace Theatre 21 West Otterman Street , Greensburg Upper St . Clair High School 1825 McLaughlin Run Road , Upper St . Clair
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