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West Reading chocolate factory explosion: Ringgold Band concert to honor memories of the 7 killed

The Ringgold Band’s 171st spring concert on April 16 will honor the memories of the seven people killed last month in the explosion of the R.M. Palmer Co. plant.

A moving piece dedicated to the victims of the March 24 disaster at the West Reading chocolate factory will close the program, said Charles Ebersole, director of the Berks County-based band.

A portion of the concert proceeds will be donated to the fund formed by Berks County Community Foundation and United Way of Berks County to aid members of the community affected by the disaster.

Donations to the fund also will be accepted before and after the program.

The annual spring concert also will feature the premiere of a new work by composer Jill Haley of Exeter Township, a solo performance by the 2023 Ringgold Young Artist Award winner and a tribute to baseball professional Randall “Randy” P. Gumpert, a Berks native.

Several of the selections will reflect an Americana theme, including Haley’s composition, “Southwest National Parks Suite #3.”

Haley, who plays oboe with the Ringgold Band, was awarded grants as a composer in residence in the National Parks system, Ebersole said. The piece is among those she composed during time spent in Bryce Canyon, Utah; Grand Canyon, Arizona; and other national parks.

“It’s really a beautiful piece of music,” he said, “and there is a visual to go with it.”

Haley’s work will be accompanied by a slide show, featuring photographs of the various parks. In addition, she and rangers from Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site in Union Township will offer insights on the national parks system.

The concert also will showcase the talents of this year’s Ringgold young artist, Benjamin Small of Wilson High School, who will solo on the tenor saxophone.

Continuing with the theme of vintage America, Ebersole said, the program includes a nod to America’s favorite pastime. Set to music, the classic poem “Casey at the Bat,” written in 1888 by Ernest Thayer, will be performed in tribute to Gumpert.

The professional pitcher, manager, scout and coach was a graduate of the former Birdsboro High School. Gumpert, who died at age 90 in 2008, played for the Philadelphia Athletics, New York Yankees, Chicago White Sox, Boston Red Sox and Washington Senators during a career spanning from 1936 to 1952.

His sons, Mike and Jeff, play in the Ringgold Band and will model some of their late father’s uniforms. Gumpert’s daughter, Cindy Gumpert, will act as narrator.

A preconcert performance by Ringgold’s senior band, New Horizons, also will feature a selection dedicated to the memories of the those killed in the West Reading chocolate factory explosion.

Founded in Reading in 1852, the Ringgold Band spawned the Ringgold Light Artillery, the Civil War regiment known as “The First Defenders.” The band is the oldest continuously performing regimental band in the U.S.

If you go

What: Ringgold Band’s 171st Spring Concert

When: April 16, 2:40 p.m. performance by New Horizons, 3 p.m. feature concert

Where: Scottish Rite Cathedral, 430 S. Seventh Ave., West Reading

Tickets $15

See the Ringgold Band website for more information.

 


Source: Berkshire mont

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