Los Alamos Community Winds at a previous rehearsal. Photo by Kirsten Laskey/ladailypost.com
By KIRSTEN LASKEY
Los Alamos Daily Post
kirsten@ladailypost.com
Los Alamos Community Winds is preparing for its upcoming concert at 7 p.m. Oct. 18 at Crossroads Bible Church, and for Artistic Director Ted Vives, this time it’s personal.
The Community Winds will be performing Antonin Dvořàk’s “Symphony No. 9” (from the New World), which is a favorite of Vives.
“I just absolutely adore this symphony,” he said. “I think it is probably, in all the orchestral literature, my favorite … it is a very personal piece for me in many ways.”
Vives explained that the piece was a favorite of his high school band teacher. Plus, Vives said his father was a student at Columbia University during WWII. His father was enrolled in the NJROTC, but contracted polio and went to Warm Springs, Ga., for treatment. If this sounds familiar, it is because President Franklin Roosevelt also traveled to Warm Springs for polio treatment.
The tie between Vives’ family and FDR grows even more because Vives attended a summer band camp at F.D. Roosevelt State Park in Georgia. Finally, during Roosevelt’s funeral, Navy bandsman Graham Jackson, who was famously captured on film, performed the hymn “Goin’ Home” which is based on the melody of the second movement of the symphony.
“It’s just very personal to me,” Vives said. “It has such a heartwarming message …”
He added that Dvořàk’s work has had a lot of impact on the world, and it was immediately recognized as a great work of music.
Dvořàk wrote the symphony while serving as director of the National Conservatory of Music in New York from 1892-1895
This piece is not just special to Vives but also to members of the Community Winds.
“…I think a lot of people are familiar with this piece because of its significance and it is certainly one that is well known,” Vives said. “For some of the players to play this kind of work in this kind of setting is a special occasion. It is not often a concert band gets to do something like this.”
He explained there are challenges for a concert band to perform this piece because there are no string instruments and to mimic their effects requires a lot of effort from wind and brass.
Still, Vives said, “I am very grateful that we have players in this community that can rise to the occasion…”
The Oct. 18 concert kicks off the new season for the Community Winds and Vives said he is excited for what’s to come.
“We have a couple of really great concerts coming up in the spring 2026,” he said.
To celebrate Mozart’s birthday in March, the Community Winds is planning a week-long series of presentations and lectures. There will be guest speakers and films screened at SALA Event Center.
Furthermore, Vives said the May 16 concert will feature a cello soloist, Andrian Harabaru from New York who will be premiering a new concerto for cello and concert band written by Vives. And of course, the annual Holiday Prism concert is right around the corner.
“Lots of exciting things coming up for us in the 2026 year,” Vives said.
The Oct. 18 concert is free, but donations will be accepted.
“We hope everyone will come up and hear this work as performed by a concert band,” Vives said.