At the front of every band or orchestra, stands the conductor. With their back to the audience and arm brandishing the baton in the air like a wand, they guide the musicians to the tempo of the piece. But far more than just a rhythm keeper, they give feeling to the music – excitement, anger, melancholy, joy. Their movements bring the music to life.
For the past 25 years, the maestro at the head of the Savannah Winds was Mark Johnson. And, to everyone who knew him, Johnson was a force of nature.
He took over as the Director of Bands at what was then Armstrong Atlantic State University in 1997. Johnson conducted the Savannah Winds until he passed away this fall. Throughout his tenure, Johnson catapulted the band’s reputation within the Savannah community and beyond.
Credit: Katherine Arntzen
Credit: Katherine Arntzen
At the band's largest, there were nearly 100 musicians, which is "big for a concert band," said bassoonist, Raymond Patricio. The player's ages ranged from high school students to retired octogenarians and nonagenarians, and Johnson got along with them all, he said.
"It was obvious from the very first rehearsal, that Mark was very experienced, very knowledgeable about the literature," said Patricio. "He wanted the community band to grow into a larger, more polished group which he did supremely well."
Credit: Katherine Arntzen
Credit: Katherine Arntzen
Under Johnson's guidance, the band played for the Savannah Music Festival at the Lucas Theater in 2012. They also commissioned three pieces from internationally renowned band composers Philip Sparke and Julie Giroux.
The audience filled the auditorium during the Savannah Winds' annual July Patriotic Concert, a tradition established by Johnson, who would dress up as an artifact or figure from American history each time. The audience member who guessed what Johnson was going to dress up as, got to conduct the band during their performance of "The Stars and Stripes Forever."
Credit: Andre Johnson
Credit: Andre Johnson
"The Savannah Winds became such a part of the musical cultural fabric of Savannah," said Bryan Agan, a trumpet player and the director of bands at the Savannah Arts Academy. "He was all about education and 'let's get as many people better as we can in what we do.'"
Those who played under the impassioned director and conductor said he knew how to demand the best. He had high expectations and an even greater well of compassion for each individual musician. Johnson was as much a teacher as he was a mentor and friend.
"He was our band dad in the music department," said Anne Marie Hartley, an oboe player, who was under Johnson's tutelage during her time at Armstrong. "He cared about each person — not just that we passed all our classes or exams, but just in life."
Johnson's legacy lives on in the Savannah Winds, now known as the Savannah Wind Symphony.
Credit: Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning News
Credit: Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning News
The music that can be heard in the audio piece is from the Savannah Winds 2019 Fall Concert performance. Special thanks to Peggy Johnson for fact-checking.
Nancy Guan is the general assignment reporter covering Chatham County municipalities. Reach her at nguan@gannett.com or on Twitter @nancyguann.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Savannah Winds conductor Mark Johnson leaves a cherished musical legacy with local band
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