8th GM Regiment Band All Decked Out!

This past spring, the Green Machine Ensembles received their first ever external grant! We applied for and were granted $15,000 from the Wells Fargo REA Charitable Trust to be used to purchase authentic Civil War era instruments for our 8th GM Regiment Band.

Chris Troiano, Director of the 8th GM Regiment Band, worked with an instrument dealer in Pennsylvania to acquire a Bb over the shoulder (OTS) Baritone, a Bb OTS Saxhorn and an Eb alto OTS Saxhorn. The remaining funds from the grant are earmarked for an Eb Bass. Thanks to a generous donation from Sam Laudenslager and funds raised by the Bull Run Civil War Roundtable, we only have $200 to go to reach our goal of purchasing the Bass.

Chris has been very active in the Civil War Band community and has been instrumental in creating a name for George Mason University on the map in that circle. In addition to working with the band, Chris started The Early American Brass Band Podcast with fellow GMU doctoral student Stephen Cannistraci. The show features discussions, interviews, and reviews of all things as they relate to early American brass bands. To access the podcast, please visit www.eabbpodcast.com for episodes, show notes and valuable resources. The show can also be listened to on YouTube and all major podcast streaming platforms such as Apple, Spotify, and Google.