· San José Wind Symphony
On Veterans Day, we pause to say thank you to everyone who has served in the armed forces.
Veterans have been part of the San José Wind Symphony from the very beginning. Our founder, Darrell Johnston, served in the U.S. Army Band before he started the ensemble in 1958. Today, our musicians include veterans and former military musicians, and this year we want to share the stories of two members of our team who both served as military band musicians.
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Nora Lemmon
Senior Master Sergeant, U.S. Air National Guard, 1977 to 2014
Nora is the Personnel Manager for the San José Wind Symphony, where she also plays clarinet. She joined the Air National Guard in 1977 as an Airman Basic and retired in 2014 as a Senior Master Sergeant, after 37 years of service. She served in the 561st Air Force Band, later renamed the Air National Guard Band of the West, based at Moffett Field Air National Guard Base in Mountain View.
Nora played clarinet in the concert band. For one year, she also played piano with the jazz band. "I was more of a classical player," she says, "but I knew my chords!" She was even further out of her comfort zone when she attempted to sing a trio with the jazz band on "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy."
Many moments stood out over the years, but one she remembers most is a goodwill tour to Kingston, Jamaica, where the band played several times at orphanages. The children were kind and polite. One orphanage had its own band, so Nora gave them some of her reeds and anything else she could spare, and others in the band did the same. When the band bus pulled away, everyone was in tears. After they returned home, the band collected clothes, music, and other things the children could use.
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Liz Grajeda
Corporal, U.S. Marine Corps, 2003 to 2007
Liz is the Managing Director of the San José Wind Symphony, where she also plays piccolo and flute. She served in the United States Marine Corps from 2003 to 2007 as a flutist and piccoloist with the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Band in Twentynine Palms, California.
In four years, she participated in more than 500 performances, including President Ford's state funeral, three Tournament of Roses Parades, concerts, and military ceremonies throughout the Midwest and Western United States.
Her most memorable parade was the 2006 Tournament of Roses, when rain rendered the woodwind instruments unplayable. The band was a composite of the four West Coast Marine Corps bands, so each band had its own memorized music list that didn't always overlap. After the televised portion, the drum major stopped the band to ask if everyone knew The Battle Cry of Freedom. They did, so the band swapped its scheduled march, National Game, for a piece that didn't require the woodwinds.
If you are a veteran in our audience, thank you. We hope to see you at a concert soon.