Mat-Su Concert Band


The Mat-Su Concert Band was formed in 1984 by Hank Hartman. The band began with approximately a dozen members and met at Wasilla Grade school which is now Wasilla City Hall. Under the direction of Vance Barret, a retired music educator, the band was organized as the only community marching band in Alaska, marching in all of the parades in the valley.
Deferring to the members wishes (and to save wear and tear on members' knees), approximately three years later the band was reorganized as a concert band. Neil Long, a local music teacher (now retired) experienced in various levels of music education, became the next conductor and the band continued steady growth. Under the purview of Mr. Long, younger musicians/students were invited to join the band, providing them with opportunities for musical growth and enjoyment. In 1995 Phil Munger, an internationally known Alaskan composer, succeeded Mr. Long as director. Mr. Munger provided an intellectual component to every rehearsal, with his detailed knowledge of music history, composition, and world events. As the band began playing an expanded repertoire, players from as far away as Anchorage were enticed to join the band. Under the maestro’s direction, the band also had the privilege to perform several works by Mr. Munger, including a piece called "Big Lake Elegy", a movement from a larger symphonic piece, which gave expression to the devastation of the 1996 "Miller's Reach" fire. In 2008, the band underwent another reorganization and is now known as the Mat-Su Concert Band under the direction of Maestro Gleo Huyck. Mr. Huyck, a consummate band professional, challenges the group to develop their full potential and provides a positive environment, resulting in an increasingly higher level of musical performance, growing and attracting the best musicians from the Mat-Su valley and from Anchorage. Until recently, the band was under the purview of the Mat-Su Community College, but is now its own entity, guided by a board of directors, and organized as 501c(3) non-profit organization.