BY RUTH RICE
RRICE@TRIBDEM.COM
As second trombonist for Johnstown Symphony Orchestra, Dana Menser of Somerset can’t let anything slide.
Menser started playing with the symphony in 1976, after graduating from Shenandoah Conservatory of Music in Winchester, Va.
“This was my first professional job,” Menser said. “I auditioned after I graduated from the conservatory.”
Menser received his degree in music education while majoring in trombone under the instruction of David Summers, bass trombonist for the Kennedy Center Orchestra in Washington, D.C.
Menser explained that there are three trombone players in the Johnstown Symphony.
“We play for most concerts, and there’s an element of stress because these are single parts,” Menser said. “If my part isn’t covered, there’s nowhere to hide.”
He added that in early Baroque music, there were no trombones.
Menser loved the trombone from the first note he ever played.
He was the youngest of three children, and a sister had already played the saxophone while a brother had played the trumpet before him.
“The summer before fourth grade, my Dad brought down his trombone from the attic,” Menser said. “He showed me things that summer, and in the fall at school, I was ahead of the game.”
Menser played his father’s aging trombone, which sometimes fell apart in his hands.
“It was already old when I got it,” Menser said. “Newer ones lock together, but this one didn’t, and I’d be marching down the street and it would fall apart.”
Menser got a newer trombone when he went into ninth grade and upgraded to a professional model in college.
After graduating, Menser worked as substitute teacher for grades one through 12 in public schools throughout Somerset County while teaching instrumental music in parochial schools in the area with the Music for America program.
Menser returned to his home school district, Somerset Area, as elementary band director.
In 1982, he accepted the post of junior high band director, and in 1989, he accepted the position of music department coordinator for the district.
In addition to his school duties, Menser also teaches private lessons two evenings a week and on Saturday mornings.
Menser was instrumental in organizing the Somerset Area Music Education Advocate Coalition in 1993 with a vision of promoting the benefits of music education.
In addition to his symphony role, Menser also has played trombone with Johnstown Civic Concert Band, Potomac Western Maryland Symphony Orchestra and Johnstown Jazz Workshop.
Menser also has worked with such luminaries as Henry Mancini and Bob Hope when they appeared at the Cambria County War Memorial Arena.
Dana Menser
Position: Second trombonist for Johnstown Symphony Orchestra.
Residence: Somerset.
Education: Graduated from Shenandoah Conservatory of Music in Winchester, Va., in 1976.
Employment: Music department coordinator for Somerset Area School District.
Family: Wife, Susan; daughter, Laura; son, Mark.
Features
Related Photos
-
John Tanish
Symphony trombonist overcomes horn failure
- Features
-
-
Captured on film | Annual Johnstown movie festival will hit the silver screens June 6-9
People yearning to become successful filmmakers have an opportunity to showcase their talents during the seventh annual Johnstown Film Festival. Johnstown Area Heritage Association’s festival will be held June 6-9 and will feature a mix of film shorts – documentaries, experimental films, narratives and comedies.
-
Community theater | Cresson Lake Playhouse was one woman's vision
Every successful venture starts with a good idea. And Eleanor Lantzy, a native of Spangler, had a doozy.
-
Nonprofit counts on donations | Sources of funding are difficult to find
Elaine Mastalski, executive director of Cresson Lake Playhouse, 279 Shapiro Road, Loretto, was hired for her background in business. She has been with the playhouse for 12 years and is a voting member of the board of directors.
-
Quality, sustainability board's main focuses
Board members of Cresson Lake Playhouse love theater and want to preserve the amateur theatrical experience for future generations.
-
'It's a nostalgic part of summer to come to Cresson Lake'
Tracey Ingold of Cresson has been onstage at Cresson Lake Playhouse as well as volunteering.
Now, she works as house manager. A playhouse volunteer for 10 years, Ingold started volunteering and acting because of her close proximity to the theater. -
Kick up your heels | Three-day Friendly City PolkaFest will offer different styles
The area’s ancestral music and ethnic food will be key components as the Friendly City PolkaFest returns to Johnstown’s Cambria City neighborhood.
-
Religion in brief | First Lutheran pastor will speak from Acts
Pentecost will be celebrated at 5:30 tonight and 10:45 a.m. Sunday at First Lutheran Church, 415 Vine St., Johnstown. The Rev. Eleanor Abarno, pastor, will focus on Acts 2. Communion will be served at both services.
-
Events | What's on tap locally
“Why Do Fools Fall in Love?” opens the season at Cresson Lake Playhouse, 279 Shapiro Road, Loretto.
-
Hats take center stage at Art Works
Hat Ladies of Johnstown are about to strut their stuff again. The 15th annual Hat Show will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. Sunday at Art Works, 413 Third Ave. in the Cambria City section of Johnstown.
-
Tribute group will have audience on 'Cloud Nine'
Members of the audience will be tempted to think it’s just their imagination that a top Motown act is onstage. The Legacy of The Temptations will bring the sounds of Motown to the area at 8 p.m. June 2 at Arcadia Theater, 1418 Graham Ave., Windber.
- More Features Headlines
-
Man Falls Off Crane, Dies After Police Standoff
Raw Video: Cop Shoots Man Eating Another's Face
Russia Condemns Ally Syria Over Massacre of 108
Raw Video: Earthquake Shakes Evacuees in Italy
Dairy Farm Uses Chiropractor to Help Cows
Unexpected Smog in Pristine National Parks
Air Canada Plane Makes Emergency Landing
New Ticks Spread Across Southeast, Diseases Rise
Bring Your Own Tech Programs Charge Up Students
Pope's Butler Vows to Help Vatican Investigation
Mother of Allegedly Abused Girl Denies Claims
Raw Video: 19 Dead in Qatar Shopping Mall Fire
Service Dogs Help Wash. Soldiers Battling PTSD
Raw Video: Heckler Bursts in on Blair Testimony
Japan Farmers Plant, Seek Radiation-free Rice
Vatican in Chaos After Butler Arrested for Leaks
