Our Trombones

 

Mary Lund

1st Trombone


Mary started playing trombone in the 5th grade and
loved playing throughout high school and college.   After graduation, she started her thirty-five-year career teaching middle school language arts.  Teaching and raising her two children kept her busy for a number of years, but she still kept her horn and hoped to play again. 


That happened when her daughter’s piano teacher encouraged her to join the Da Capo Band in LaCrosse, Wisconsin.  Soon she was playing in the Chatfield Brass Band and, in another year, was invited to play in the Winona Municipal Band, the longest running community band west of the Mississippi River.  This band performed weekly in an old-fashioned band shell on a beautiful lake. 


The door was open and she was hooked.  She continued to play in old-time bands, a dance band, pit orchestras for musicals, a brass ensemble, a quintet, the Winona Brass Band, and the Winona Symphony Orchestra. 


In 2007 Mary and her husband, Keith, also in the brass band, moved to The Villages.  They enjoy The Villages for so many reasons, but getting so many opportunities to make music together has been the best.  Since that time, in addition to the Celebration Brass Band, she has played in the Villages Concert Band, The Villages Swing Band, the Wind Ensemble, and several groups around Central Florida.  She has also played in the pit orchestras for Chicago, Mame , Hello Dolly, and several other musicals and for Hector Garrido’s Orchestra at the Savannah Center , Church on the Square, and The Sharon.

 


Lowell Sundermann

2nd Trombone

Lowell grew up in a musical family.  Playing trombone around the family piano was often evening entertainment. However, after graduating from High School his priorities turned to education, employment, including the military serving in Vietnam, and raising a family.  Lowell worked 20 years for Winnebago Industries in North Iowa, and 15 years for Bandag Incorporated in SE Iowa.


Thirty-three years after putting down his horn Lowell decided to purchase a new trombone, and devote some of his casual time to relearning what had remained a key interest to him.


Within a year he joined as a charter member of the Muscatine Symphony Orchestra and earned principal trombone chair.  He was soon tapped to join the River City Big Band.  Lowell also auditioned and earned a chair in the Quad City Wind Ensemble and helped to fill in the St. Ambrose Symphony Orchestra.  He also played in numerous small groups, coming to really love the sound of a brass quintet.


When Lowell, and his wife JoAnn, retired to The Villages, he immediately joined the New Horizon Band.  He now also plays in The Villages Dixieland Band, Celebration Brass Band, The Villages Orchestra, Antique Brass, and several ad hoc groups.


Lowell is a member of the The Villages Woodworking Club, has served on its board of directors, and is an instructor for the club.  He also has an interest in astronomy and astrophysics.  His recreational interests include biking (biking 65 miles on his 65th birthday), lap swimming, pickleball, and he attempts to play golf.

 

Jim Fish

2nd Trombone


Jim started playing trombone in the 4th grade in 1954 in Michigan.  After graduating High School in 1962 he attended Michigan State University and played in the Concert Band under Leonard Falcone and the Marching Band under Bill Moffitt, the arranger of the Star Spangled Banner used by the Villages Concert Bands, for three years.  Jim was drafted into the US Army in late 1965 and played in the 113th Army Band at Fort Knox, KY for two years.


Rose Mary and Jim were married in 1967 and have two children, James (Beth) in Michigan with Zak and Sydney, and Sheri (Brian) in Connecticut with Conor, Olivia, and Donovan.  Jim spent his working years as a Master Electrician for 20 years and continued his trade at General Motors for another 22.  Jim and Rosie built their home in The Villages in 2004 and both retired in 2005 after Rosie taught for 29 years.


JIm also plays in The New Horizons Concert Band and Villages String Orchestra.  Other than music he enjoys traveling, fishing, and golf.

 

Neil Craver

Bass Trombone


I actually began as a clarinet player in 5th grade and wisely switched to bass trombone as a high school sophomore in 1969. The influence of my high school band director (who once played trumpet in Minsky's Burlesque!) lead me to enrolling as a Music Education major at Appalachian State University in Boone, NC and a trombone performance major at the North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston Salem. My primary teachers were Dr. Wayne Sheley of the Eastman School and Ronald Borror with the American Brass Quintet and New York City Ballet Orchestra.


My early orchestral affiliations were with the Winston Salem, Greensboro, Charlotte (sub), and North Carolina (sub) Symphonies before getting a contract with the Caracas Philharmonic in Venezuela in 1979 and ’80.


I met my French horn playing wife Margie in 1981 at the Aspen Music Festival in Colorado and we married shortly after that in 1983. We lived in New York City in the early 80s and freelanced with many orchestras in the area such as the Queens Philharmonic and Stanford Symphony before moving to Wilmington, DE where we lived for the past 31 years.


We retired to The Villages in June 2016. Besides orchestral, I really enjoy pit orchestra and big band jazz (20 years in The Rhythm Doctors) as well as brass band work for more than 25 years with the Chesapeake Silver Cornet and Atlantic Brass Bands. My past 30 years were spent in banking and finance, but I played bass trombone the entire time.


Since moving to The Villages recently I have become a member of the Concert, Hometown, New Horizon, and German  bands, the Jazz Workshop big band and subbed with The Villages Swing Band.