Central coast band seeks help buying instruments so it can expand its membership

By CHERYL ROMANO/YachatsNews

The Pacific Coast Wind Ensemble has been blowing fine music up and down the central Oregon coast for 23 years. Now, the band is looking for donations to help buy some instruments it cannot afford to buy on its own.

“Instruments like the tuba and timpani are often not owned by the amateur but capable musician,” says band member Bill Reeves of Yachats.

The reason? Cost. A quality tuba, Reeves says, starts at about $7,000. The tab for a timpani (also known as a kettledrum) is $2,000 to $3,000.

“Having instruments like these in the band’s inventory increases the number of people who can participate, which will build the quality of our performances,” said Reeves.

To help equip the band’s 25 members, he is heading up a GoFundMe campaign.

Contributions to Pacific Coast Wind Ensemble, a registered nonprofit group, are typically 100 percent tax deductible, he said.

Reeves, who also plays with the Yachats Big Band, says he’s been “covering” tuba musical parts with his bass trombone, but “I can’t make the sound of a tuba — and there are literally no tubas to rent in Oregon.”

An all-volunteer adult community band, the ensemble draws members from throughout the central Oregon coast, plus inland as far as Eugene. It was formed in 2003 when the Lincoln County Concert Band and Florence Community Concert Band merged.

The group has several concerts planned through the end of the year. Admission is free; donations welcomed. The planned schedule includes:

• 6 p.m. May 13, Florentine Spring Concert, Florentine Estates;
• 2 p.m. May 18, Yachats Spring Concert, Yachats Commons;
• 1 p.m. June 15, Waldport Beachcomber Days, Waldport Community Center.
• Sept. 2, Labor Day Concert, Yachats Commons.
• 2 p.m. Dec. 14, Seasonal Celebration Concert, Yachats Commons.

More details about the band are available on its website.