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Conductor,
Music
Director
Richard
Bergman, a native
of New York City, New York, is a graduate of the University of Maryland
where he received his Bachelor of Music Education Degree in 1967 and
his Master of Education Degree in 1975. He began his teaching
career in Prince George's County, Maryland where he taught both junior
and senior high school. From 1971-1977 he directed the Crossland High
School Symphonic Band which he developed into one of the finest
ensembles in the Mid-Atlantic States. He was the band
director at Herndon High School from 1978 until his retirement in 2009. Under his
direction
the band program at Herndon has received national recognition for its
excellence of performance in clinics, concerts, festivals and
competitions.
Among its many appearances the band has performed at the
Mideast Music
Convention, Pittsburgh, Pa. in 1985, twice at the prestigious
Midwest International Band and Orchestra Convention Chicago, Ill. in
1987 and 1995, and The Music Educator's National Conference 53rd
National In-Service Convention, New Orleans, La. in 1992 and
the
63rd convention held in Nashville, Tennessee in 2002. In addition the
band has performed for the South Carolina University Music Convention,
three times for the the Virginia Band and Orchestra Directors
Convention and in 2003 performed for the prestigious American
Bandmasters Convention in College Park, Maryland where they received a
three minute standing ovation.
Under Mr. Bergman's direction the HHS band has received over
fifty
first place and grand champion awards at competitions it has
participated in since 1982. Mr. John Paynter, chairman of the
music department at Northwestern University once described the Herndon
bands as being among the finest and most musical ensembles in the
United States. In 1991 the Herndon Wind Ensemble was named by
the
John Philip Sousa Foundation as that year's only recipient of the
Sudler Flag of Honor. This is the highest national honor any concert
band program can receive.
Mr. Bergman is a member of Phi Mu Alpha, The Virginia Band and
Orchestra Director's Association, Music Educator's National Conference,
National Band Association, Percussive Arts Society, National
Association of Jazz Educator's and the Fairfax County Federation of
Teachers. He was president of the Maryland Band Directors Association
and was also editor of their solo and ensemble and concert list
manual. In 1995 Mr. Bergman was elected into the American
Bandmasters Association. He is also a recipient of the Sudler Order of
Merit. Mr. Bergman has received six Citations of Excellence
from
the National Band Association, and has actively served as a mentor for
new directors and has lectured at universities and clinics on music
education and performance.
On numerous occasions the Board of Supervisors of Fairfax
County,
Virginia and the Board of Education in Prince George's County, Maryland
have cited Mr. Bergman for his outstanding contributions to music
education. Included in these honors are ten "Commendations of
Excellence" from the Fairfax County Board of Education. In addition,
his bands have been recognized for their excellence by the legislatures
of Virginia and Maryland. He has been honored and three Who's
Who
of American Educators publications from1994-2005.
Along with his many teaching duties, Mr. Bergman has served as
an
active adjudicator, clinician, consultant, and guest conductor in
Pennsylvania., Florida, Maryland, South Carolina, Texas, Florida, West
Virginia and many other Mid-Atlantic, Southern and
Northeastern
states.
Jack
Dusek
Associate
Conductor
Jack
Dusek holds a Bachelor's degree in
Music Education from The Chicago College for the Performing arts of
Roosevelt University. He has been a public school teacher, a full time
professional military musician for the United States Army, an Army
Signal Officer, and a Communications Training Officer with the
Arlington County Public Safety Emergency Communications Center. He more
recently served as the Safety and Security Manager of SOC Enterprises
in Arlington, VA, that has as its mission "To assist empower and
support people with disabilities to achieve employment, independence
and integration in the workplace and community." Jack is presently a
security supervisor working under contract to the Transportation
Security Administration of the Department of Homeland Security.
Jack
has
directed military bands and ensembles and has performed as a
trumpet player with a wide variety of groups including pit orchestras
for performances of shows such as "Oklahoma", "The Wiz", "Once Upon a
mattress", and "Guys and Dolls" in Chicago, South Carolina, and
Germany. In addition to performing in the Kings Park Band and the
National Concert Band of America, he is also presently a member of the
80th Division Band of the United States Army Reserve.
Jack leads the Kings Park Band for many of its rehearsals and concerts.
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Don Hertig
Resident Composer
Don Hertig is
Kings Park Concert Band
“Composer-in-Residence” as well as a featured artist on alto
saxophone. As a native of Miami, Florida, Don has been composing, along with
playing saxophone and clarinet, for the past 36 years. Don studied music at the
University of Florida, but actually ended up with his Bachelor’s degree
in Business Finance in 1979. In addition to the Kings Park Concert Band,
Don performs with the Vienna Community Band and the National
Medical Musical Group Chorale and Symphony Orchestra.
Aside from his music, Don received his Master’s in Economics in 1991 and
subsequently retired from the U.S. Navy in 2002. He is now serving as the
Deputy Chief Financial Officer for the Executive Office of the President of
the United States. In addition to his many interests, Don’s greatest passion
is his involvement in biblical research and teaching.
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Tony Cassano
Assistant Conductor
A
native of suburban Cleveland, Ohio, Tony Cassano received his Bachelor’s of
Music in Education Degree from Kent State University. Tony taught for two years
in the state of Ohio as a music educator. During the 2008 school year, he was a
choral/vocal instructor for middle school choir in Mansfield, Ohio, and in 2009,
he worked as a band and choir instructor in rural Nelsonville, Ohio.
Tony has
worked extensively with his middle school students to bring them the best
possible music education by keeping them engaged in music, by learning
new things about music, and making it challenging and fun for them. Students of
Mr. Cassano who went to Ohio Solo and Ensemble Adjudicated Events garnered
exceptional ratings. He also took his band to the Ohio Large Group Adjudicated
Event in 2009 and received an exceptional score of “1”, and a pizza party
afterward to celebrate!
Ask
any of his family or friends to describe him, and the one thing they will say is
“Music is his everything.” As cliché as this sounds, music is one of the most
important things in Tony’s life. This is especially important when it comes to
his philosophy towards education, teaching and music. This philosophy is
especially conveyed in an excerpt from a band program pamphlet he handed out to
the audience at one of his concerts, addressing his
students:
“Without
your brilliant, beautiful and talented minds, there would be no music. You’ve
worked hard and I can’t thank you enough. Keep up the hard work and you will
all go far. Hold your head high. Dwell not on the past and look to the
future. The world is your canvas. Paint it with the many bright colors of your
life.”
Mr.
Cassano listens to a broad range of quality music, too broad to list here. However, he is a fan of the Anti-Folk Movement, which started back during
his early college years. His favorite Anti-“Folkster” is Regina Spektor. Tony
Describes her music as “not only imaginative and exciting, but lyrically
brilliant and moving.”
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