Renowned clarinetist and conductor Anthony Wastler takes over at the baton with experience from leading Wheatland Junior High School (Lancaster), Fairfield Junior/Senior High School, Mount St. Mary's College, and the Philadelphia Freedom Band. He has also served as guest conductor for the Bucks County Community College Band.

 

Some of Wastler's earliest experience as a clarinetist came when he attended Littlestown Junior/Senior High School in Adams County, and played under the direction of Larry McGriff, who was later the Marple Newtown Community Band's first conductor. Since then, he has participated in districts/regionals, state, Mid-East, and national festival bands, including a stint as co-principal clarinetist with the 1968 School Bands of America to Europe, including Czechoslovakia. He has orchestra experience in Pittsburgh, Miami (Fla.), Annapolis, Baltimore, and York, as well as and The United States Air Force Band, Washington, D.C., from 1968 to 1972, under the direction of Col. Arnald D. Gabriel.

 

His principal teachers include Bill Hilferty of the Julliard School, American Symphony Orchestra, Marlboro Festival, and USAF Band; Anthony Gigliotti, of the Philadelphia Orchestra; and Ignatius Gennusa, of the National Baltimore and Chicago Symphony Orchestras. Since then, he's performed with the Florida Philharmonic Orchestra, Bucks County Symphony Orchestra, Musica 2000 -- The Symphony Orchestra, the Upper Darby Sousa Band with Tom Hoey, Rose Valley Chorus and Orchestra, Rose Valley Chamber Ensemble, and the Newark (Del.) Symphony Orchestra. He has soloed with the Marple Newtown Alumni and Community Bands, is a member of the Montgomery County Concert Band (Pa.), and, last but certainly not least, is still co-principal clarinetist of the Virginia Grand Military Band (Alexandria, Va.). He is currently band director at Hon. Luis Munoz-Marin, AMY-5 at James Martin, Potter-Thomas, Anna B. Day and Rowen Schools in Philadelphia, as well as instrumental music teacher for the Central East Regional and the All-Philadelphia Band of the School District of Philadelphia. On the side, he is currently performing or has recently performed in: the Players Club of Swarthmore production of Fiddler on the Roof,  Cabrini College's production of Trixie True Teen Detective, the Newark, Del. Chamber Orchestra and Woodwind Quintet, and the Wallingford Presbyterian Church Chancel Choir.  ________________________________________________________________

Matthew H. Phillips prevailed upon his teachers to allow him to conduct while still a Middle School flute player, and was soon conducting orchestra concerts regularly at the Lower Merion High School. Graduating from the Boyer College of Music at Temple Universityi n Philadelphia where he studied flute and composition, Mr. Phillips was eager to conduct. Deciding to create his own opportunities, he founded the Bala Cynwyd Symphony Orchestra.

After several successful seasons, Mr. Phillips decided to pursue his interest in recording the music of romantic American composers. In 1992, Matthew H. Phillips and his orchestra were featured on PBS, performing works by Johnson, Humiston, Converse and Payne. The first of a dozen recordings featuring American composers (Those Fabulous Americans, Troy 103)was released by Albany Records the following year. It was produced by TFA Recordings, the organization a metamorphosis of the original orchestra with a new mission focused on preserving composers' work.

In 1995, after producing a variety of artists in solo and small ensemble groups, Mr. Phillips put together his Circus Band and recorded the music of K.L. King (Circus Spectacular, VOX Classics 7541), and immediately afterwards, a celebration of the horse, (Thoroughbred Thunder, Albany Records Troy 294). Matthew H. Phillips and His Circus Band made a third CD dedicated to his hobby, railroading, (Locomotion Express, Centaur Records CRC 2478).

In 1999, Mr. Phillips began conducting the Marple Newtown Community Band of Broomall, Pennsylvania. In 2001, he envisioned a new series combining classical music with historical themes, and seeing an opportunity, recorded "Recollections of the War" with the Marple Newtown Community Band. This past 2003, the band and Mr. Phillips recorded their second project entitled: America: Overture on National Airs featuring music inspired by the American Revolutionary War.

Larry McGriff has been a well-known name in the Marple Newtown community for decades. He began his conducting career as band director in the LIttlestown Area School District (just outside Gettyburg) for six years. In addition, during that span, he taught as many as 25 music-related courses at the school. McGriff took over as band director at Marple Newtown Senior High School in 1968. Over the years, he took the band to such locations as Virginia Beach, Myrtle Beach, Orlando, Winchester (Va.), Toronto, and the annual Orange Bowl Parade in Miami. All 25 bands of his conducting career (Littlestown and MN combined) competed in the annual Halloween Parade in Hanover (Pa.), winning 19 of 25 times. During the 1980s, McGriff oversaw the Marple Newtown Alumni Band, a summer-only program that annually comprised six weeks of rehearsals and culminated with a mid-summer concert. Years after the MNAB became defunct, McGriff was asked to help found and to conduct the Marple Newtown Community Band; he agreed -- with the understanding that the band would have its own board of directors, would run year-round, and would not be limited to Marple Newtown alumni. He served as conductor for three full years before turning over the baton so that he could pursue other interests, although the MNCB is elated to have him back as a member of the trumpet section.