The “Music in the Garden” series continues with our Rivanna Winds Dixieland Band! They play a classic American style derived from blues, gospel, Ragtime and military brass bands. They also play a range of marches, polkas and waltzes.
Having joined the "Municipal Band" when I first moved to central Virginia at age 27, I am very pleased to reach the milestone of Life Member this September. Over the past 25 years I have played just about every single-reed instrument at one time or another. I am a founding member of the Charlottesville-Albemarle Saxophone Ensemble (CASE), which has performed all around the area for well over 15 years, and I have also served the Band as music librarian since 2015.
I knew from a young age that I would be a lifelong band nut. I remember asking my parents early in elementary school if I could play in the school band and being told I had to be patient until 4th grade. Starting with junior high jazz ensemble, I eventually branched out into playing in parades, community theater, jazz/big bands, chamber groups and even folk music such as contra and English country dances. Fun fact: Ironically, I have never (yet) had any private music lessons, and I attended a college with no music department whatsoever.
My outside interests are mostly centered around music, dancing and being in nature. I am a devoted contra dancer and dance caller, a mobile DJ specializing in wedding celebrations, an e-bike lover and a roller coaster addict. I am also a licensed private airplane pilot. Professionally, I am an alternative-education math and science teacher at Fluvanna County High School as well as a school bus driver.
Steve Layman
BA, Music Education, Ohio Northern University; MA, Music, University of Kentucky
Steve Layman has brought his talent, leadership and commitment to Cville Band since becoming Music Director in 2008. A Nationally Registered Music Educator, Steve lives and breathes the Band’s mission of providing musical entertainment and education to Central Virginia. Prior to leading the Band, Steve worked with Albemarle County schools for more than three decades, serving as band director at Walton Middle School and Western Albemarle High School. Along the way he received a Piedmont Council for the Arts Education Award, two President’s Citations from the Virginia Governor’s School for the Visual and Performing Arts and was inducted into the Western Albemarle High School Fine Arts Hall of Fame. Steve continues to encourage young musicians as a member of the adjunct music faculty of both Piedmont Virginia Community College and James Madison University.
As a performer, Steve has played with the Orange Community Band, the Charlottesville & University Symphony Orchestra, the Heritage Repertory Theater, the New Lyric Theater, the Oratorio Society of Virginia, the Richmond Symphony, the Sentimental Journey and Salute to Swing Big Bands. He also lends his musical skills to two of Cville Band’s ensembles, the Brass Quintet and Rivanna Winds.
When he’s not immersed in music, Steve pursues an interest in amateur astronomy with the Charlottesville Astronomical Society and manages the CLUSTER outreach program for the University of Virginia Astronomy Department.
David Moody
Growing up in a musical family, I was destined to be saddled with piano lessons and singing in choirs at church. I joined my elementary school band in 4th grade to play the flute, which I continued throughout middle school, high school and college (shout out to the Marching Owl Band – the MOB – at Rice University in Houston Texas!) As a result of the big fire on Brown's Mountain where I lived in the early 80's, my flute was destroyed along with the rest of my earthly possessions. I then switched to the saxophone and joined the Charlottesville Municipal Band in 1997. In addition to Cville Band, I also enjoy playing in a big band, as well as the Charlottesville Albemarle Saxophone Ensemble (CASE).
Three years ago, I retired from practicing community psychiatry after a 39-year career at Region Ten Community Services Board. My wife and I enjoy occasional travels with our three grown daughters and spending quality time with our dogs.
Matt Morrill
I began playing the trumpet in 6th grade after I briefly flirted with being a violin player. I became a quintessential "band kid" at my Massachusetts high school and played in basically all the ensembles my high school offered (marching band, jazz band, wind ensemble, orchestra, etc.) and played with the Massachusetts Music Educators Association (MMEA) Northeast District band and University of Massachusetts Lowell All-City Wind Ensemble my senior year. After playing at William & Mary for a year, I gave up the trumpet to pursue other interests.
It wasn't until early 2022 at the height of the COVID pandemic that I decided to pick up the horn again. Fortunately, I found it was just like riding a bike! After moving to Charlottesville in 2020, I had heard of Cville Band from NPR but hadn't seen them live until August 2022 when I saw their performance of one of my favorite Hans Zimmer pieces from The Gladiator, which inspired me to audition for the band. I love playing with the group because while we play at a high level and take our performances seriously, we also have fun and get the chance to play a variety of music.
A fun fact about me: I was a Revolutionary War reenactor while in college at William & Mary – I fit right in with Colonial Williamsburg!
Robert LaRue
I was born and raised in New Jersey–six miles from uptown Manhattan–and took my bachelor's in English from Rutgers College, which qualified me to spend two years in California working as a furniture mover. I came to Charlottesville in 1972 to pursue a graduate degree in English at the University of Virginia (UVA), where my chief accomplishment was winning the hand of the amazing woman I am still married to.
In 1984, my wife took a law degree from UVA, and we moved to Princeton NJ, where we danced and played a lot of music, and where I earned teaching certification in both math and English. On returning to Charlottesville in 1992, we moved into a huge, decaying 19th-century farmhouse, which was desperately in need of–among other things–a bigger family. We adopted a boy from Korea, then were blessed again with a biological child—a girl. I took teaching jobs in middle-school English, math, and physical science in Augusta and Albemarle counties, and then taught algebra for 20 years at the Charlottesville Waldorf School before retiring.
I started playing woodwind instruments when I was ten, and played all through middle school, high school, and college. I have now been playing alto sax in the Charlottesville Band for 30 years, as well as other kinds of music—classical, folk, choral, and jazz–on different instruments in diverse groups. Currently, my chief musical joy is jamming with my quartet, Jazz 1-2-3, which has a weekly gig at The Center at Belvedere, and performs at retirement facilities throughout the community—mostly under the aegis of We Bring The Music.
Throughout a restless life, I have taken up and set aside more interests and activities than are probably good for any one person. But now, at 75, the things I find myself still doing (for fun!) are rehearsing, performing, and listening to music; building and riding motorcycles; reading, watching movies, searching out restaurants with gluten-free menus, playing with our pets, and getting together with our now-grown children—as we fondly watch them make their happy way in the world. I'm still not sure what I want to be if I grow up.
Scott Colley
My father toured Europe playing trumpet in a jazz ensemble in the 1930s. Much later he played horn in the Charlottesville Municipal Band. It was natural that I took up an instrument. I was assigned the trombone. Almost at once, I learned not to practice when my father was around. As a recently retired Marine, his idea of early childhood education was based upon a lot of Quantico and Clausewitz. Having done pretty well in All-District bands, I lucked into making second chair in an All-Virginia Band put together for a music educators conference. It also helped that I had played the sightreading audition piece previously. I played now and again in college, and in graduate school took up the sackbut (15th century ancestor of the modern trombone) in an early music ensemble.
Then came a long career hiatus. I kept busy as an English professor at Vanderbilt University for 20 years, and then later as Berry College president in Rome, Georgia. I didn't play a lick for 40 years until at the end of my career when some students recruited me to play bass trombone in their orchestra, which was a delight. Retirement in Charlottesville has been a delight. On Mondays I rehearse with a 16-piece big band of the Basie/Ellington type; Tuesdays with the Cville Band; and Wednesdays with the Albemarle Symphony Orchestra. I rarely miss a day of practice. Lots of tough licks in all of these repertoires. I plan to continue until I cannot easily find F-sharp in fifth position. Fifth position moves around, given humidity and the phases of the moon.
Cait Ardito
Having no prior instrumental exposure, I came across my elementary school's five-person wind band in the third grade and thought the clarinet was the cutest little horn that I had never seen before. Despite my non-musical parents' confusion, I absolutely had to have one and when I was old enough to join in the fourth grade, a dusty old Bundy Bb clarinet arrived in the mail from eBay. When high school arrived, I joined the school's corps style competitive marching band. I was disappointed when I came to find that there were no clarinets in Drum Corps International (DCI) bands, foolishly attempted to pick up the trombone, and called that quits immediately.
I admittedly didn't take concert band seriously at the University of Rhode Island. I "quit" and "rejoined" on several occasions when their practice schedule interfered with my social schedule. In spite of this, I was enthusiastic to find Cville Band when I moved to Charlottesville a few years later. This is my 11th year playing with the group. I create the band's concert programs, having designed dozens of books for the band over the past 10 years. Despite the tedious process, I love what I do and feel honored to contribute to the band's historical archives. When I'm not in rehearsals, I'm the event planner and marketing director at a vineyard. I am an interior design hobbyist and have somehow landed the role of hound dog collector, three basset hounds and one giant bloodhound later.
James Brown
I am a Charlottesville, Virginia native, and currently serve as the city's Sheriff. I began playing trumpet in fifth grade and performed in various school ensembles, including concert, jazz, and marching bands, as well as pit orchestras through Charlottesville City Schools and Longwood University. I began singing and songwriting in college in 1990 and have since written 45 original songs. Since 2020, I have performed with the Charlottesville Municipal Band, the MLK Community Choir, and, for the past two seasons, with The Charlottesville Opera. Joining the Cville Band marked my return to music performance in over 20 years.
I also enjoy cooking and have cooked in commercial settings for over 15 years. Another hobby has been vehicle and motorcycle repair and maintenance. With the various activities over the years, music has always been the one that I miss the most when life gets busy. The Cville Band has wonderful, and very talented, members that master their craft. I enjoy listening to them almost as much as I enjoy performing with them.
Kassandra Hunter
Born and raised in Tucson, Arizona, I began playing trumpet in fifth grade after noticing that most of the other girls were choosing flute or clarinet; I wanted to do something a little different. After a brief break in middle school while attending a charter school without a band program, I returned to trumpet in high school and continued my studies at the University of Arizona, where I earned a Bachelor of Music with a minor in education. While at UA, I performed with the Pride of Arizona Marching Band and served as a trumpet section leader.
After college, I stayed active musically by performing with two community bands in Tucson and playing in pit orchestras for musical theater productions. Two years ago, my husband and I moved to Maryland, where I joined another community band and had the opportunity to serve as interim director/conductor for two concert sessions. I've been a member of the Charlottesville Band for about six months and am excited to continue making music with the group. Outside of music, I work as a paralegal in an estate planning law firm, love country dancing, and spend my time with my husband and two dogs—a Shiba Inu named Fuji and a Lab/Husky mix named Sami.
Patty Sutker
I can't remember actually choosing the clarinet but at the end of 7th grade, the band director walked in and said, "We just purchased a bass clarinet; who wants to play it?" My hand shot up all by itself and as it turned out, it was a great move since I didn't have to compete with eight million clarinet players. I love its deep tones and have never regretted my errant hand-raising. When I was at the University of Miami band camp in high school, my sectional instructor was a bassoonist who had played in John Phillips Sousa's band — talk about two degrees of separation!
I played in college as a non-music major (loved those extra credit hours) and then took an 8-year hiatus. When Chapel Hill was re-instituting its community band, I felt comfortable enough with the fledgling group to try again. That easing back into playing for one year gave me the courage to apply to the Municipal Band when we moved up here in 1979. The band has seen me through the birth and raising of my three children, all of whom played music as well – two briefly in the Municipal Band. My husband Larry had one rule: be home on Tuesdays in time for me to attend rehearsal and I had one rule: get home after he'd put them to bed. In retirement, we visit six grandchildren – in Harrisonburg, in Nashville and in Tel Aviv, travel a bit, and especially root for Carolina basketball. Go Heels!
Burton Hable
I started band in Ankeny, Iowa in fifth grade on cornet. I switched to trombone in tenth grade due to a lack of players, and I never looked back. I originally went to Iowa State majoring in electrical engineering. I switched to music education when my engineering classes were heavily computer focused. I played trombone in the Wind Ensemble, Symphony Orchestra, Jazz 1, a few chamber groups, and my own jazz combo.
From 2010–2013, I taught band at West High School in Waterloo. From 2013–2018, I taught at Centennial High School in Ankeny. We taught in a team of six teachers across grades 6–12. In between both programs, I completed a Master of Music Education at VanderCook College of Music. We moved to Virginia in 2018 when my wife started as an Associate Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at UVA. I started an online DMA program in Music Education through Boston University. I was a substitute teacher and taught private lessons until I accepted the band job at Fluvanna County High School (FCHS) for the 2020–21 school year. I left FCHS to become the Operations and Building Manager for the Cville Band, and to conduct research for my dissertation. My next musical adventure involves being on the teaching faculty at the Mead-Witter School of Music at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, teaching courses in popular instrumental music pedagogy and supervising student teachers.
Christine Steele
For more than three decades, Christine Steele has dedicated her life to making music education accessible, meaningful, and deeply connected to the Charlottesville community she proudly calls home. A graduate of James Madison University with a degree in Music Education, Christine has spent her career teaching, performing, mentoring, and advocating for musicians of all ages and abilities throughout Central Virginia.
Christine is the founder of Spectrum Music Labs, a private teaching studio built around the belief that every student brings unique strengths, perspectives, and ways of learning to the musical experience. Her teaching philosophy centers on the idea that different thinking styles are not obstacles to overcome, but valuable assets that enrich both music-making and community. Through patience, creativity, humor, and high expectations, she strives to create an environment where students feel seen, challenged, and empowered to grow.
In addition to her private studio work, Christine has taught within the Charlottesville public school system and currently works with students at The Village School for Girls, where she leads developing musicians in collaborative ensemble experiences that emphasize confidence, curiosity, and connection. Known for her ability to “meet people where they are,” she is passionate about helping students discover not only technical skills, but also resilience, self-expression, discipline, and joy through music.
A life member of the Charlottesville Band of nearly four decades, Christine was recently appointed Assistant Director, becoming the first woman in the ensemble’s more than 100-year history to serve in that role. She has also served as Vice President of the Board of Directors annd currently chairs the Engagement committee. She is deeply committed to preserving and expanding the band’s mission of providing free, high-quality live music to the community.
Whether conducting, teaching, performing, or mentoring, Christine believes music has the power to bridge differences, strengthen communities, and create belonging. She remains passionate about fostering spaces where musicians of every age, background, and ability level can thrive together.
Ann Eichelberger
I grew up in Charlottesville in a musical family, and the piano was my first instrument. In fifth grade, I started playing trumpet, because it was the instrument we already had at the house! But by the time I reached high school, I switched permanently to French Horn for concert band and marched with a sousaphone. I played with the Municipal Band for a couple of summers while I was a student at Virginia Tech and another couple of summers with the Blacksburg Community Band. After moving to Florida to study Environmental Science at the University of Florida, I had a few 'quiet' years.
When we moved to North Carolina and I had young children, I started playing with a community band sponsored by UNC Charlotte – it was a night out as an adult! I returned to Charlottesville in 2012 and joined the band soon after. I really enjoy being involved with the community this way and I have extended to playing with Cville Cinco, the Brass Quintet and the Horn Choir. When I am not practicing, I work in software quality. And when I'm not working or practicing, I also enjoy gardening, reading and travelling. I am so happy to be a part of this band as I am able to participate in an activity that I enjoy, which also brings enjoyment to our community. There are fellow band members that I have been making great music with for over 30 years, and I hope there are many more years to come!
Karen Purnell
My musical journey began when I was in seventh grade growing up in Virginia Beach. I always enjoyed my elementary music classes and singing, but I really wanted to learn to play the trumpet. My mother took me to the instrument try out night, and she and the band director decided that the trumpet would not work for me as I needed extensive orthodontic work, but the clarinet would suit me better. I was extremely disappointed, but I decided to give it a try. I wasn't very good, however, my mother insisted I stick with it through the rental period, and she made me practice the whole summer. When it was time to audition for Junior High band, I realized two things: I did enjoy the clarinet, and all that practice my mother made me do had paid off. Practice wasn't terrible after all!
I decided to continue my music education at VCU. My plan was to teach music when I was finished. However, after completing student teaching, I realized that I still wanted to teach — just not music. I changed course, got married, moved to Charlottesville, and finished my degree in Early Elementary Education. I started teaching in Fluvanna County Schools, taught private clarinet lessons to beginners before my kids were born, and then my clarinet went on a shelf in my closet.
During the pandemic, I knew someone who repaired instruments on the side, and mine needed a lot of work after 30+ years of sitting on a shelf. She offered to get it playable, and I jumped at the chance. As soon as I blew into the newly repaired clarinet, I knew I wanted to keep going. I joined the First Wind and Second Wind Bands at the Center, and it all started coming back. I feel extremely fortunate to be playing in the Charlottesville Band with such amazing players. I am officially retired from teaching but continue to work part time in special education compliance. I enjoy singing in the choir at my church, spending time with my grandchildren and family, and traveling with my husband. Oh, and I still like to practice!
Janelle Ellis
My musical evolution kicked off in middle school with a trumpet in hand. I was decent enough, but since those elusive high notes and I weren't exactly on speaking terms, I traded in the trumpet and made the jump to French Horn in high school—a switch that stuck for good. This led me to James Madison University, where I spent my days balancing li
fe as a Music Education major while working in the Music Admissions Office. Now my 9-to-4 (and then some) job is teaching young musicians as a middle school band director.
I joined the Cville Band when I moved to Charlottesville around 2001 and have been playing ever since with a few hiatuses. When the batons are down and the school year hits a pause, you'll find me trading school hallways for travel adventures. I can be found pursuing the next National Park or passport stamp.
Burt Marks
My parents had no musical background, but they made sure that I got one. I took piano lessons for two years; this involved riding the NY subway at age 9! (The subways were considered very safe in those days.) Moving to Long Island, my 6th grade music teacher convinced me to play the trombone but, after a year, I decided I didn't like it. I started clarinet at age 12 and loved it. A few years later, I also played sax and played it in a community band through junior high and college years.
After moving to start work at Texas Instruments, I was a charter member of the band in Richardson and also played in a polka band and in a dance band at local dance halls. During my years there, I coached youth soccer, basketball and baseball, and played soccer for ten years. Late in my career, I cut my work to half-time, taking music courses for five years and playing in the band at the University of North Texas. So, as a senior, I was a freshman.
After retiring, my wife and I moved to Virginia, and I promptly joined the Charlottesville (Municipal) Band. I founded the Rivanna Winds – originally a polka band, but now we primarily play Dixieland. After nineteen years here, it's getting harder to keep up with the young players. In total, it's been 70 years since I started playing in a community band. When I'm not playing music, I work on my house and yard, cycle, golf, kayak, and sing in a chorus. I started the cycling club at Lake Monticello and still ride with them occasionally.
Theresa Torian
While my parents were not musical, they loved music and wanted their children to be able to play an instrument. My first memory is cooking in the kitchen with a nun, while my sister was taking piano lessons, anxiously waiting for my turn. Fast forward 10 years of piano lessons and playing for Catholic masses: sitting in my 10th grade home room class in Lexington Virginia, I heard the PA announcement that they were still looking for an accompanist for the choir. The new director had called me earlier that summer to ask if I would accompany the choir and I promptly said no as it conflicted with my Latin II class. But as I listened day after day for the need, I went home and told my parents I was going to change my schedule and accompany the choir! They were not happy but did not stop me. It was then that my musical journey of being an accompanist began.
Fast forward 18 years: I moved to Charlottesville where my husband joined the Cville Band. The Band struggled with getting percussionists, and so I would occasionally fill in at Monticello. I have been playing with Cville Band for nearly 19 of those years and continue to play for churches and accompany choirs. I have expanded my playing to include the organ and still can't roll on a snare drum! While my music is only an avocation, it has allowed me to step away from my vocation and get lost in the beauty of music and the sharing of it with others.
Jeff Vaughan
Dr. Charles Jeffrey Vaughan joins the Charlottesville Band this season as one of two newly selected Assistant Conductors, bringing a broad range of experience as a musician, educator, and conductor. Over a career spanning nearly three decades, Jeff has led ensembles at every level — from middle school concert bands to university wind symphonies — holding positions at Northshore High School in Louisiana, Southeastern Louisiana University, and the College of Central Florida, among others.
A trumpeter by training, Jeff earned his Bachelor and Master of Music degrees in Trumpet Performance from Louisiana State University and Southeastern Louisiana University respectively, before completing his PhD in Music Education at the University of Florida, where he served as a Graduate Teaching Assistant conducting the Wind Symphony and Symphonic Band. He has performed with symphony orchestras, jazz ensembles, and wind symphonies throughout his career, and appears on four commercially released recordings with the University of Florida Wind Symphony. A familiar face in the trumpet section since 2013, Jeff is excited to step into his new role on the conducting staff this season.
Beyond the podium and the stage, Jeff is a published scholar and passionate advocate for music education, with research focused on assessment practices in band programs. His work has appeared in publications from Oxford University Press and GIA Publications, and he has presented at state and national conferences including the Society for Music Teacher Educators, the North Carolina Music Educators Association, and the Florida College Music Educators Association.
Kerry Finnegan
I first laid eyes on a euphonium when I signed up for 5th grade band with the intention of playing the sax. Knowing there was already too many kids walking around playing Careless Whisper, Mr. Vierra said, "You have more of a baritone mouth." Without much fight, I dropped my dreams of playing the sax and became an euphoniumist. Most of my family members have great stories of athletic prowess from when they were in high school but instead, I found band and loved the sense of belonging and our great musical prowess. I went on to major in Music Education at JMU though eventually turning my horn in for an apron and jumping into the food service. Through 13 years managing at a Chili's, I lost touch with playing music.
In 2017 I left the restaurant business and took a job with "normal" hours because I wanted to spend some time with my family. In February of 2019, with the luxury of having evenings free, and a chance encounter with Steve at a Young Astronomers event, I joined the Charlottesville Band. I have now played with this band more than any other ensemble. Looking forward to this next chapter in life as I take over as Building and Operation Manager for the band. Bringing music to people for free is nice, making incredible music with my friends is great, and becoming close friends with some has been amazing. But another thing that keeps me coming back is I love discovering I could do things I didn't know I could do.
