KINGSTON, R.I. – October 19, 2017 – In his daily life, Brian Cardany is surrounded by horns, but you won’t hear him tooting his own. Of course, you’d first have to catch him as he keeps in step with the University of Rhode Island Ram marching band, pep band, concert band and URI Alumni Wind Ensemble.
With his multiple responsibilities as associate director of bands at URI, Cardany is probably as fit as any athlete, but it’s hard to pin him down to talk about his accomplishments.
“My schedule can get busy, but it’s enjoyable and worth the time,” explained the Richmond, RI resident. “And I’d rather talk about the hard work and accomplishments of our student performers. They work so hard to entertain URI and community audiences. People might not know that music majors constitute only 20 percent of the marching band’s membership. But like all of our ensembles, they are strong performers and bring spirit to major events.”
In addition to playing at all home football games, the Ram marching band was the featured act at the AutumnFest Parade in Woonsocket on Monday, Oct. 9.
“The Autumnfest parade went very well! We were concerned about the weather, but it turned out that we only had a few light showers during the event. The band seemed to enjoy themselves,” explained the Washington, D.C. native.
“The band performed well, and I heard many positive and enthusiastic responses from audience members as we marched by. The parade was definitely a different experience than the football games for which we usually perform. Once we are in the parade, we alternate between full band tunes and drum cadences, so the drumline plays almost constantly. After about an hour of marching on the street, we ended with a standing performance in front of the grandstand at the end, then did a separate performance at a park nearby.”
Cardany’s interest in music started in sixth grade when he visited a band class. The year after, he started playing trumpet and he never stopped.
In addition to his duties at URI, Cardany serves as the conductor for the South County Chamber Orchestra in Narragansett, R.I. and the music director for the American Band of Providence, one of the finest adult community bands in New England. To add to the list of Cardany’s musical endeavors, he is an active guest conductor, clinician and adjudicator of music performance.
He’s also a music scholar. He has made presentations at the The National Association for Music Education’s Eastern Division Conference and the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic in Chicago. He has also served as a research associate for several volumes of the Teaching Music through Performance in Band series (GIA Publications).
On Nov. 5, WPRI’s “The Rhode Show” will broadcast a piece on Cardany’s work with the American Band of Providence. The segment will showcase the band’s 180th Anniversary Concert at Rhode Island College. The American Band will also perform at a special recognition event for military veterans and first responders at Scituate High School Dec. 10, organized by the Retired National Guard General, Reginald Centracchio.
Cardany also discussed The American Band on the popular podcast “Car Pooling with Ben” as well as an interview with Mike Maino, the host of “Conducting Conversations”.
Cardany curates his musical sets and pieces by drawing inspiration from new music as well as classical pieces.
“I like to explore newer music, but it is important not to forget about the past. There is so much music from the past that is worth revisiting and I find that the old and new often come together and connect,” said Cardany.
Cardany’s musical endeavors have brought him around the country to guest conduct in New York, Maryland, Arizona, and California at Humboldt State University.
Alexa Stewart, intern in the Marketing and Communications Department at URI and Public Relations and Communication Studies Major, wrote this press release.