Perinton Concert Band

The Perinton Concert Band represents a tradition of fine band music in the Rochester, NY area. Sponsored by the Town of Perinton Recreation and Parks Department, the Perinton Concert Band presents several concerts a year in this Rochester suburb, located on the Erie Canal, just southeast of Rochester. 

Ken MacDavid organized the Band in 1977. A Perinton resident and musician, he thought the community should have its own concert band. The group has grown into an accomplished ensemble that is proud to have been invited to perform at the New York State School Music Association Winter conference, the New York State Band Directors Association Symposium, The Music Educators National Conference All-Eastern Division Conference, the Association of Concert Bands National Convention, and the Boston Festival of Bands. In 1996, the band recorded its first CD entitled The Pride of Perinton, followed in 2001 by a second CD, Great Music from Great Movies, and a third in 2006, A Gift of Music From the Perinton Band.

The off-stage lives of the band members reflect a cross section of ages, occupations, and backgrounds. The band claims teachers, engineers, homemakers, accountants, landscapers, attorneys, and other professionals among its ranks. 

Each season, which runs from September to early June, the band performs some of the best literature for concert bands and regularly features guest artists of national and international stature. Averaging three to four formal concerts per season, the band also plays at several outdoor venues such as the Perinton Center Stage Amphitheater Concert Series and the Fairport Gazebo Series.

Charles Van Buren has earned degrees in music education from the University of Wisconsin and the Eastman School of Music. In June 2004 he retired from teaching after thirty-three years as a music educator. At the time of his retirement he taught concert band and jazz ensemble at Penfield High School, Penfield, NY. Mr. Van Buren has also served as a faculty member of the Finger Lakes Community College in Canandaigua, NY and the Hochstein School of Music and Dance in Rochester. He remains active as an All-State adjudicator for the New York State School Music Association and as a free-lance adjudicator/clinician throughout New York State and Canada. As a professional musician, Mr. Van Buren performs in various commercial, jazz, and classical settings throughout Western New York State. He has performed on saxophone as a member of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and Chautauqua Symphony and currently plays first clarinet in the Hochstein Music Educators Wind Band. He has extensive show band experience and has performed with many nationally known groups and entertainers. His professional memberships include the New York State School Music Association, the Music Educators National Conference, and the Association of Concert Bands. He is a founding member of the New York State Band Directors Association and was the first recipient of that organization’s Outstanding Band Director Award. He has also served as President of both Ontario and Monroe County School Music Associations.