The Repasz Band

What could be more American than Mom, apple pie, and a band playing in the park on a sunny summer day? The Repasz Band, of Williamsport, Pennsylvania, has been playing out that scene with a proud heritage stretching back over a century and a half. Today, the Repasz Band is the oldest non-military band in continuous existence in the United States. First organized in August 1831 in Williamsport, by Jacob L. Mussina, its instrumentation consisted of flutes, clarinets, a piccolo, and only one brass instrument: a French horn.

In 1840, Daniel Repasz became a member of the Band. He became a major force behind the Band’s transformation to a fine brass band and was elected as the Band’s fourth director in 1856. The Band members adopted the name Repasz Band in 1859. The Repasz Band enriches the cultural life of the Williamsport area with concerts in the parks, in nursing homes, and at sporting events such as the Little League World Series. 

The Repasz Band also provides members of our community with an opportunity for musicians, both young and old, to be able to continue using their hard-earned musical skills, as a lifelong expression of personal creativity and community pride.

The Repasz Band is the proud winner of the John Philip Sousa Foundation’s Sudler Silver Scroll Historic Community Band Award. The Band was proud to host the Association of Concert Bands Convention in 2006, and looks forward to its participation at this year’s convention.

Albert J. Nacinovich earned a B. S. in music education from Mansfield University and a M.S. in music education from Ithaca College, with additional study at other schools including the University of Michigan. He retired from the Williamsport (PA) Area School District after teaching band and instrumental music at all levels for 31 years and continued private studio teaching until 2003. Mr. Nacinovich has held numerous positions in the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association (PMEA), serving two terms as district president; seven years as a state officer, including a term as state president from 1984 to 1986; and was the first editor of the PMEA Selective Music List, the graded solo and ensemble music list used for the state’s Adjudication Festival System. He was named to Mansfield University’s Music Alumni Honor Roll in 1990. Active as a musician in area church and community groups, Mr. Nacinovich has directed the Repasz Band of Williamsport since 1972, and is a co-director of “Encores” New Horizons Band of Williamsport. He and his wife, Alice, who plays horn in the Repasz Band and is a recently retired Suzuki piano method teacher, enjoy travel, NASCAR racing, and an interest in Civil War history. Their talented daughters, Tama (oboe) and Tanya (French horn), were at one time the youngest student members of the Repasz Band.