Golden Gate Park Band strikes up 130th season

The Golden Gate Band played the first concert of the season at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco on Sunday, marking their 130th season. The Golden Gate Band, conducted by Michael Wirgler, played it's first concert of the season at Golden Gate Park on Sunday marking their 130th year. less The Golden Gate Band played the first concert of the season at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco on Sunday, marking their 130th season. The Golden Gate Band, conducted by Michael Wirgler, played it's first ... more Photo: Kevin Johnson, The Chronicle Photo: Kevin Johnson, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 12 Caption Close Golden Gate Park Band strikes up 130th season 1 / 12 Back to Gallery

In the era of apps and instant music downloads, there are still music fans with an appetite for listening to music the old-fashioned way: live and in person.

For those interested in old-school entertainment, the Golden Gate Park Band, founded in 1882, proved just the ticket for an afternoon of symphonic diversion, opening its 130th season Sunday at the Spreckels Music Concourse in Golden Gate Park.

"I just love classical music, and it's nice to come somewhere that's not a nightclub with people pushing you around," said Valerie Vizena, a Visa USA employee who was camped out on the grass with a bottle of sparkling wine; a ham-and-brie panini; her rescue dog, Grrr; and her husband, Kurt Kitajima, a bank brand manager who moonlights as a DJ.

"The city has the Symphony Hall and the Opera House," Vizena said, "but this is free, and there are a lot of different kinds of people here listening."

The American tradition of a symphonic band in each town may be fading, but San Francisco's 30-piece band, led by retired Oakland schoolteacher Michael Wirgler, is going strong.

'It's an institution'

The band consists of professional musicians (except for oboist Keith Sklower, a computer programmer at UC Berkeley) who belong to the Musicians Union Local No. 6. Each earns $100 per show for an hour of rehearsal time and playing the two-hour concert.

The band's $100,000 annual operating budget is funded by grants, Friends of the Golden Gate Park Band and tips collected in a yellow jar near the stage.

The band, founded 125 years before the iPhone hit the market, is an institution from yesteryear.

"It's an institution, kind of like the cable car," said French horn player Diane Ryan of San Carlos.

Renee Deeter, a clarinetist from American Canyon, said her grandmother used to bring the family to the park to listen when the band played every Sunday.

"My mom still talks about it, and she's 78," Deeter said. "It's a legacy, and I really enjoy it."

The opening day concert consisted of 10 selections, beginning with "The Sinfonians Symphonic March" by Clifton Williams and ending with "Nobles of the Mystic Shrine March" by John Philip Sousa. Future concerts will include Polish music, circus music, water-themed music, Ukrainian music and an all-request season finale Oct. 7.

The band will also play on Independence Day - a Wednesday - to celebrate July Fourth. There's no show when it rains.

Although there are plenty of park benches up front for patrons to sit and listen, the band actually sounds best from a distance - where the band shell works acoustical magic that makes the sound seem louder and richer than nearer the stage.

Escaping South Bay's heat

Although opening day was only 60 degrees and overcast, it was perfect for Jane and John Prescott of Morgan Hill, who brought their children, Anna, 4, and Andrew, 7, and their Italian greyhound-Chihuahua mix, Fiona, to escape the South Bay's 90-degree heat.

The band's longest-tenured member, tuba player Hank Niebolt of Daly City, said he is every bit as committed today as he was when he began playing back in 1961.

"I enjoy it very much," he said, "and I'm thankful to be here."