Lasalle Concert and Stage Bands Reunion set for July 25th and 26th

A reunion will be held this summer for all current and past members of the Lasalle Secondary School Concert and Stage Bands.

The celebration, on July 25th and 26th, will honour the late Joan Mantle who headed the music department at Lasalle Secondary School from 1966 to 1981. The Lasalle bands garnered numerous awards under her leadership and performed across North America and the United Kingdom.

“We invite all those who played under the direction of Joan Mantle to come raise their batons with us as we salute, honour and ‘play’ tribute to our band directing mentor,” says Reunion Committee member Kevin Fajcz.

The reunion will begin on Saturday, July 25th at 3 pm with a meet and greet at the Howard Johnson Hotel on Brady Street. Dinner will take place at 6 pm with music by the Lasalle Alumni group “Silmaril” until 1 am.

On Sunday, July 26th, there will be a get-together for current and past band members at the Mantle residence. Lasalle Secondary School band members, school alumni and family members, and those from Lo-Ellen Park Secondary School where Joan Mantle established the music program, are welcome to attend the reunion.

Advance registration is $50 per person.

"Many of us found a home in the Lasalle band when we were in high school,” says Fajcz. “Our band was a family, and we were proud to maintain an excellent reputation representing Sudbury around the world and in provincial and national competitions.”

He adds: “Joan Mantle held us to an exacting standard, but she did it gracefully. She imparted a love for music in each one of her students. Her legacy lives on as the inspiration for this reunion.”

Fajcz says students from over 30 years ago have expressed enthusiasm about attending the reunion and organizers are working diligently to get the word out to anyone who is or was part of the music program at Lo-Ellen Park Secondary School or Lasalle Secondary School.

“It was Joan’s expressed wish that the reunion take place, even in the event of her unfortunate passing last week,” says Fajcz. “This event will be a music family reunion to honour Joan’s great contribution to the musical development of all of her students. Any profits from the event will be donated to the Joan Mantle Music Trust.”

To register for the reunion or obtain more information, visit www.lasallebandreunion.com or email [email protected].

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Media Contact:

Kevin Fajcz, Lasalle Band Reunion Committee, 705-670-9731.