About the Classic Legacy Band of Saginaw

In about 1954 or 1955, Gordon and Mary Richards formed the Stars of Tomorrow band. The requirements were that you were a student of Gordon or Mary and in school. When a member graduated from high school, he or she graduated from the band. 

The band had a group of vocalists. Mary Richards wrote many of the arrangements for the band. The theme song was Story of a Starry Night based on the theme from the Pathetique by Tchaikovsky. The band was managed by the parents. They did all the setups and organizing. No money was ever charged for playing, donations were accepted.

The group played many venues in the tri-city area as well as state wide. Songs such as All Through the Night, I’ll Be Seeing You, The British Grenadiers, Peanut Vendor was the repertoire. 

In the fall of 1960, Gordon and Mary and son, Gary decided to move out of state. Jack Gridley took over the band. He rented a studio across from the Schuch Hotel in Saginaw. The studio was downstairs and upstairs was a rehearsal room. Jack added a lot of show music and a variety of music. 

A flyer handed out at the performances stated there were 40 members; the band had performed in front of more than 250 audiences. They played several times in Detroit, Bay City, Lansing, Ann Arbor, Flint, Jackson, Battle Creek, Kalamazoo, Mt. Pleasant, Clare and others. The band played for Christmas parties, conventions, group meetings, etc. At Christmas the band would often play several nights in a week. 

In the spring of 1963, Jack Gridley decided to give up the band and work on his music store. Lloyde Honsinger was the new conductor. Lloyde had a different vision for the band. The main premise was the same, take lessons from him and be in the band; graduate from high school, graduate from the band. However, Lloyde wanted to introduce the classics to the band. Also he wanted to manage the band and eliminate the parent’s role in managing the band. After a few months, the Stars was dropped and it became The Honsinger Symphonic Wind Ensemble. 

After a brief period where some students were lost, Lloyde began to build the group again. The Wind Ensemble no longer played the group parties, conventions, etc. and began to give concerts several times a year. The group became very well-known and even took a trip to England to play.

In the early 80s, he formed an adult band from students who had played for him as children. There were very few venues for former band students at that time. The adult and children’s bands played separately for a few years. In the summers, when fewer people were available to play, he combined the adults and kids. After a few years, his group of kids dwindled and there became one band with adults and kids. Concerts were given in March, May, November and December. Also in the summer a concert was performed every third Thursday of the month in June, July and August. As always, no admission fees are charged, donations accepted. There were many venues for the concerts, Peace Lutheran Church, Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Montague Inn Gardens, Frankenmuth, Anderson Gardens to name a few. 

On April 29, 2005, Lloyde G. Honsinger passed away. The 41st anniversary concert had been performed just weeks previous to his death. Members of the band were devastated at not only losing Lloyde, but losing the band also. Meetings were held by the members and the family and it was decided to continue Lloyde’s vision by continuing the band. The family requested to not use Honsinger in the name. It was agreed that the music, equipment, etc. could be purchased from the family. A member of the band, Carin Owen, who had been a student of Lloyde’s since she was twelve and had a degree in music would be conductor. The name Classic Legacy Band of Saginaw was chosen. The name refers to the type of music performed which is mostly Classical. The summer music is of a lighter fare.

Carin Owen kept the band going with a group of adults who were very dedicated to continue the legacy of Lloyde Honsinger. High school students are always welcome to the group also. Under Carin and the hard work of the band personnel the band paid off the debt owed for the music and equipment. The concert schedule has continued. The band is managed by a board of members. 

In 2014, Carin decided to change her life plan and spend more time with her family and resigned her position. David Fitts took over for her. David did an excellent job and was developing the band well, when family problems forced him to give up the band. On May 1, 2016, Brandon Jerashen conducted his first concert of the Classic Legacy Band. In 2017 Brandon got a teaching position in Tawas and moved away. Dave Fitts was kind enough to fill in until the CLB found a replacement for Brandon. Starting with the Christmas concert for 2017 Gina Provenzano took over the CLB. Gina also did well to develop the band, However in the summer of 2018 she accepted a position with the Warren Symphony Orchestra. Once again the CLB needed a new director. The band did not look for long. Dave Fitts came back to the podium for his first concert back on November 4, 2018. Since then Dave has doubled the size of the group as well as the quality of music. The Classic Legacy Band is excited blessed and fortunate to have back as our conductor.