About Us

• The Palos Verdes Symphonic Band has been a popular feature of the greater Los Angeles area musical scene since 1962. The band was founded by Dr. Eugene Reinaldo after he retired from his surgical practice to the Palos Verdes Peninsula. Director Emeritus, Richard Schwalbe, led the band beginning in 1973. In 2005, Maestro Schwalbe retired from the band after 32 years of dedication and leadership. His replacement, John E. Hall, III, relocated to the east coast in late 2008 after three years of service to the band. Early in 2009, the baton was passed on to Grant Sevdayan. This year, David Stanton was selected as the new band director.

• Organization Mission

  To serve as a major community resource for making concert band music accessible to the public. To foster an appreciation of band music through support to cultural events in the PV Peninsula and South Bay. To provide a forum for local musicians to hone their skills.

• What We Do

  Unique in Southern California, the ensemble provides a wide range of musical experiences and opportunities for musicians as well as enriching holiday and patriotic events for the residents of the Palos Verdes Peninsula and surrounding communities. We give concerts throughout the year at a variety of civic and charitable functions, including seasonal concerts at the South Coast Botanic Garden. The band also features an annual concert at the Norris Theater in Palos Verdes. We provide a wide range of musical programming with ever popular marches and lighter pieces during the summer, traditional transcriptions of the works of the masters, and pieces written specifically for concert band.

• About our Members

  The band consists of about sixty musicians, including school music teachers, engineers, physicians, homemakers, as well as current and former professional instrumentalists. Many members have played in university ensembles, military bands, and touring "big bands" under well known conductors. Individual musicians also teach publicly and privately, as well as performing in local churches, orchestras, and community musical theater.

• Travel

  In addition to performing in the community, we occasionally travel to Europe to perform. The band's first European concert tour in August 1994 included concerts in Lucerne, Innsbruck, Vienna and other cities, highlighted by performances in two programs honoring the Swiss National Independence Day. In 1998 we returned to Europe for a Scandinavian concert tour. The band performed in England and Scotland in August of 2001.