HOLLAND AMERICAN LEGION BAND CONDUCTORS
John "Dugan" Van Vyven 1920-1926
John Tiefenthal 1927
W. J. Kline 1927-1929
Eugene F. Heeter 1929-1944
Everett Kisinger 1944-1948
James Schroet 1948-1949
Arthur C. Hills 1950-1966
Henry P. Vander Linde 1966-2006
Thomas A. Working 2006 - May 2016
Scott Vanden Berg June 2016 - present
In 1920, when the Holland American Legion Band was established, John Van Vyven was named director. Van Vyven had played in the Holland Martial Band in the 1890's, and in 1904 had organized and played in the Citizens Band of Holland - both organizations predecessors to the Holland American Legion Band. He was the likely choice to start a new band. When the Legion Band officially started performing on May 30, 1920, they had an inspiring conductor who had become identified with every band Holland had up to that point. (John Van Vyven also organized the Holland High School Band program in 1926.) On an early business card, Van Vyven listed "Director of Central Avenue Christian Reformed Church Orchestra, Holland Community Orchestra, Jamestown Community Orchestra, Instructor of Third Church Orchestra, Fourteenth Street Christian Reformed Church Orchestra, and Hamilton Band." Van Vyven also took the Legion Band on its first trips - to Kansas City in 1921, New Orleans in 1922, St. Paul in 1924, and Philadelphia in 1926. John "Dugan" Van Vyven laid the groundwork and established the path that the Holland American Legion Band would follow. He was truly the "Music Man" of his time.
The next major influence on the Legion Band was director Eugene F. Heeter. In 1928 Heeter became the first full time director of instrumental music for the Holland Public Schools. With his strong music background he set high standards for both the high school and the Legion Band. He was a major contributor to making Holland's Tulip Time Festival an annual event, and making the Legion Band a part of that annual event as well as performing at veterans hospitals, on Memorial Day, and beginning in 1936 offering an annual series of summer concerts in Kollen Park.
Everett Kisinger and Art Hills, both also Holland High School Band Directors, served many years as dedicated directors of the Legion Band, maintaining the traditions and standards that had been established by their predecessors. The tradition of having the Holland High School Band Director leading the Legion Band changed in 1966 when Henry Vander Linde - band director of Holland Christian High School - took over for his friend Art Hills.
Henry Vander Linde directed the Holland American Legion Band for 40 years, maintaining its commitment to excellence and service to the community and to the veterans organizations in the area. A man with unlimited energy and determination, "Mr. Van" was not only respected by the community, but also by the band members and his students in school. This is reflected in part by the band shell in Kollen Park being named the Henry P. Vander Linde Band Shell, and by the grant given each year in Henry's name to a deserving area high school band student (see Educational Outreach page.)
As Henry Vander Linde's health began to fail, Thom Working became the Legion Band's assistant conductor. In 2006 Thom took over full time as the director of the band. He was part of a four generation Legion Band family, with his grandfather, father, and his two sons having played in the band. Working began playing in the band when he was in high school, and was still playing in the band when he began his conducting duties. He spent 35 years as a band director in a nearby school district, and spent many years playing French horn in West Michigan symphony orchestras, as well as conducting numerous other groups and teaching part time at Grand Valley State College and Hope College. Thom Working continued the traditions of the band, and has led the band in three extended trips. The band performed concerts and ceremonies in Normandy, France, and The Netherlands in June 2009 as part of the 65th Anniversary of D-Day, as well as in December 2011 at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, as part of the 70th Anniversary of the Japanese attack there in 1941. In June 2014 Thom again conducted the band in Europe as a part of the 70th Anniversary of D-Day. During the 2016 Memorial Day week-end the band traveled to Washington D.C. to play a series of concerts, including at the WW II Memorial. Thom stepped down as conductor following the Washington trip due to his failing health.
The Legion Band welcomed Scott Vanden Berg as its new director starting in the 2016 summer season. Scott has played with the American Legion Band for several summers and joined the trumpet section on the band’s 2014 European tour.
With nearly 20 years of in music education, Scott has been the director of instrumental music at Holland Christian High School since 2006. In 2014, Scott was awarded the John P. Varineau Outstanding Music Educator Award by the Grand Rapids Symphony. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education from Dordt College (Iowa) in 1996 and a Master of Music degree in conducting from California State University, Long Beach in 2006. Before coming to Holland, Scott taught at Valley Christian Schools (Calif.) and Sunnyside Christian School (Wash.). Scott also currently directs the choir and instrumental ensembles at 14th Street Christian Reformed Church in Holland.
John Tiefenthal 1927
W. J. Kline 1927-1929
Eugene F. Heeter 1929-1944
Everett Kisinger 1944-1948
James Schroet 1948-1949
Arthur C. Hills 1950-1966
Henry P. Vander Linde 1966-2006
Thomas A. Working 2006 - May 2016
Scott Vanden Berg June 2016 - present
In 1920, when the Holland American Legion Band was established, John Van Vyven was named director. Van Vyven had played in the Holland Martial Band in the 1890's, and in 1904 had organized and played in the Citizens Band of Holland - both organizations predecessors to the Holland American Legion Band. He was the likely choice to start a new band. When the Legion Band officially started performing on May 30, 1920, they had an inspiring conductor who had become identified with every band Holland had up to that point. (John Van Vyven also organized the Holland High School Band program in 1926.) On an early business card, Van Vyven listed "Director of Central Avenue Christian Reformed Church Orchestra, Holland Community Orchestra, Jamestown Community Orchestra, Instructor of Third Church Orchestra, Fourteenth Street Christian Reformed Church Orchestra, and Hamilton Band." Van Vyven also took the Legion Band on its first trips - to Kansas City in 1921, New Orleans in 1922, St. Paul in 1924, and Philadelphia in 1926. John "Dugan" Van Vyven laid the groundwork and established the path that the Holland American Legion Band would follow. He was truly the "Music Man" of his time.
The next major influence on the Legion Band was director Eugene F. Heeter. In 1928 Heeter became the first full time director of instrumental music for the Holland Public Schools. With his strong music background he set high standards for both the high school and the Legion Band. He was a major contributor to making Holland's Tulip Time Festival an annual event, and making the Legion Band a part of that annual event as well as performing at veterans hospitals, on Memorial Day, and beginning in 1936 offering an annual series of summer concerts in Kollen Park.
Everett Kisinger and Art Hills, both also Holland High School Band Directors, served many years as dedicated directors of the Legion Band, maintaining the traditions and standards that had been established by their predecessors. The tradition of having the Holland High School Band Director leading the Legion Band changed in 1966 when Henry Vander Linde - band director of Holland Christian High School - took over for his friend Art Hills.
Henry Vander Linde directed the Holland American Legion Band for 40 years, maintaining its commitment to excellence and service to the community and to the veterans organizations in the area. A man with unlimited energy and determination, "Mr. Van" was not only respected by the community, but also by the band members and his students in school. This is reflected in part by the band shell in Kollen Park being named the Henry P. Vander Linde Band Shell, and by the grant given each year in Henry's name to a deserving area high school band student (see Educational Outreach page.)
As Henry Vander Linde's health began to fail, Thom Working became the Legion Band's assistant conductor. In 2006 Thom took over full time as the director of the band. He was part of a four generation Legion Band family, with his grandfather, father, and his two sons having played in the band. Working began playing in the band when he was in high school, and was still playing in the band when he began his conducting duties. He spent 35 years as a band director in a nearby school district, and spent many years playing French horn in West Michigan symphony orchestras, as well as conducting numerous other groups and teaching part time at Grand Valley State College and Hope College. Thom Working continued the traditions of the band, and has led the band in three extended trips. The band performed concerts and ceremonies in Normandy, France, and The Netherlands in June 2009 as part of the 65th Anniversary of D-Day, as well as in December 2011 at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, as part of the 70th Anniversary of the Japanese attack there in 1941. In June 2014 Thom again conducted the band in Europe as a part of the 70th Anniversary of D-Day. During the 2016 Memorial Day week-end the band traveled to Washington D.C. to play a series of concerts, including at the WW II Memorial. Thom stepped down as conductor following the Washington trip due to his failing health.
The Legion Band welcomed Scott Vanden Berg as its new director starting in the 2016 summer season. Scott has played with the American Legion Band for several summers and joined the trumpet section on the band’s 2014 European tour.
With nearly 20 years of in music education, Scott has been the director of instrumental music at Holland Christian High School since 2006. In 2014, Scott was awarded the John P. Varineau Outstanding Music Educator Award by the Grand Rapids Symphony. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education from Dordt College (Iowa) in 1996 and a Master of Music degree in conducting from California State University, Long Beach in 2006. Before coming to Holland, Scott taught at Valley Christian Schools (Calif.) and Sunnyside Christian School (Wash.). Scott also currently directs the choir and instrumental ensembles at 14th Street Christian Reformed Church in Holland.