Strongsville Community Band
Strongsville Community BandStrongsville Community Band
Baldwin Wallace University - 2023 Ken Mehalko, Director Email Ken
A message from the Director: Our summer season begins Friday, June 13, 2025. As you know, our outdoor Summer Concerts were going to be at the new Strongsville Town Center. However, the Band Board and Directors decided this venue would not be suitable for our concerts due to the location of the parking being inconvenient for our many seniors who attend. As a result we decided to continue to have our summer outdoor concerts in front of Strongsville Middle School. Please pass the word.
The 2025 schedule is below and also on our Facebook page. Like us on Facebook.
Check out our "virtual" band video.
Be safe and stay healthy.
Ken
CONCERTS 2025
Summer Concerts will be continue to be held in front of the Strongsville Middle School from 7:30-8:30 PM.
Friday, June 13, 27.
Thursday, July 3.
Friday, July 11.
Friday, July 18 Strongsville City Jazz. Strongsville Middle School Auditorium at 7:30 PM.
Friday, August
1 - Rotary Cookout concert at Ehrnfelt Sr. Center at 7:30.
Friday, August
8 - in front of Strongsville Middle School.
In the event of rain or unsafe weather conditions, concerts will be in the Ehrnfelt Sr. Center.
Rehearsal Schedule at Ehrnfelt Senior/Rec Center from 6:15-8:00 PM.
June 9, 11, 23, 25, 30.
July 2, 7, 9, 28, 30.
August 4, 6.
SCJazz rehearsals: at Strongsville UCC, 13740 Pearl Rd.
TBA
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History of the Band
The Strongsville Community Band was founded in 1990 by director Ken Mehalko. The band received its initial financial support from the Strongsville Women's League. It now has a board of Trustees who set policies and raise and manage monies to support the band's activities.The City of Strongsville provides the performance and rehearsal areas. The Strongsville Community Band performs six outdoor concerts during the summer months on the front lawn of Strongsville Middle School. Also scheduled in the Cultural Center of the Ehrnfelt Recreation and Senior Center are a Christmas Concert, a Winter Concert and a Spring Concert.
Outstanding musicians from all walks of life, including students, professionals and retirees join together in this community band because of their love for making music. The ensemble programs a variety of musical styles including marches, light classics, popular selections and other contemporary literature from the concert band repertoire.
The band has also performed at other communities in the area including The Lorain Palace Theater with the Patriots Concert Band and at Lakeland Community College with the Lakeland Civic Band and two performances at Severance Hall, the home of The Cleveland Orchestra. Loras John Schissel, Dr. Frederick Fennell, Dr. Howard Meeker and Dr. Gary Ciepluch are but a few of the guest directors who have conducted the band in concert.
About the Directors
Ken Mehalko has been involved in bringing music to Strongsville as high school band and orchestra director where the ensembles he directed: the marching band, concert band, orchestra and jazz ensemble received statewide and national recognition for their musical excellence at state contests, music conventions, performances at Cleveland Browns and Buffalo Bills football games and parades such as the Orange Bowl Parade and the Tournament of Roses Parade. He founded the Strongsville Community Band in 1990 which he still directs and co-directs the Strongsville City Jazz Swing Band.
Ken graduated from Baldwin Wallace University in 1961 with a degree in Music Education and holds a Master of Arts degree from Case Western Reserve University.
His many honors and awards include: The Baldwin-Wallace Conservatory Alumni Achievement Award; Baldwin-Wallace University Outstanding Educator Award; Strongsville High School Distinguished Alumni Award as a former teacher; a Medical Mutual of Ohio Outstanding Senior Volunteer Honorable Mention Award, Cleveland South High School Hall of Fame, his HS alma mater and in 2017 was inducted into the Ohio Band Directors Hall of Fame. He was sent to Chile on five different occasions by the Ohio Arts Council and Chilean government as a music consultant. In 2006 he came out of retirement to successfully start up the Baldwin Wallace University Marching Band which had not been active for 36 years. He also served as an adjudicator for the Ohio Music Education Association for fifty years. A Kenneth Mehalko Music Scholarship was recently established for students majoring in music.
Ken has two children who graduated from Strongsville HS: Scott 1984, a pharmaceutical devices sales manager and Kerry 1986, a N. Royalton teacher. He has four grandchildren two of which are engineers, one is in law school and one is a lawyer. He lives in Strongsville with his wife, Beverly Wehr and their two Bichpoos, Alex and Cleo.
Brian D. Maskow has been named Assistant Director of the Strongsville Community Band.
A Parma resident, he is the retired Director of Bands at Lakewood High School where he taught for over 30 years. Brian has guest conducted several school honor and festival bands.
He is now a part time Educational Sales Representative for Rettig Music.
A graduate of Bowling Green State University and Northwestern University, Brian has performed on clarinet and saxophone with the Dan Zola Big Band and the Strongsville City Jazz Swing Band.
James Wonnacott
The Strongsville City Jazz Swing Band is co-directed by Ken Mehalko and Jim Wonnacott. Ken founded the band in 1992.
Jim Wonnacott is also a graduate (1964) of Baldwin Wallace College (now University). He retired from the Strongsville City Schools in 1996 where he had success teaching at Center Junior High School. As a freelance musician and arranger he has performed with many prominent bands and entertainers, including The Cleveland Jazz Orchestra, Sammy Davis, Jr., Johnny Mathis, and toured with both the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra featuring the Pied Pipers, and with singer Al Martino. He is the founder and former Musical Director of the Baldwin Wallace College Alumni Jazz Orchestra. Jim received the 2009 BW Conservatory Alumni Achievement Award in recognition of his accomplishments as a performer and educator in the Cleveland area and his dedication to the Alumni Jazz Orchestra and was awarded the BW Alumni Association Merit Award in May, 2011. On July 11, 2012 the Cleveland TOPS Swingband named Jim as its new Music Director. Jim was inducted into the Euclid High School Alumni Association Distinguished Alumni Achievement Hall of Fame in May, 2013. He and his wife, Marcia, are 51-year residents of Columbia Station.Strongsville City Jazz Swing Band
Steve Kortyka, Guest Soloist
Rehearsals: TBD
Concerts: TBA
The Strongsville City Jazz Swing Band is one of the most versatile big bands in the Cleveland area, playing everything from jazz classics to swing music from the big band era. The fine musicians who make up the band bring a variety of musical experience to their performances that include entertaining at Playhouse Square, The Front Row Theater, Kenley Players, and The Coliseum.
Some members of the band have performed with some well-known ensembles, including The Glenn Miller Orchestra, Warren Covington, Buddy Rich, Louie Bellson, and Jimmy Dorsey big bands, and the Cleveland Jazz Orchestra. The band performs during the summer as part of the Strongsville Community Band Summer Concerts and in other area communities. During the winter the band has been featured at a number of Cleveland area high school jazz festivals.
The Strongsville City Jazz is co-directed by Ken Mehalko and James Wonnacott. Ken founded the band in 1992. He is retired from the Strongsville City Schools where he successfully directed the high school band for 29 years. Presently he directs the Strongsville Community Band, and is the former Director of Athletic Bands at Baldwin Wallace College.
James Wonnacott is also a graduate of Baldwin-Wallace. He retired from the Strongsville City Schools in 1996 where he had success teaching at Center Junior High School. On June 27, 2011 he performed with the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra at Lake Chautauqua, New York. From July 13-15, 2016 he performed with THE PLATTERS playing five shows in three different cities over the three days.
He is the founder and former Musical Director of the Baldwin-Wallace College (now University) Alumni Jazz Orchestra. Awards include the 2009 B-W Conservatory Alumni Achievement Award, the B-W Alumni Association Merit Award, and the Euclid High School Alumni Association Distinguished Alumni Achievement Hall of Fame. Currently he is the Music Director of the Cleveland TOPS Swingband.
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Trustees
- John McDermott, President
- Karen Muskoff, Treasurer
- Elaine Coffey
- Sandy Dublo
- Jane Hartman
- Kathy Lane
- Renee McDermott
- Terry Muskoff
- Helen Rathburn
- Tom Rathburn
- Joyce Toerek