One part brilliant musician, one part focused conductor and one part hammy entertainer. That aptly describes Laurelie Nattress, retiring conductor of St. Albert Community Band.
Clocking out after 14 years, she is the longest serving conductor in the band’s 40-year history. At once feisty and funny, she is leaving a signature that will be difficult to emulate. As she rides off into the sunset, Nattress was saying, “I want to pursue other passions and projects — golf, getting back my sax chops and trying some arranging and composing.”
But who is this fireball of energy that in the space of a couple of breaths would either poke fun at or be deadly serious about music and her role in it?
From the age of three she lived in Milk River, where her father first managed and then owned the local store. Both her older brothers were musically inclined and she still remembers David, the eldest, teaching her to read notes.
“He made lines with a treble clef on paper and put Smarties on the spaces. If I said the right ones, I got to eat the Smarties,” she laughs.
First she studied piano. Upon hearing the saxophone played in church, this inquisitive 11-year-old decided it was the most beautiful sound and dedicated herself to learning its intricacies.
From a young age, Nattress had dreamed of becoming a physician. After graduating high school, she enrolled at the University of Alberta in a three-year bachelor of science program.
“I was always good in science, but I was forgetting how much work it would take and dealing with all the blood and guts and people dying.”
Although she could handle the work, the first year was a little less stellar than she originally envisioned. It so happened, she had also put her sax to work with the university’s Symphonic Wind Ensemble. In a short trip to perform in Lacombe, she closely observed the conductor and a lightning bolt hit. “That’s what I should be doing, I thought, and I was getting happier just thinking about it.”
Nattress completed her degree in chemistry and genetics, but promptly followed it up with a degree in saxophone performance. It was the first of an additional five degrees and diplomas including a masters in conducting at the University of Oregon.
Back in 1995, while browsing a bulletin board at the university’s fine arts department, she spotted an advertisement for a conductor in St. Albert. One of 18 candidates, she trumped the competition for the vacant St. Albert Community Band position.
As a teacher, Nattress has worked with every age level, from kindergarten to seniors, and is adamant on how music boosts brainpower.
“I like the process, especially with amateur groups — taking the music on a page and turning it into something beautiful. And I really enjoy seeing the light come on in their eyes when they understand a concept that I’ve been hearing and they finally do.”
Her biggest challenge with St. Albert Community Band has always been selecting music that novices could handle, while at the same time keeping the more advanced players engaged and working on the piece’s emotion.
“With the young and old, there was always the challenge of finding something exciting,” Nattress says, adding her selections always blended tuneful numbers: marches, movie music, musicals, folk and concert band music.
She encouraged outings and tours that provided a strong bonding experience for the multi-generational musicians. In a 2007 cruise to Alaska, the band performed in a glassed-in observation deck and in the lounge. Her biggest challenge was the rolling waves.
“The floor was not steady and I had to make sure I was bobbing and weaving at the right time.”
Kimberly Cloutier, 19, has nothing but praise for her mentor. “She is one of the best conductors I know. Her conducting style is very easy to follow and if you ask her a question, she’ll answer in a way not to make you feel bad about not knowing.”
As conductor, Nattress has always been the focal point of the band. But she is adamant about one thing. “It’s not about me. It’s about the music. It drives the band and the people make it.”
