For the past 27 years, Cal State Long Beach’s University Wind Quintet has had Woodwind Director John Barcellona to thank for helping fund their annual scholarships. Their instructor isn’t afraid of raising money for the department in unconventional ways – even if it means working up a sweat.
Each year, Barcellona runs a marathon to raise money for the University Wind Quintet Scholarship. This past Sunday, the 69-year-old added another 26.2 miles to his running resume by participating in the Surf City Marathon in Huntington Beach. He was among 15,000 runners from all 50 states and 17 countries.
Barcellona calls his marathon fundraiser “one of [his] best inventions ever.” He began running marathons in 1986 for the health benefits, but soon realized it could serve another purpose.
“I got the bright idea [in 1990] to use my running as a little tool to help raise scholarship money because I wanted to build… the quality of our performance majors here,” Barcellona said. “By having a wind quintet scholarship, I was hopeful that I would attract more high-quality players — and it’s worked over the years.”
Scholarships are scarce for wind quintets, and were even more so in the ‘90s.
The University Wind Quintet is made up of the finest woodwind performers in the music department. The current members — all who were placed by audition — are flutist Melody Wan, oboist Spencer Klass, clarinetist Nick Cotter, horn player Jennifer Ornelas and bassoonist Emily Prather. As members, they can each expect a scholarship award.
Barcellona prefers not to reveal the exact amount each student is awarded, but he does proudly declare that over the 27 years he has raised well over a hundred thousand dollars for the wind quintet scholarship.
This year, the fundraising campaign was featured on the Bob Cole Conservatory website. People were, and still are, invited to donate any amount of their choice by check or online payment. Donors also could pledge an amount for every mile that Barcellona completes in the marathon.
Although Barcellona counts on a core of loyal donors each year, he says they are always finding more, especially through appealing to other departments on campus, musicians’ unions and concert-goers.
Donors receive two free tickets to the wind quintet’s annual culmination concert on April 18, at 8 p.m. in the Daniel Recital Hall.
“We raise as much money as we can,” Barcellona said. “They usually get a pretty good scholarship.”
After deducting expenses related to printing and mailing the fundraising fliers, the remainder of Barcellona’s pledges goes to the quintet.
In addition to scholarship money, his students may even pick up some practical tips from him.
Barcellona encourages music students, particularly woodwind students, to engage in aerobic activity. After running his very first marathon, he said, ”I noticed such an improvement in my breath capacity [and] in my flute playing that I decided to keep doing it.”
He has even published an article, “Physical Fitness For Flutists,” in Flute Talk in 2003, discussing the relationship between physical fitness, respiration and its impacts on flute-playing.
“Playing an instrument is very similar to a sport because you have to train your muscles to do a specific function,” he said. “The better in shape you are physically the more efficient the playing of the instrument.”
Occasionally, he can even find himself running beside some of his previous students. This Sunday he discovered a flute student he taught during the CSULB summer arts program, who is now a flute teacher at Long Beach City College. They noticed each other around at mile 8 and ran the remainder of the marathon together.
According to the Surf City Marathon race results, Barcellona completed Sunday’s marathon in 5 hours, 59 minutes and 41 seconds.
“I felt good this time,” he said. “I felt strong. I trained pretty hard for this one so I was comfortable all the way.”
As part of his pre-marathon training, Barcellona does 20-mile “long runs” every Saturday on the bike path along Huntington Beach. He begins from his home near the Santa Ana River and runs north as far as Warner Ave.
He doesn’t see himself giving up running anytime soon.
“I feel good,” he said. “I feel young, strong… I feel healthy… I don’t think it’s hurting me… A lot of people my age have lots of problems… knee replacements, hip surgery, back surgery. Luckily I’m fine. My legs get a little sore a couple days after the marathon but I’m good.”
Between raising scholarship money for his students, staying healthy and improving his flute playing, he says there are so many benefits associated with his running that he’s afraid to stop.