John King's Eulogy for Gordon - Jan. 14, 2012

Tribute to Dr. Gordon W. Bowie

Memorial Service

Robert A. Pumphrey Funeral Home

Bethesda, Maryland

January 14, 2012

By John King

President, Montgomery Village Community Band

It’s wonderful to see so many people here to celebrate Gordon’s life.  I’m John King, president of the Montgomery Village Community Band, a 70-member all-volunteer ensemble that rehearses Wednesday nights in Montgomery Village and performs concerts throughout the area.  Gordon directed the band for the last 13 years.

BSO Academy for Amateur Musicians - June 23-30, 2012

Dear Rusty Musicians and Friends,

This is a special invitation to all musicians who have applied to become a BSO Rusty Musician. Many of you have performed in our Rusty Musicians program multiple times, and know the thrill of performing onstage with Music Director Marin Alsop and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra! I want to take this opportunity to invite you to apply to our upcoming week long BSO Academy, which will be held June 23-30, 2012 at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall.

Gordon Bowie Memorial Service - Program and Comments

Montgomery Village News Obituary for Gordon Bowie

Gordon Bowie Memorial Service, Donations

The memorial service (celebration) for Gordon Bowie will be at 10am on Saturday, January 14, 2012 at the Robert A. Pumphrey Funeral Home, 7557 Wisconsin Ave., Bethesda, MD 20814.  Phone 301-652-2200.  Directions >

In lieu of flowers we would ask those who wish to make a donation to contribute to the Montgomery Village Community Band in Gordon's memory.  Please make checks out to Montgomery Village Foundation with a notation or instructions that they are for the MVCB/Gordon Bowie Memorial Fund.  This notation will allow them to restrict use to the band.  Send contributions to The Montgomery Village Foundation, 10120 Apple Ridge Road, Montgomery Village, MD  20886.

The Always Amazing Gordon Bowie and the Incredible Montgomery Village Community Band

It’s All About the Music: Everything in the life of Gordon Bowie revolved about the music that he performed, conducted, composed, taught or examined for copyright.  From the podium at the head of the 70-piece Montgomery Village Community Band, Gordon reminded his players weekly that it was the music that mattered.  He taught them to love and appreciate how they could come together to make music that was greater than the efforts of any one of them.  He taught his audiences to appreciate what they were hearing.  It was all about the music.

Gordon W. Bowie, Ph.D, conductor, composer and musician, died January 5, 2012 at the age of 67 after a long fight against prostate cancer.  For the last twelve years, he was conductor of the Montgomery Village Community Band in Montgomery Village, MD; before that he was conductor of the Bangor (Maine) Band, a semi-professional band in the old New England Town Band tradition.  His own instrument was the Bass Trombone, which he played in the Bangor (Maine) Symphony Orchestra for 32 years before moving to Washington, DC in 1997, where he continued to play with Virginia Grand Military Band, National Concert Band of America, and Legacy Brass Quintet.