Eagles Band

The Eagles Band was founded in 1936 and is the oldest continuing performance ensemble in the Berkshires. The band was originally sponsored by the Fraternal Order of Eagles Aerie #358, but traces its roots to the 390th Field Artillery Band (1918). The 390th disbanded in the late 1920’s (there was no longer a need for a Field Artillery in the Berkshires) and many of its members formed the Pittsfield American Legion Band, which begat a “renegade” group that started rehearsing at the Eagles Hall in 1936. 

The FOE sponsorship ended when the Pittsfield Aerie folded in 1982. For 10 years, the band rehearsed without an official sponsor, moving from rehearsal space to rehearsal space and seeking co-sponsors for Music Performance Trust Fund money, as the band was a Musicians’ Union organization. Funding the band, attracting new members, and finding rehearsal and storage space became increasingly difficult with each passing year. 

The early activities of the band included performing at Williams College (which the Legion group did in 1935 and which the Eagles took over in 1936, though not under the Eagles name until 1939), many state FOE band and parade competitions (in which our band took several “first prizes”), and concerts in all kinds of parks and events throughout the Berkshires. Also, many of our band’s musicians played send-offs and welcomes for our WWII soldiers at Union Station. When the end of the war seemed imminent, our musicians would bring their axes to work with them, waiting for the official announcement. When Victory (E & J) came, our guys played and partied in the streets with the rest of the city. 

Up until 1993, we were a “summers only” band. In 1993, the Eagles Band reorganized and made a decision to become a non-profit community band, in which performers donated their time for the love of playing, and which opened up new possibilities for funding the band. Mayor Reilly proclaimed the Eagles Band “the official band of the City of Pittsfield,” the band fundraised for new uniforms, new music and equipment such as music stands and percussion. The summer “Concerts in the Park” series was resurrected and has been taking place at Springside Park since 1994 and now also at the Pittsfield Common. Conductors Lyndon Moors, Dana Swanson and Neil Freebern, Bob Salzman, Carl Jenkins and now David Diggs provided musical direction which increased the band’s popularity with audiences and increased the membership from 12 musicians in 1993 to an average of 72 active members in 2026. 

Recognizing that the full concert band of 72 members was too big for some venues, several smaller ensembles were formed: the Trombone Ensemble of 18-20 members, the Stage Band with 18 members, and the Brass Ensemble with 10-15 members.  Even those groups are too big for some places, so the Eagles Brass Quintet was formed a few years ago to fit the smaller niche.