After being a member of the Sint Michaël harmony association for more than three quarters of a century, 89-year-old Mies Wagenaars from Sint-Michielsgestel will say goodbye on Saturday evening. The association is having an anniversary concert in honor of its centenary and the musician thinks that is a good moment to say goodbye. “No longer the breath I had fifty years ago.”
Mies’s decision to stop his great passion has to do with his old age. “I will be ninety years old next week. Then you will no longer have the breath you had fifty years ago. Carrying the instrument cases has also become a bit harder,” he says.
That is why Mies will play his trombone for the last time on Saturday evening on the stage of Cultural Center De Meander in his hometown of Sint-Michielsgestel. “The other members thought it was a shame, but they understand.”
His wife Truus also thinks her husband’s decision is wise. “He’s played long enough,” she says. “Lifting the things is becoming increasingly difficult. We live on the second floor, so he has to go up the stairs, down the stairs and everything has to go into the car.”
In the long time that Mies has been a member, he has experienced many changes in the orchestra. “I have seen many members come and go. Making music is also very different because of modern music and instruments.”
This is how the harmony veteran started playing the tuba 76 years ago. “After that I played the valve trombone, but when new instruments came along, I switched to the slide trombone. That was a bit of a change,” Mies laughs.
The love for music started with his family. “My uncle lived in our house and helped establish the harmony. My mother said at one point: ‘You go with Uncle Willem’.”
Mies managed to maintain this for three quarters of a century. “Being together and social contact is the best thing about harmony. That is why I remain involved in the association,” assures the musician.
In any case, he passed the baton on in the family. “My granddaughter plays the flute and has obtained diploma D. That is the highest diploma you can obtain as an amateur,” says the proud grandfather.
Mies doesn’t know yet what the harmony has in store for him on Saturday evening, but his family is certainly in the audience. “My wife, daughter, son and grandchildren are there.”
