The Bandmaster

The Bandmaster is a tribute to famous musician Bowen Church.

An East Greenwich, Rhode Island native, Bowen Church was famous in the late 19th-century as the lead cornetist in the Providence-based American Band, conducted by David Wallace Reeves. The American Band was considered an equal to John Philip Sousa’s U.S. Marine Corps Band! Church toured the United States, playing at the St. Louis and Chicago worlds fairs.

This monument was originally on the “island” in Roosevelt Lake, creating the appearance of playing in front of the Bandstand. The statue was placed in storage for many years, but the original location is still there. Can you find the original pedestal on the former island, on the bank of Roosevelt Lake?