Who We Are

The origin of the Castro Valley High School Alumni Band Association was at a class reunion. The combined CVHS graduating classes 1958 to 1962 held a mega-reunion in 2004. During the reunion planning stages, a thought occurred to Chris Salak: why not piggyback a CVHS bandr eunion onto the class reunion?

Chris approached reunion chair Jerome Blaha, who liked the idea and suggested that Chris move ahead with the project. Six weeks of intense effort resulted in the gathering of about twenty-five former students of Gene Graves, who formed a band and actually performed at the class reunion, under Gene’s direction.

The band was so enthused that they extended the band gathering to the next day, and performed a concert in the CVHS cafeteria. 

From those modest beginnings the band grew. The group resolved to meet again in a year. At the second gathering the band formed an organization and elected officers. They resolved to meet one weekend annually at CVHS, and to perform a concert on the final day to raise funds for the CVHS Band.  The Alumni Band has met annually every year since then.

Each year the band members perform a fundraising concert to which the general public is invited, though it has never been heavily publicized.  The band contributes out-of-pocket, and the hat is passed to the concert audience.

Each year donations have been given to the CVHS Band, ranging from $714 in 2005 to $2709 in 2011. 

The 2012 Concert marks a huge step for the Alumni Band. This will be the first appearance of this band in the Castro Valley Center for the Arts Theatre. We ask you to join us in providing financial support to the Castro Valley High School Instrumental Music Program and to the Castro Valley Arts Foundation. Your generosity will help to provide needed music and instruments to the CVHS Instrumental Music Program during this time of budget cuts and lowered expectations.

Your generosity will help the Castro Valley Arts Foundation to allow the current generation of music students and their families to participate in the musical legacy that began over fifty years ago at Castro Valley High School.  Please join the CVHS Alumni Band as we endeavor to keep Castro Valley’s rich musical heritage vital.