Written by Maria Sonnenberg
At Melbourne Municipal Band’s Hands Across the Sea concert in November, guest conductor Hal Gibson charmed and wowed the audience. Having the audience in the palm of his hand is nothing new to Gibson, whose long and distinguished Army career placed him in charge of the country’s top military bands.
Music has been good to Gibson and vice versa.
“I’ve been very fortunate,” said the retired U.S. Army colonel.
His career spanned more than half a century and included stints as bandleader of the Military Academy Band at West Point, as well as commander and conductor of the U.S. Army Field Band, the Army's showcase musical ambassadors and one of the top bands in the world. For his final military assignment, Gibson was selected from to form and conduct the Armed Forces Bicentennial Band and Chorus, which toured the country during America’s 200th birthday party.
“I was going to retire when the Department of Defense determined that their contribution to the Bicentennial was to form a band composed of members of the five uniformed service,” said Gibson.
For decades, Gibson held the highest positions in the Army’s band program. At West Point, he led the band, and conducted the acclaimed Cadet Glee Club. He had led bands in all 50 states, with 36 other countries to boot.
Born and raised in Oklahoma City, Gibson doesn’t remember when he didn’t love music. The French horn was his passion, an instrument he played at the Classen High School Band, at the time one of the best high school bands in the country. While still in high school, he played for the Oklahoma City University band, as well as the Oklahoma Symphony.
“When I told the University band director that I was thinking of going to another school, he told me that I really needed to stay,” said Gibson.
And stay he did, but for only a year, because of World War II. With a year of college under his belt, Gibson enlisted in the Army Air Corps Aviation Cadet Program. He still flies, although his steel bird of choice these days is the Grumman Tiger he keeps at Melbourne Airport.
During the war, music had to take second fiddle to service in the South Pacific, but after the conflict, Gibson was tasked with starting bands, first in the Philippines and later in Japan.
“In Sept. 2, 1945, while the Peace Treaty was being signed aboard the Missouri, we were starting a band,” said Gibson. “We took over an old silk building as our headquarters for this show band and we would go and play for the soldiers during the Occupation.”
After the war, with a master’s degree under his belt, Gibson lead the 49th Armored Division Band of the Texas National Guard. The band, considered the most outstanding band among 584 others, won the coveted Eisenhower Trophy.
Retiring from the Army in 1976, Gibson was appointed director of bands and became tenured professor of music at Columbus State University in Columbus, Ga. In 2001, the University honored his contributions by naming the rehearsal hall of the newly constructed RiverCenter for the Performing Arts after him. He was inducted into the National Hall of Fame for Distinguished Band Conductors in 2004.
In 1993, Gibson and his wife, Marie, moved to Indian River Colony Club in Viera, where he remains active in music.
“I’m still very busy,” said Gibson.
He leads the Symphonic Wind Ensemble, the crème de la crème of Melbourne Municipal Band, and the Colony Singers of the Indian River Colony Club.
“It’s a great life,” added Gibson.
