Our History
Celebrating the past and advancing the future of a Minnesota band tradition.
Band at Edina-Morningside High School was led initially by Gale Sperry, who previously taught in Windom. After four years in Edina, he went to the University of Minnesota and later served as director of bands at the University of South Florida. According to Butler Eitel, Sperry was so well-respected by his students that fully half the band quit when they learned he was leaving!
The Pops tradition began shortly after the arrival of Butler Eitel as band director at Edina-Morningside High School. Born in Hampton, Iowa, Eitel earned degrees from the University of Michigan and MacPhail College. He served in the European Theater during World War II and later served in the United States Air Force Band, in addition to conducting and teaching positions with the United States Air Force Band and Orchestra and University of Maryland. Eitel came to Edina in the fall of 1953 and directed the very first Pops Concert in the spring of 1954. He resigned in 1965 to teach at Macalester college, concurrently assisting with the University of Minnesota marching band, and later served as director of bands at the University of Montana from 1967 until his retirement in 1978. Eitel was president of the American Bandmasters Association in 1979. he is married to Priscilla Gilbertson Eitel, who was a harpist and soloist with the United States Air Force Band and Orchestra and a graduate of the Eastman School for Music.
Ed Melicher was raised in Cedar Falls, Iowa, where his father, James, was director of the Cedar Falls Municipal Band. Ed drew up playing in his father's band (along with his brother and sister) and continued his musical education at the Iowa State Teachers College and University of Iowa. He taught in Toledo and Thornton, Iowa, before coming to Edina in 1959, where he spent two years with elementary band and three years with the Edina High School Varsity Band and one section of the ninth-grade band. When Budget Eitel resigned, Melichar became conductor of the Edina High School Concert Band; he went to the Edina -West High School when it opened in 1972 and continued the Pops Concert tradition there. Between 1964 and his retirement and 1987, Melichar presented a total of 23 Pops Concerts! He also conducted the Edina High School Symphony Orchestra for 13 years.
Section Title
Section Subtitle
Every website has a story, and your visitors want to hear yours. This space is a great opportunity to give a full background on who you are, what your team does and what your site has to offer. Double click on the text box to start editing your content and make sure to add all the relevant details you want site visitors to know.
If you’re a business, talk about how you started and share your professional journey. Explain your core values, your commitment to customers and how you stand out from the crowd. Add a photo, gallery or video for even more engagement.