A Short History of Pagosa Springs Instrumental Music Society
PSIMS was officially formed as a 501c(3) in 2012 as a spin off from Curtains up Pagosa (CUP). A group of local musicians had been performing for CUP musicals for many years. To keep the musicians in practice, Sally Neel, then head of CUP, suggested that they organize other performances throughout the year for the community. The first year the fledgling Community Band performed with the high school and middle school in the Spring, calling it the Band-O-Rama with Larry Baisdon and Bill Gottschalk as the conductors. They also played at the Hot Springs Resort as part of the Fourth of July festivities and again at Christmas time as the Heralds of Christmas. After the first year with CUP serving in an administrative capacity, arranging the venues and selling tickets, the Community Band decided to strike out on their own and provide concerts for free. PSIMS was born.
Bill Gottschalk left the band after a serious accident and Larry Elginer took over sharing conducting with Larry Baisdon and Malinda Burnett. PSIMS has always shared donations from the high school and middle school for equipment. One year we purchased a number of music stands for the high school music program. We paid for one of the high school graduates to join in the Mountain Light Brass Festival the second year that it was held in Pagosa Springs.
It is vital to the continuation of the high caliber of musical performances in Pagosa Springs, such as the recent Music Man production, to continue encouraging musicians of all ages to get comfortable playing in public for our concerts. It is a big step for many rusty musicians and PSIMS provides the opportunity for them to experience performing live in a supportive and encouraging environment.