Scotia Band names Jared Coyle conductor for 2025-26, posts 2026 calendar

Jared Coyle is listed as conductor for the Scotia Band’s 2025-26 season on the band’s official roster, part of a wider update that also posts a preliminary 2026 performance calendar. The move formalizes a leadership transition for Humboldt County’s longstanding community ensemble and ties the band’s concert schedule to a full slate of festivals, park concerts and holiday appearances that matter to musicians, merchants and civic organizers across the North Coast.

Coyle’s appointment appears on the band’s page that carries the banner "Humboldt County's Community Band" and a full officer roster naming Shawn Porter as president, Helen Winfrey as vice-president, Domenic Bongio as secretary, Don Bicknell as treasurer and Sharon Holt as business manager. The roster names Jared Coyle as conductor for the 2025-26 season and follows a local continuity of leadership after a multi-decade era under previous conductor Michael McClimon, who led the band for more than 35 years.

The band’s 2026 calendar lists specific community engagements. Highlights include a Fortuna Apple Harvest Festival appearance at Clendenen’s Apple Orchard on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026 (call 11:30 a.m., play 12:00 p.m.), Ferndale Main Street caroling on Saturday, Dec. 12, 2026 (call 1:50, play 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.) and another Ferndale caroling date on Saturday, Dec. 19, 2026 (call 1:50, play 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.). A Fortuna Christmas Music Festival appearance is listed for Sunday, Dec. 13, 2026 with call and play times marked TBD; other December slots at Sequoia Springs and a Fortuna shopping center show call and play times with day-of-months left as "?" or labeled TBD. A September entry for Christ Episcopal Church in Eureka preserves a call time of 3:15 p.m. and a play time of 4:00 p.m. while leaving the calendar day unspecified. Several entries carry explicit placeholders, so dates and times remain subject to confirmation.

Coyle brings a dual civic and educational presence to the band. He teaches K-8 music in the Fortuna Elementary School District, teaches clarinet at Cal Poly Humboldt and serves on the board of the Fortuna Concert Series. Coyle joined the Scotia Band in March 2025, was selected as conductor in August 2025, rehearsed with the ensemble through the fall and led his first Scotia Band performance in December during the Fortuna Christmas Festival. He has an active local performance résumé that includes appearances at Cal Poly Humboldt, the Morris Graves Museum of Art, Chamber Players of the Redwoods and the Fortuna Concert Series, and he performs chamber music with a trio listed as Tre Amici/Tres Amici.

Coyle frames his work in the classroom and onstage around student engagement: "I really enjoy working with the students here," he said, adding, "And I love to see their excitement as we make music together." He also recalled his own early appetite for music: "Once I had an instrument, I played music all the time."

For Humboldt County the practical effect is tangible. Scheduled appearances at harvest festivals, holiday markets and downtown caroling support event calendars that draw residents and visitors, concentrate foot traffic for small businesses and keep community music visible in civic life. The Scotia Band’s mix of fixed and TBD dates means the ensemble is mapping out its seasonal role while leaving room for final confirmations; residents should watch the band's calendar for updates as organizers fill in unspecified dates and times.