4-year-old boy is assistant conductor of Auburn Community Band
Two years ago Milt Simon invited Ryan Kappelmann to the podium, this year he accepted.
By Mark LaFlamme
Staff Writer

AUBURN – Meet Ryan Kappelmann. Four years old and just 3 feet tall, yet a boy who can easily cast a spell over an audience of hundreds.

He stood at the podium Wednesday night as dusk descended on Festival Plaza. Conductor’s wand gripped tightly in one hand, he adjusted his shirt collar and waved to his mom. He smiled and then began to count.

“One, two, three four…”

The band burst into song. Ryan pumped his arms up and down and waved his baton with zeal. Seconds into a lively rendition of “God Bless America,” the crowd was buzzing with praise for the boy conductor.

“Adorable,” one woman said.

“My God, is he cute!” said another, one hand held over her heart.

“Go Ryan, go!” shouted a man close to the front of the stage.

As he has been doing all summer, Ryan charmed the crowd who jammed into the plaza to hear the Auburn Community Band play. The boy has even been given the title of assistant conductor.

It’s enough to make veteran conductor Milt Simon a little wary.

“He could steal my job!” Simon said once the song was over. “He’s a natural.”

In truth, it was Simon who invited Ryan to the stage in the first place. That was two years ago. The boy was curious back then, but still a little hesitant to step up to the stage. Instead, he thought about it until the band began to play again this summer.

“This year, he was ready to do it,” said Barbara Kappelmann, the boy conductor’s mom. “He practices at home. He just tries to imitate Milt.”

So much so that some who attend the concerts each week have started to refer to the boy as “Mini-Milt.”

“Two years ago, he impressed me because he could pronounce my name,” Simon said. “I took a liking to him right away. When I invited him up to the stage this year, he came running right over.”

Ryan clearly enjoys his role as conductor. But he has bigger ambitions. Sooner or later, he wants to learn to play the trumpet and maybe become a member of the band. Why the trumpet?”Milt is gonna teach me,” Ryan said.

The crowd at Festival Plaza broke up after Ryan and the band were through with “God Bless America.” They smiled and talked about the cute little boy and the band that played in the park all summer.

So Ryan Kappelmann is a local star. So he appears to have a future in music. His mother and father, Rick, aren’t worried about all that just yet. Nor are they surprised at his popularity at the weekly band shows.

“He’s been a star,” his mother said, “since the day he was born.”

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