Oct 1, 2024
This article was inspired by former Medfield resident Agnes Hungerford, who was also a Medfield music supporter and friend of the Allan family. Hungerford recently visited the Dwight-Derby House to unveil a new DDH display panel donated by her family, and spent some time talking about the Allan musical legacy. Future issues of The Portal will take a look at other musicians who have made Medfield their home over the years.
While Lowell Mason was one of Medfield’s most illustrious 19th century residents as the “father of music education,” numerous other musicians have helped to put Medfield on the map over the years – and in more recent times.
The late David Bremner Allan is one such person. A professional musician, Allan died in 2000 at the age of 72.
As his obituary notes, after graduating from Medfield High School in 1945 and a post-graduate year at Tilton School in New Hampshire, Allan joined the military and played trumpet as a member of the U.S. Army orchestra entertaining allied occupation troops in Germany. He was awarded the World War II Victory Medal, as well as the Army of Occupation Medal.
Upon Allan’s honorable discharge and return to the U.S., he resumed his education at Brown University, majoring in English Literature and earning his degree in 1952, while also pursuing his interest in music.
After college graduation, Allan attended the Marlborough School of Music in Vermont, followed by studies at New England Conservatory of Music. A French horn player in addition to trumpet, he also benefited from lessons from multiple music professionals with their own expansive resumes, including positions with various orchestras, including Boston Symphony. Allan also taught at the Tanglewood School of Music at Lenox, Mass.
In 1957, Allan joined the Florida Symphony Orchestra in Orlando as First horn, and met his future wife, Barbara Dietmann, while living in Florida. He was a musician performing in the orchestra, while she sang in the chorus of a Gilbert and Sullivan’s operetta, The Pirates of Penzance.
In 1969, the now-married couple moved to back to Allan’s hometown of Medfield where his family had been longtime residents and town settlers.
Allan went on to perform and tour with the Boston Symphony Orchestra under conductors Charles Munch, William Steinberg, Erich Leinsdorf and Seiji Ozawa. Allan later became a member of the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra under Arthur Fiedler and John Williams. He also served as a member of the Boston Brass Ensemble and was a charter member of The International Horn Society.
In addition to his on-stage work, Allan also played French horn in a wide variety of artistic productions in the Boston area, ranging from the Boston Ballet’s annual Nutcracker Suite to Broadway musicals including My Fair Lady and West Side Story.
While Allan toured as a professional musician throughout the United States and Europe, he always retained his hometown roots. For many years, he owned and operated the Alexander Allan Insurance Agency, a Medfield Center business founded by his late father in the 1920s. Allan also served as a trustee of Medfield Public Library. The Allans had two children, Chris and Ariadne (now Autor).
Today, Chris Allan continues to live in Medfield with his wife, Patti, a marketing professional and artist. As a Medfield High School student, he was involved in concert, marching and jazz bands, as well as choirs and musicals, and is now an award-winning audio engineer traveling the world (including U.S. Olympics) to provide his services. Now as parents, Chris and Patti Allan are actively involved with helping to continue the family legacy by supporting the Medfield Public Schools music program, including Patti Allan’s role on the Medfield Music Association board.