The Michigan City Municipal Band (MCMB) will begin its 158th season on Thursday, June 4, 7:30p, at the Guy F. Foreman Bicentennial Amphitheater in Washington Park. The MCMB is sponsored by the City of Michigan City.
The MCMB’s 158th season will consist of ten free concerts, beginning June 4, and ending August 6. The band plays a wide variety of music, with concerts designed to entertain audience members of all ages. The concerts last about an hour. The MCMB also plays for the annual Memorial Day ceremony at Greenwood Cemetery, and in the Michigan City Summer Festival Parade.
The MCMB is pleased to announce that our newly-appointed assistant conductor is Frank Gast. Mr. Gast serves as director of bands at Michigan City High School, and also plays trumpet in the MCMB. Quincy Ford served as the MCMB assistant conductor from 2014-2025. Mr. Ford will continue conducting the MCMB in the annual Summer Festival Parade, and he will maintain his position as the MCMB’s principal saxophone.
Highlights of the MCMB summer concert series include special guest soloists and two commissions by acclaimed composers. Guest artists will be MSG. Hiram Diaz, euphonium, and MSG. Brandon Eubank, trumpet, from the US Marine Band (July 23); Michelle Howisen, soprano (July 9); Anne Marie Bice, soprano (June 11, August 6), JD Flynn, baritone saxophone (June 4). The June 18 concert will celebrate Juneteenth, and the July 2 concert will have a special focus on the USA Semiquincentennial. Other soloists and special events will be announced during the season.
The MCMB will present the premieres of two commissions:
Portraits of Joy by Edna Alejandra Longoria (June 4 and again on July 23)
Variations on La Comparsa for euphonium and band by Dennis Llinas (July 23)
Edna Alejandra Longoria is a versatile composer from Texas. Portraits of Joy was “inspired by the spirit of Michigan City and her soon-to-be-born daughter Elisa.” Mrs. Longoria imagined walking through Washington Park at various times of the year, watching children play, experiencing the Festival of Lights, admiring the beauty of sunrise over the lake, and hearing the historic Michigan City Municipal Band.
Dennis Llinas is a Cuban/Colombian composer and conductor who is serving as director of bands at the University of Oregon. He’s appeared professionally around the world, including last January in Fort Wayne, where he conducted the Indiana Music Education Association Honor Band. Dr. Llinas grew up hearing and performing the music of the great Cuban composer Ernesto Lecuona. Like MSG. Diaz, Dr. Llinas has Cuban heritage. When commissioned by the MCMB to compose a solo for euphonium and band in the form of “theme and variations”, Dr. Llinas immediately knew he would use Ernesto Lecuona’s famous La Comparsa. The title refers to musicians who appear in Latin American community festivals.
In addition to being outstanding performers, many of the MCMB members are successful conductors. Two of those conductors will be featured on individual compositions throughout the summer: Caitlyn Coller (July 30) and Dakota Maze (August 6). The band will also recognize one of its just-retired members—Mary Lee Riley—who played clarinet in the band for 63 years (June 11).
The June 4 concert repertoire will be:
Fanfare Indiana by Guy Foreman
The Star-Spangled Banner arranged by John Philip Sousa and Walter Damrosch
Portraits of Joy by Edna Alejandra Longoria (premiere)
The Fourth of July by John Cacavas
A Song of Peace by Christina Huss
Mah Na Mah Na by Piero Umiliani
JD Flynn, baritone saxophone soloist
Mariachi Suite by Jorge Vargas
The Invincible Eagle March by John Philip Sousa
Jasmine Flower Chinese traditional, arr. Michael Boo
Clarinet section feature
On a Wonderful Day Like Today by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newly
God Bless America by Irving Berlin
The 158th season of the Michigan City Municipal Band is all about joy. We’ll open with the premiere of Edna Alejandra Longoria’s Portraits of Joy (described above). A medley of joyful patriotic songs, The Fourth of July, will help us start our celebration of USA 250. A Song of Peace is a gentle work that encourages us to reflect on our goal of world peace.
You’ll certainly recognize the catchy melody of Mah Na Mah Na, and you’ll be thrilled with its setting for baritone saxophone and band, with the MCMB’s own JD Flynn.
Mexican-American composer Jorge Vargas helps us experience three Mariachi styles in his Mariachi Suite.
One of John Philip Sousa’s famous patriotic marches, The Invincible Eagle, continues the start of our USA 250 celebration.
The late Chesterton composer, Michael Boo, arranged the traditional Chinese Jasmine Flower for Windiana Concert Band to perform with a zither ensemble in China. We’ll use the same setting to feature the MCMB clarinet section.
More joy radiates from the classic Broadway song On a Wonderful Day Like Today by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newly.
Finally, the MCMB will continue its tradition of opening and closing each concert with a patriotic audience sing-along. After the opening fanfare, the audience will be invited to sing The Star-Spangled Banner. The closing selection will be Irving Berlin’s God Bless America, allowing everyone to enthusiastically honor our great nation.
All of the concerts are free, and everyone is welcome. School band members and young children are especially encouraged to attend. Parking on Lake Shore Drive is prohibited. Parking is available in the lots closest to the amphitheater, as well as the Senior Center. Entrance to the park is free with a Michigan City Park sticker; otherwise, there is a reduced parking fee for the band concert.
Jeffrey Scott Doebler is the conductor of the MCMB, and Frank Gast is the assistant conductor. In 2018, Dr. Doebler was named a Distinguished Hoosier by Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb. Dr. Doebler serves as director of music education and bands at Valparaiso University. He is a past president of the Indiana Bandmasters Association and the Indiana Music Education Association. Mr. Gast serves as director of bands at Michigan City High School.
The band’s announcer is Rick Carlson.