The tenth and final concert of the 155th season of the Michigan City Municipal Band (MCMB) will be held Thursday, August 10, 7:30p, at the Guy F. Foreman Bicentennial Amphitheater in Washington Park. The concert will feature a great variety of music, including compositions by Guy Foreman and John Philip Sousa.

The August 10 concert repertoire will be:

Castle House Rag by James Reese Europe
The Bonsai Tree by Julie Giroux
Take on Me arr. Paul Murtha
Singing Sands Overture by Guy Foreman
Mars and Venus from Looking Upward Suite by John Philip Sousa
Mi Nata by Jose Quesada
The Golden Mustang Concert March by Michael Boo
Motown Revue arr. Paul Murtha
Audience sing-along: America, the Beautiful arr. Carmen Dragon
The Stars and Stars and Stripes Forever by John Philip Sousa

James Reese Europe was the first African American bandmaster in the US Army. Before World War I, Mr. Europe was a successful band leader and composer in the USA, earning the nickname “The King of Jazz”, and he led the first concert by African Americans at Carnegie Hall in 1912. Maestro Europe went on to lead a renowned military band in Europe during World War I. Upon his death in 1919, Lieutenant Europe was the first African American in New York City to have a public funeral, and he was then laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery. Castle House Rag showcases the Ragtime style. The United States military band of Lieutenant James Reese Europe is believed to have played the first Ragtime music in France.

The Bonsai Tree honors a 500-year-old Bonsai tree that is considered one of Japan’s treasures. Composer Julie Giroux received her formal education from Louisiana State University and Boston University. In 1985, she began composing, orchestrating, and conducting music for television and films. When Ms. Giroux won her first Emmy Award, she was the first woman, and the youngest person ever, to win the award in that category. The Bonsai Tree demonstrates the beautiful blended tones of the concert band.

Take on Me is the classic 1984 pop tune by the Norwegian synth-pop band A-ha. It accompanied a ground-breaking music video.

Guy Forrest Foreman was perhaps the most important part of the legacy of the Michigan City Municipal Band. He conducted the band for 60 of its first 133 years. Singing Sands Overture was written in 1955, and was the fifth of Dr. Foreman’s seven works to be published by Belwin. Maestro Foreman wrote that Singing Sands Overture was “named for the famous singing sands to be found on the beaches of the Indiana Dunes at the foot of Lake Michigan. The term singing sands comes from the musical murmuring of the countless grains of sand as they are continuously being shifted about by the lake breezes.”

John Philip Sousa led the US Marine Band for 12 years, then went on toContinue reading→

The ninth concert of the 155th season of the Michigan City Municipal Band (MCMB) will be held Thursday, August 3, 7:30p, at the Guy F. Foreman Bicentennial Amphitheater in Washington Park. The concert will feature euphonium soloist Hiram Diaz, and will also present the premiere of the MCMB’s 2023 commission, Blue Water, Blue Sky by Catherine McMichael.

In the case of inclement weather, the concert will be held in the auditorium of Michigan City High School, 8466 W. Pahs Road.

The August 3 concert repertoire will be:

Pride of the Marines March by Austyn R. Edwards
Concerto for Euphonium and Band by Tom Davoren
Sobre Las Ojas (Over the Waves) by Juventino Rosas
The Basses are Loaded by Kelly Bennette
Tripwire by JaRod Hall
Blue Water, Blue Sky by Catherine McMichael (premiere)
Pax by Catherine McMichael
Born to Be Wild by Mars Bonfire, arr. Johnnie Vinson
Audience sing-along: My America arr. Joyce Eilers

Hiram Diaz grew up in Miami. He graduated from Miami’s New World School of the Arts, then earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music. He joined the US Marine Band, “The President’s Own,” in 2012. He is co-leader of the Marine Band’s Latin Jazz Ensemble. GySgt. Diaz will be playing Concerto for Euphonium and Band by award-winning composer Tom Davoren. The Michigan City Municipal Band commissioned Mr. Davoren to write this three-movement composition.

Catherine McMichael lives in Saginaw, Michigan. She earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music from the University of Michigan. Mrs. McMichael teaches at Saginaw Valley State University and also leads the handbell choir at First United Methodist Church in Saginaw. She is an active composer of music for band, choir, orchestra, handbells, individual instruments, and chamber ensembles. A few of her recent commissions include The Canadian Brass, Saginaw Bay Orchestra, Chautauqua Institution, University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and the New England Conservatory.

Blue Water, Blue Sky contains beautiful themes that represent Lake Michigan, the blue sky at Washington Park, and even an original sea shanty for the band. Pax is a gentle and reflective composition that allows us to envision peaceful sounds and a peaceful world.

Austyn R. Edwards (1891-1977) was a professional trumpet player who taught brass instruments at Valparaiso University, and was conductor of the band at the Kingsbury Ordnance Plant in LaPorte County. In addition to 55 marches, including Pride of the Marines, Mr. Edwards was the author of two important method books for trumpet.

Juventino Rosas (1868-1894) was a Mexican composer and violinst. His composition, Sobre Las Ojas (Over the Waves), is a smooth waltz that audience members will recognize from its frequent use as background music for trapeze artists in the circus.

Kelly Bennette’s composition The Basses are Loaded is a comical way to proclaim that the lowest voices in the band have the melody. Mr. Bennette is professional tuba player and retired music educator with nearly 100 compositions to his credit.

Also from Texas, JaRod Hall is music educator, composer, and professional tuba player. In his program notes from Tripwire, Mr. Hall suggests that the audience imagine “…a team of bandits who must escape a secret hideout without being Continue reading→

El Capitan by John Philip Sousa, arr. Keith Brion and Loras Schissel

Marche Militaire Francaise by Camille Saint-Saens, arr. M. L. Lake

Ancient Flower by Yukiko Nishimura

Sondheim! by Stephen Sondheim, arr. Stephen Bulla

Best of the West!, arr. Michael Story

American Barndance by Richard Saucedo

Enter Sandman by James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich and Kirk Hammett, arr. Paul Murtha

Armed Forces Salute arr. Bob Lowden

Block M (Concert March) by Jerry Bilik

This Is My Country by Don Raye and Al Jacobs, arr. Hawley Ades

The sixth concert of the 155th season of the Michigan City Municipal Band (MCMB) will be held Thursday, July 13, 7:30p, at the Guy F. Foreman Bicentennial Amphitheater in Washington Park. The concert will feature soprano soloist Anne Bice, and will honor retired MCMB horn player and secretary/treasurer JoFran Bendix.

The July 13 concert repertoire will be:

Indiana Folks March by Hale A. VanderCook
American Overture Band by Joseph Willcox Jenkins
How Far I’ll Go by Lin Manuel Miranda
Pocahontas Medley arr. John Moss
Be Still My Soul arr. Robert W. Smith
Alleluia! Laudamus Te by Alfred Reed
Cupid Shuffle by Cupid (Bryson Bernard)
Pickles and Peppers by Adaline Shepherd
Beyond the Lighted Tower by Roger Cichy
Audience sing-along: God Bless America by Irving Berlin

In addition to being outstanding performers, many of the Michigan City Municipal Band members are successful conductors. On five concerts this season, conductors from within the band are being featured, each leading one composition. On July 13, Phil Hahn will conduct Pickles and Peppers by Adaline Shepherd. A retired music educator, Mr. Hahn served as director of bands in the Boone Grove schools. Mr. Hahn plays horn in the Michigan City Municipal Band, Windiana Concert Band, South Shore Brass Band, German Band, and Valparaiso Community/University Concert Band. He is a frequent conductor of the Valparaiso Community/University Concert Band. Mr. Hahn earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Valparaiso University. Composer Adaline Shepherd Olson was born in Iowa, then spent most of her life in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Mrs. Olson was a pianist and a self-taught composer. Her most famous work was a ragtime selection, Pickles and Peppers. The composition sold over two million copies, and was used as the theme song in the 1908 unsuccessful presidential bid of William Jennings Bryan.

Hale VanderCook was probably the second most famous conductor of the Michigan City Municipal Band—second only to Dr. Guy Foreman, who led the band for an astonishing 60 years. Mr. VanderCook conducted the Michigan City Municipal Band, known then as the Ames Union Band, for several seasons around the turn of the 20th century. He went on to found the VanderCook College of Music in Chicago, which remains well-known for training music teachers. Maestro VanderCook was also a successful composer. Among the works that he wrote while leading Ames Union Band was Indiana Folks.

American Overture for Band by Joseph Willcox Jenkins was composed in 1953 for the US Army Field Band and its commander, Colonel Chester Whiting. Mr. Jenkins was a staff arranger for the US Army Field Band and the US Army Chorus. He later taught at Duquesne University.

Anne Marie Bice is a voice professor from Valparaiso University. She has extensive performance experience, sings in a wide variety of styles, and has been soloing with the Michigan City Municipal Band since 2015. In her final appearance with the MCMB this summer, Prof. Bice will sing music from two movies: Moana and Pocahontas.

Robert W. Smith’s setting of Be Still My Soul is a gentle lyrical selection that allows the band to demonstrate the beautiful and blended tone of the ensemble. The melody is known to many as a hymn and because it is the main theme from the composition Finlandia by Jean Sibelius. Robert W. Smith teaches at Troy University in Alabama, and has published over 600 compositions and arrangements.

Alleluia! Laudamus Te is a canticle of praise by Alfred Reed. Dr. Reed was one of the most successful composers of band music in the second half of the 20th Century, and was one of the first leaders in the creation of collegiate academic degree programs to prepare students for the music industry.

The stage name of pop singer Bryson Bernard is “Cupid.” A native of Louisiana, Cupid’s most famous hit is Continue reading→

The fourth concert of the 155th season of the Michigan City Municipal Band (MCMB) will be held Thursday, June 29, 7:30p, at the Guy F. Foreman Bicentennial Amphitheater in Washington Park. With lots of patriotic music, the concert will celebrate Independence Day.

The June 29 concert repertoire will be:

Golden Jubilee March by John Philip Sousa
Old American Songs by Aaron Copland
God Bless America by Irving Berlin
Bugle Call Rag by Eubie Blake and Carey Morgan
Indian Story Time by Brent Michael Davids
The Hoosier Slide by Hale A. VanderCook
The Flying Wedge by Kate Dolby
Peace Like a River arr. Robert W. Smith
Sing-along: A Patriotic Festival arr. Mark Williams
The Stars and Stars and Stripes Forever by John Philip Sousa

In addition to being outstanding performers, many of the Michigan City Municipal Band members are successful conductors. On five concerts this season, conductors from within the band are being featured, each leading one composition. On June 29, Virginia Hernandez will conduct Bugle Call Rag by Eubie Blake and Carey Morgan. Mrs. Hernandez serves as director of bands at Griffith High School. She earned degrees from Bowling Green State University and DePaul University. Mrs. Hernandez plays trumpet in the Michigan City Municipal Band and Windiana Concert Band. African American composer and pianist Eubie Blake lived from 1887-1983, and was an important creator of ragtime, jazz, and popular music. In 1981, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Born in Indiana, Carey Morgan was an important Vaudeville composer and producer who served in the US Navy during World War I.

John Philip Sousa composed Golden Jubilee March in 1928 to celebrate his fifty years as a conductor. His conducting career began in the theaters of Philadelphia, then he led the US Marine Band for twelve years before leading his own band for 40 years. While on tour in 1914 and 1924, the Sousa Band played concerts in Michigan City.

Aaron Copland was considered by many to be the “dean” of American composers, and the harmonies and melodies in his music are recognized as the sound of American classical music. Guest soprano soloist, Anne Marie Bice, will sing a suite of Mr. Copland’s songs, including The Little Horses, Simple Gifts, and Ching-A-Ring Chaw. Ms. Bice will also sing Irving Berlin’s classic patriotic anthem God Bless America. Ms. Bice is a voice professor from Valparaiso University. She has extensive performance experience, sings in a wide variety of styles, and has been soloing with the Michigan City Municipal Band since 2015.

Indian Story Time was commissioned by the Minnesota Band Directors Association. The music uses melodies reminiscent of Dakota and Ojibwe songs, recounting stories from these Native American nations. Composer Brent Michael Davids is the famous Native American composer who has written for ensembles and films, and has been commissioned by the Joffrey Ballet and the National Symphony Orchestra.

Hale VanderCook was probably the second most famous conductor of the Michigan City Municipal Band—second only to Dr. Guy Foreman, who led the band for an astonishing 60 years. Mr. VanderCook conducted the Michigan City Municipal Band for several seasons around the turn of the 20th century. He went on to found the VanderCook College of Music in Chicago, which remains well-known for training music teachers. Maestro VanderCook was also a successful composer. Among the works he wrote while leading the Michigan City Municipal Band was The Hoosier Slide. This light number, also known as a “trombone smear”, features the trombone section with lots of glissandos. One of Michigan City’s tourist attractions of long ago, The Hoosier Slide was a giant sand dune that used to sit where the NIPSCO generating station is now located. The Hoosier Slide disappeared after years of mining to make glass jars.

Kate Dolby composed The Flying Wedge in 1917 as a banjoContinue reading→

The third concert of the 155th season of the Michigan City Municipal Band (MCMB) will be held Thursday, June 22, 7:30p, at the Guy F. Foreman Bicentennial Amphitheater in Washington Park.

The June 22 concert repertoire will be:

Sound Off March by John Philip Sousa
Quiet City by Aaron Copland
Blinding Lights by The Weeknd
I Saw Him Standing There by The Beatles
Bridge Over Troubled Water by Paul Simon
Danca Brasileira No. 2 by Ricardo Alves da Silva
Benediction by John Stevens
Rhythm Stand by Jennifer Higdon
Tribute to Whitney Houston arr. Michael Brown
A Patriotic Festival arr. Mark Williams

In addition to being outstanding performers, many of the Michigan City Municipal Band members are also successful conductors. On five concerts this season, conductors from within the band will be featured, each leading one composition. On June 22, Frank Gast will conduct Blinding Lights by popular artist Abel Tesfaye, known professionally as “The Weeknd.” Mr. Gast serves as director of bands at Michigan City High School. He is a graduate of Ball State University and Chesterton High School. Mr. Gast plays trumpet in the Michigan City Municipal Band and has been a member of Windiana Concert Band.

John Philip Sousa composed Sound Off March in 1885, when he was conductor of the US Marine Band. He formed his own professional band in 1892. While on tour in 1914 and 1924, the Sousa Band played concerts in Michigan City. Since Sound Off March was on the program for the 1924 tour, it is likely that this composition was played by the Sousa Band in Michigan City.

Aaron Copland was considered by many to be the “dean” of American composers, and the harmonies and melodies in his music are recognized as the sound of American classical music. One of his most haunting and beautiful works is the lyrical Quiet City. Quiet City allows us to showcase two of the virtuoso soloists in the Michigan City Municipal Band: Andria Kessler on English horn, and Rick Carlson on trumpet.

Guest soprano soloist, Anne Marie Bice, is a voice professor from Valparaiso University. Ms. Bice has extensive performance experience, sings in a wide variety of styles, and has been soloing with the Michigan City Municipal Band since 2015. Prof. Bice will sing music by The Beatles and Simon & Garfunkel.

Brazilian musician Ricardo Alves da Silva serves as resident composer for the Banda Sinfonica Paulista in Sao Paulo, Brazil. His composition, Danca Brasileira No. 2, was commissioned as part of a series sponsored by the World Association of Symphonic Bands and Ensembles, an organization dedicated to international music education.

The harmonies and the placement of the accents in this work give us the feeling of a Brazilian dance.

John Stevens is a retired tuba professor from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His Benediction, composed originally for tuba/euphonium quartet, showcases the beautiful blended sounds of the concert band.

Jennifer Higdon teaches at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. She is the recipient of the Pulitzer Prize in Music, as well as three Grammy Awards. Dr. Higdon’s music has been performed around the world, and she has been commissioned by ensembles that include the National Symphony Orchestra, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Atlanta Symphony, and the Indianapolis Symphony. According to Dr. Higdon, Rhythm Stand “pays tribute to the constant presence of rhythm in our lives, from the pulse of a heart beating to the rhythmic sounds of the world around us.”Continue reading→

The second concert of the 155th season of the Michigan City Municipal Band (MCMB) will be held Thursday, June 15, 7:30p, at the Guy F. Foreman Bicentennial Amphitheater in Washington Park.

The June 15 concert repertoire will be:

Jack Tar March by John Philip Sousa
Nabucco Overture by Giuseppe Verdi
I’m a Believer by The Monkees
El Son de La Luna by Jose Quesada
Sunchaser by Carol Brittin Chambers
Children’s Intermezzo by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor
A Hymn Tune Rhapsody by Jerry Brubaker
Metal! arr. Sean O’Loughlin
America, the Beautiful arr. Warren Barker

In addition to being outstanding performers, many of the Michigan City Municipal Band members are also successful conductors. On five concerts this season, conductors from within the band will be featured, each leading one composition. On June 15, Caitlyn Coller will conduct Sunchaser by Carol Brittin Chambers. Mrs. Coller teaches music at Kouts Junior and Senior High School. She is a graduate of Valparaiso University and Mishawaka High School. Mrs. Coller plays bass clarinet in the Michigan City Municipal Band and Windiana Concert Band.

John Philip Sousa composed Jack Tar March in 1903, in a tribute to US Navy sailors.

Some audience members will know I’m a Believer as a 1966 hit by The Monkees, while others will know the song from its use in the movie Shrek, as performed by Smash Mouth. Most people don’t know, though, that the song was composed by Neil Diamond.Continue reading→

The Michigan City Municipal Band (MCMB) will begin its 155th season on Thursday, June 8, 7:30p, at the Guy F. Foreman Bicentennial Amphitheater in Washington Park.

The MCMB 155th season will consist of ten free Thursday concerts, beginning June 8, and ending August 10. All concerts begin at 7:30p and last about an hour. The band plays a wide variety of music, with concerts designed to entertain audience members of all ages. The MCMB also plays for the annual Memorial Day ceremony at Greenwood Cemetery, and in the Michigan City Patriotic Parade.

The June 8 concert repertoire will be:

The Invincible Eagle March by John Philip Sousa
Oblivion by Astor Piazzola (flute section feature)
Salvation is Created by Pavel Chesnokov, arr. Michael Brown
Pass the Pickles by Grace LeBoy
Thriller by Michael Jackson
Seminole Snake Dance by Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate
Promises, Promises by Burt Bacharach and Hal David
Light Cavalry Overture by Franz von Suppe
My America arr. Joyce Eilers

Astor Piazzola was an Argentine composer who was famous for tangos. Oblivion is a tango that features our tremendous flute section. Salvation is Created is a beautiful and popular choral anthem that demonstrates the band’s lovely blended sound. Pass the Pickles is a dance number by Grace LeBoy. Mrs. LeBoy was a successful stage composer of the early 20th century. She was often overshadowed by her husband, Gus Kahn, who was famous for music of vaudeville, Broadway, and films.

One of the most popular songs and albums of all time was Michael Jackson’s Thriller. This catchy tune will be familiar to all of our audience members. Oklahoma composer Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate is member of the Chickasaw tribe. His Seminole Snake Dance features the percussion section, and allows us to learn that the snake dance was originally a water ceremony because snakes were the traditional guardians of springs.

Burt Bacharach, one of America’s great composers, died this year. We’ll honor Mr. Bacharach with a medley from his musical Promises, Promises. Light Cavalry Overture is a classic composition found on many band and orchestra programs, with familiar melodies that are often heard in movies, cartoons, television shows, and commercials.

Finally, the MCMB will continue its tradition of closing each concert with a patriotic audience sing-along. Joyce Eiler’s arrangement of America (My Country ‘tis of Thee) allows us 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 parking fee of $4 for the band concert.

Jeffrey Scott Doebler is the conductor for the MCMB, and Quincy Ford is the assistant conductor. On November 3, 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. Ford, principal saxophone in the MCMB, is retired director of bands and music department chair from Michigan City High School.

The band’s announcer is Rick Carlson.

The tenth and final concert of the 154th season of the Michigan City Municipal Band (MCMB) will be held Thursday, August 11, 7:30p, at the Guy F. Foreman Bicentennial Amphitheater in Washington Park.

Music on the August 11 concert will include:

Castle Walk by James Reese Europe and Ford Dabney
Our Cast Aways by Julie Giroux
Tuba feature: Solo Pomposo by Al Hayes
Waltz: The Flashing Eyes of Andalusia by John Philip Sousa
William Tell Overture by Giaocchino Rossini
Mountains in the Mist by Michael Boo
Rolling Thunder March by Henry Fillmore
Abba on Broadway arr. Michael Brown
Sing along: America, the Beautiful arr. Carmen Dragon
The Stars and Stars and Stripes Forever by John Philip Sousa

James Reese Europe was the first African American bandmaster in the US Army. Before World War I, Mr. Europe was a successful band leader and composer in the USA, earning the nickname “The King of Jazz”, and he led the first concert by African Americans at Carnegie Hall in 1912. Maestro Europe went on to lead a renowned military band in Europe during World War I. Upon his death in 1919, Lieutenant Europe was the first African American in New York City to have a public funeral, and he was then laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery. Castle Walk showcases the Ragtime style. The United States military band of Lieutenant James Reese Europe is believed to have played the first Ragtime music in France.

Our Cast Aways is a gentle reflection on pets who enter animal shelters, and especially those who must be put down. The dedication reads: To “those who rescue, those who get rescued, and especially…those whose rescue never comes.” When composer Julie Giroux won the first of her three Emmy Awards, she was the first woman and the youngest person ever to win the award in that category.

The Michigan City Municipal Band is blessed with an exceptionally strong tuba section. We’ll feature them on a 1911 composition by Al Hayes, in the style of other turn-of-the-20th-century solos with band. It starts with a triumphal march, then features a cadenza, then moves into the style of a polka.Continue reading→