Thursday, June 17, 2021 Concert

The second concert of the 153rd season of the Michigan City Municipal Band (MCMB) will be held Thursday, June 17, 7:30p, at the Guy F. Foreman Bicentennial Amphitheater in Washington Park.

The June 17 concert repertoire will be:

Warrior Legacy by Soon Hee Newbold

On a Hymnsong of Philip Bliss by David Holsinger

The Thunderer March by John Philip Sousa

Folk Suite by William Grant Still

Spring by Johan de Meij

Blue Moon by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart

El Condor Pasa by Daniel Robles

Quad City Stomp by Michael Sweeney

America, the Beautiful arr. Warren Barker

Guest soloist on the June 17 concert will be Anne Marie Bice, voice professor from Valparaiso University. Ms. Bice has extensive performance experience and sings in a wide variety of styles. Prof. Bice will sing music by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, and Dutch composer Johan de Meij.

Since last week, we learned that another long-serving member of the Michigan City Municipal Band died since our 2019 season. Norm Jones played tuba in the band for many years, and also served as the band’s secretary/treasurer. The MCMB’s June 17 performance of On a Hymnsong of Philip Bliss will be played in honor of Norm. The text for the hymn includes the line “It is well with my soul.”

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Thursday, June 10, 2021 Concert

The Michigan City Municipal Band (MCMB) will begin its 153rd season on Thursday, June 10, 7:30p, at the Guy F. Foreman Bicentennial Amphitheater in Washington Park.

The MCMB 153rd Season will consist of ten free Thursday concerts, beginning June 10, and ending August 12. 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 June 10 concert repertoire will be:

Dedicatory Overture by Clifton Williams

Air for Band by Frank Erickson

Credo by William Owens

Washington Post March by John Philip Sousa

Stitches in Time: A Second Piece (premiere) by Meredith Brammeier

Mexican Hat Dance by Felipe A. Partichela

Into the Woods by Stephen Sondheim, arr. Michael Brown

Whip and Spur Galop by Fred S. Allen, arr. Ray Cramer

My America arr. Joyce Eilers

Beau Monde (premiere) by Jack Stamp

Dedicatory Overture is being played in honor of those who have lost their lives since the MCMB last performed in 2019, including former band members Steve Hornyak, Bud Westphal, Dr. Charles Janovsky, and Michael Boo. By playing specific favorites of each musician, later in the season, these gentlemen will be honored individually.

Stitches in Time: A Second Piece is the MCMB’s 2020 commission. The three-movement composition is based on quilt patterns. Composer Meredith Brammeier teaches at California Polytechnical Institute in San Luis Obispo, and earned degrees from the University of Southern California, Eastman School of Music, and Princeton University.

Beau Monde is the MCMB’s 2021 commission. It is an exciting and creative adaptation of the famous hymn For the Beauty of the Earth. Dr. Jack Stamp, the composer, served for many years at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. He is also the founder and conductor of a professional concert band called Keystone Winds. In retirement, Dr. Stamp is teaching at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls.

To help keep musicians and audience members safe, band members will follow strict safety protocols, including bell covers on woodwind and brass instruments, physical distancing, and masks.

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.

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2020 Season Cancelled

Due to health concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 concert series of the Michigan City Municipal Band has been canceled.

 

The decision was based on health considerations for the band members. We do not want to put anyone’s health at risk.

 

We measured the performance space in the amphitheater. Following general physical distancing guidelines of at least six feet between people, we would only be able fit about half the band on the stage. (Experts on aerosols are suggesting that nine to fifteen feet between musicians would be safer.)

 

Throughout the pandemic, we have been researching safe practices for musicians and audiences. It would not be difficult for our Washington Park audiences to stay safe, as long as they adhered to physical distancing. Unfortunately, none of the papers, commentaries, or videos released thus far about the aerosol distribution from musical instruments is based on peer-reviewed scientific study. Fortunately, more than 85 professional music associations are collaborating to fund empirical research that will be undertaken at the University of Colorado-Boulder and the University of Maryland. Colorado State University is planning a similar inquiry. These studies will commence soon, with Phase One data (individual instruments) ready for initial review in July. Phase Two (instruments in rehearsal rooms and performance spaces) will take place this fall.

 

The Michigan City Municipal Band wishes everyone a happy, safe, and healthy summer. We look forward to the 2021 concert series, which will be our 153rd season. We expect our first concert in 2021 to be Thursday, June 10.

 

Thursday, August 8, 2019 Concert

The tenth and final concert of the 151st season of the Michigan City Municipal Band (MCMB) will take place Thursday, August 8, 7:30p, at the Guy F. Foreman Bicentennial Amphitheater in Washington Park.

Guest vocal soloist on the August 8 concert will be Tim King, who will sing music from Les Miserables and Titanic. Mr. King has soloed with more than 150 professional ensembles throughout the country. The Santa Barbara CASA Magazine commended Mr. King: “Championing a silken voice, Mr. King…soared through…Maria from West Side Story, delighting further, a now wildly enthusiastic audience….ravishing voice.”

Also performing and soloing with the band will be Staff Sergeant Hiram Diaz, euphonium, from the United States Marine Band, “The President’s Own. The Marine Band bio on SSgt Dias can be found here.  SSgt Dias has degrees from the New World School of the Arts in Miama, and the University of Cincinnati College Concervatory of Music, and was a featured soloist on the United States Marine Band 2016 national tour.  We’ll feature SSgt Diaz on the famous Napoli Variations by Herman Bellstedt. For an encore, we’ll feature the euphonium section and the woodwind section on the dazzling Melody Shop March by Karl King.

We’ll hear our commissioned work, Sesenta, by award-winning composer Quincy Hilliard, and we’ll honor the legacy of long-time conductor Guy Foreman with Dr. Foreman’s composition Singing Sands Overture.

The Michigan City Municipal Band August 8 concert repertoire will be:

The Star-Spangled Banner
Singing Sands Overture by Guy Foreman
Bring Him Home from Les Miserables
My Heart Will Go On from Titanic
Light Cavalry Overture by Franz von Suppe
A Hymn of Peace by Daniel Chisam
Napoli Variations by Herman Bellstedt
The Melody Shop by Karl King
Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood by Fred Rogers
Sesenta by Quincy Hilliard
Patriotic sing along: God Bless America

Our tradition is to invite the audience to sing with the band at the beginning and ending of each concert. After the opening fanfare, the audience will sing along on The Star-Spangled Banner. Each concert ends with a familiar patriotic selection for the audience to sing.

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Thursday, July 25, 2019 Concert

The eighth concert of the 151st season of the Michigan City Municipal Band (MCMB) will take place Thursday, July 25, 7:30p, at the Guy F. Foreman Bicentennial Amphitheater in Washington Park.

Guest soloist on the July 25 concert will be Dakota Maze, tuba. Mr. Maze serves as principal tuba in the MCMB, and also plays tuba in Windiana and the LaPorte City Band. He recently graduated from Valparaiso University with a degree in tuba performance. Mr. Maze will perform Beelzebub by Andrea Catozzi.Continue reading

Thursday, July 18, 2019, Concert

The seventh concert of the 151st season of the Michigan City Municipal Band will take place Thursday, July 18, 7:30p, at the Guy F. Foreman Bicentennial Amphitheater in Washington Park. The band plays a variety of music designed to entertain audience members of all ages. All concerts are free and everyone is welcome. Jeffrey Scott Doebler is the conductor for the MCMB and Quincy Ford is the assistant conductor. Dr. Doebler serves as director of music education at Valparaiso University. Mr. Ford,principal saxophone in the MCMB, is retired director of bands from Michigan City High School. Assitant conductor Quincy Ford will lead the band this week.
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Thursday, July 11, 2019 Concert

The sixth concert of the 151st season of the Michigan City Municipal Band (MCMB) will take place Thursday, July 11, 7:30p, at the Guy F. Foreman Bicentennial Amphitheater in Washington Park.

Guest artist on the July 11 concert will be Dr. Quincy Hilliard, Grammy Award-nominated composer and active guest conductor from the University of Louisiana-Lafayette, who will conduct two of his compositions: Sesenta and Octane. Sesenta was commissioned by the Michigan City Municipal Band and premiered on June 6. Sesenta is Spanish for “60,” and celebrates Dr. Guy Foreman’s 60 years as conductor of the MCMB.

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Thursday, June 27, 2019 Concert

The fourth concert of the 151st season of the Michigan City Municipal Band (MCMB) will take place Thursday, June 27, 7:30p, at the Guy F. Foreman Bicentennial Amphitheater in Washington Park.

Guest soloist on the June 27 concert will be Anne Bice, voice professor from Valparaiso University. Ms. Bice has extensive performance experience and sings in a wide variety of styles. Prof. Bice will sing music by George and Ira Gershwin, and music made popular by Nat King Cole.

Andria Kessler, oboe and English horn player in the Michigan City Municipal Band, will conduct a medley from the popular film, The Greatest Showman. Ms. Kessler is one of the band conductors in the Valparaiso Community Schools.

The MCMB welcomes suggestions for repertoire. Requests received last summer to be performed on June 27 include music by jazz legend Bix Beiderbecke and the Swedish popular music group Abba.

The June 27 concert repertoire will be:

The Star-Spangled Banner
Bix Beiderbecke in Concert
Music from The Greatest Showman
Embraceable You by George and Ira Gershwin
They Can’t Take That Away from Me by George and Ira Gershwin
That Sunday That Summer, made popular by Nat King Cole
Abba on Broadway
Let There Be Peace on Earth
Right Left March by John Philip Sousa
Patriotic sing along: America, the Beautiful

Our tradition is to invite the audience to sing with the band at the beginning and ending of each concert. After the opening fanfare, the audience will sing along on The Star-Spangled Banner. Each concert ends with a familiar patriotic selection for the audience to sing.

The MCMB 151st season consists of ten free Thursday concerts, beginning June 6, and ending August 8. (During the week of Independence Day, the concert will be held on Friday, July 5.) 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.

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 small parking fee.

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. He is founder and conductor of Windiana: Professional Concert Band of Northwest Indiana. Mr. Ford, principal saxophone in the MCMB, is retired director of bands from Michigan City High School.

The band’s announcer is Rick Carlson.

Thursday, June 20, 2019 Concert

The third concert of the 151st season of the Michigan City Municipal Band (MCMB) will take place Thursday, June 20, 7:30p, at the Guy F. Foreman Bicentennial Amphitheater in Washington Park. The band plays a variety of music designed to entertain audience members of all ages. All concerts are free and everyone is welcome. Jeffrey Scott Doebler is the conductor for the MCMB and Quincy Ford is the assistant conductor. Dr. Doebler serves as director of music education and bands at Valparaiso University. Mr. Ford, principal saxophone in the MCMB, is retired director of bands from Michigan City High School.

Guest vocal soloist on the June 20 concert will be Aaron Garrett, school counselor at Michigan City High School. Mr. Garrett performs regularly with the La Porte Symphony Orchestra and is a two time runner up of Hoosier Star. He is also the resident director of the Young People’s Theatre Company in Michigan City. Mr. Garrett will sing Henry Mancini’s Moon River from the movie Breakfast At Tiffany’s and the Josh Groban hit You Raise Me Up. Assistant Director Quincy Ford will lead the band this week.

The June 20 concert repertoire will include:

The Star-Spangled Banner
March Grandioso by Roland F. Seitz
Third Suite by Robert Jager
Sea Songs by Ralph Vaughn Williams
The Bonsai Tree by Julie Giroux
Moon River by Johnny Mercer and Henry Mancini
You Raise Me Up arr. by John Wasson
Tritsch-Tratsch Polka by Johann Strauss
Highlights from Jersey Boys arr. Michael Brown
The Diplomat by John Philip Sousa
Audience Sing-a-long “You’re A Grand Old Flag” by George M. Cohan

The 2019 concert series consists of ten free Thursday concerts, beginning June 6 and ending August 8. (During the week of Independence Day, the concert will be held on Friday, July 5.) All concerts begin at 7:30p and last about an hour. Parking is available in the lots closest to the amphitheater, as well as the Michigan City Senior Center. Entrance to the park is free with a Michigan City Park Sticker, otherwise there is a small parking fee.

Rick Carlson, principal trumpet for the MCMB will be the announcer.

Thursday June 13, 2019 Concert

The second concert of the 151st season of the Michigan City Municipal Band (MCMB) will take place Thursday, June 13, 7:30p, at the Guy F. Foreman Bicentennial Amphitheater in Washington Park.

Guest soloist on the June 13 concert will be Anne Bice, voice professor from Valparaiso University. Ms. Bice has extensive performance experience and sings in a wide variety of styles. Prof. Bice will sing a suite of Irish folk songs, as well as Over the Rainbow from The Wizard of Oz.

The MCMB welcomes suggestions for repertoire. Requests received last summer to be performed on June 13 include music by Glen Campbell and the classic Poet and Peasant Overture by von Suppe.

The band will also pay tribute to the late Aretha Franklin, with a medley that contains her classic hits Respect, A Natural Woman, and Think.

The June 13 concert repertoire will be:

The Star-Spangled Banner
Octane by Quincy Hilliard
By the Time I Get to Phoenix and Gentle on My Mind by Jimmy Webb
Poet and Peasant Overture by Franz von Suppe
A Prayer for Peace by John Williams
Irish Songs arr. Robert W. Smith
Over the Rainbow arr. Warren Barker
The Queen of Soul arr. Paul Murtha
Rolling Thunder March by Henry Fillmore
Patriotic sing along: The Ultimate Patriotic Sing Along arr. Jerry Brubaker

Our tradition is to invite the audience to sing with the band at the beginning and ending of each concert. After the opening fanfare, the audience will sing along on The Star-Spangled Banner. Each concert ends with a familiar patriotic selection for the audience to sing.

The MCMB 151st season consists of ten free Thursday concerts, beginning June 6, and ending August 8. (During the week of Independence Day, the concert will be held on Friday, July 5.) 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.

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 small parking fee.

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. He is founder and conductor of Windiana: Professional Concert Band of Northwest Indiana. Mr. Ford, principal saxophone in the MCMB, is retired director of bands from Michigan City High School.

The band’s announcer is Rick Carlson.