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.

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.