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.
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.