The eighth concert of the 153rd season of the Michigan City Municipal Band (MCMB) will be held Thursday, July 29, 7:30p, at the Guy F. Foreman Bicentennial Amphitheater in Washington Park.
The July 29 concert repertoire will be:
The Free Lance March by John Philip Sousa
Original Dixieland Concerto by John Warrington
Beau Monde by Jack Stamp
Summit by Kevin Day
The Bonsai Tree by Julie Giroux
Il Guarani Overture (excerpt) by Antonio Gomez
Sesame Street Celebration arr. Michael Brown
From Sea to Shining Sea by Maurice Whitney
In addition to over 130 marches, Mr. Sousa composed many other types of music, including several popular operettas. Several of his marches were extracted from the operettas, including The Free Lance. The story of the operetta reads like a soap opera, with the bankrupt kingdoms of Braggadocia and Graftiana trying to steal from each other.
The Original Dixieland Concerto is a medley of several classic Dixieland tunes, and featuring a Dixieland combo of band members.
In its ongoing efforts to support diversity in music, the Indiana Bandmasters Association commissioned Kevin Day to compose Summit. Mr. Day describes the music as “a group…working together as a team to forge its way up the face of a mountain, dealing with steep cliffs and chilling winds, eventually working…to the very top.”
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. Among her teachers were Bill Conti (who you know from Rocky), Jerry Goldsmith (who you know from the Rambo and Star Trek movies), and John Williams. 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.
Born in 1839, Antonio Gomez was a Brazilian composer who received his musical training in Italy. Il Guarani was one of Mr. Gomez’s operas, with a story about the indigenous people of South America.
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.
Sesame Street Celebration remembers Fred Rogers in a medley of his most famous songs:
Sesame Street Theme
“C” is for Cookie
Bein’ Green
Sing
Our patriotic finale number will be From Sea to Shining Sea, which is Maurice Whitney’s famous arrangement of America, the Beautiful.
To help keep musicians and audience members safe, band members will follow strict safety protocols, including bell covers on woodwind and brass instruments, and physical distancing.
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.
The MCMB 153rd Season consists of ten free Thursday concerts, 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.
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.