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.
John Philip Sousa led the US Marine Band for 12 years, then went on to form his own band that toured the world for another 39 years. In addition to 136 marches, Mr. Sousa was the composer of nearly 100 other original works, including a fiery Spanish waltz, The Flashing Eyes of Andalusia, composed in 1920.
Gioacchino Rossini’s famous opera, William Tell, received its 1929 premiere in Paris. The story is based on a legend, and describes the Swiss repelling Austrian encroachment in 1307. Everyone recognizes the final section of the overture as the theme from The Lone Ranger.
A resident of Chesterton and a member of the Michigan City Municipal Band, the late Michael Boo wrote Mountains in the Mist as a reflection on traveling by boat on the beautiful Li River in south central China. The opening is quiet and curious, as the river and the river banks are shrouded in fog. As the fog clears, the boat accelerates, and we see that the river is lined with beautiful limestone bluffs and formations, similar to what one experiences in southern Indiana or in the area of the Wisconsin Dells.
Rolling Thunder March was composed by Henry Fillmore in 1916. It’s a great example of what circus musicians refer to as a “screamer,” because it is fast and furious from beginning to end.
One of our most requested medleys is Abba on Broadway. The compilation includes many of the most famous hits of Abba.
The Michigan City Municipal Band sincerely appreciates the citizens, city government, and parks department of Michigan City for supporting the band!
Thanks to our videographer, Ruben Alexander, the Michigan City Municipal Band can be seen on television all year long. For Michigan City area residents, the concerts are broadcast every Wednesday, at 10:00 AM and 8:00 PM, on cable channel 99. The band concerts also air in Fort Wayne and Bloomington.
The MCMB 154th Season consists of ten free Thursday concerts, ending August 11. 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. 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. 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 and music department chair from Michigan City High School.
The band’s announcer is Rick Carlson.