The second concert of the 157th season of the Michigan City Municipal Band (MCMB) will be held Thursday, June 12, 7:30p, at the Guy F. Foreman Bicentennial Amphitheater in Washington Park.
The June 12 concert repertoire will be:
Festmusik der Stadt Wien by Richard Strauss
Broadway Showstoppers Overture by Warren Barker
The Golden Star March by John Philip Sousa
Woodwind Polka by Karol Namyslowski
Peace Like a River Spiritual Tracy Bermingham, conductor
Squirrel Chase by Carol Brittin Chambers
Taylor Swift: Eras arr. Johnnie Vinson
Wedding March by John Philip Sousa
America, the Beautiful arr. Warren Barker
Rick Carlson serves the Michigan City Municipal Band as principal trumpet, announcer, and vice president. In honor of Rick’s 50 years as a member of the band, Warren Barker’s Broadway Showstoppers Overture will be performed. This arrangement includes six classic theatre songs: Everything’s Coming Up Roses, People, With a Little Bit of Luck, On a Clear Day, Try to Remember, and That’s Entertainment. The segment from On a Clear Day contains an extended trumpet solo that will allow everyone to enjoy Rick’s beautiful sound and expression.
Continuing the tradition of featuring band members conducting individual selections, Tracy Bermingham will conduct the band on the gentle spiritual Peace Like a River. A tenor saxophonist in the Michigan City Municipal Band, Tracy is completing a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Valparaiso University. Originally from Portage, she completed her student teaching with Bridget Flory at River Forest Middle School and High School. Tracy is a teacher with Band for Today.
A native of Germany, Richard Strauss was one of the important composers of the late Romantic and early Twentieth Century eras. He was especially well-known for his operas, tone poems, and vocal songs, and was also an acclaimed conductor. After receiving the Beethoven Prize in 1942, Richard Strauss composed the fanfare Festmusik der Stadt Wien as a gift for Vienna, Austria.
Lt. Cmdr. Sousa composed The Golden Star March in 1919 to honor fallen military members in World War I. As might be expected, the tempo of this march is slow, and one section has the trumpeters softly playing Taps.
The Woodwind Polka is the much-loved Clarinet Polka, arranged to feature the entire woodwind section. Squirrel Chase imitates the squirrels at Washington Park. It’s a novelty number that encourages the band to play as fast as possible.
Taylor Swift’s “Eras” tour lasted over a year, and visited five continents. Taylor Swift: Eras includes seven of Taylor Swift’s most famous hits.
The Michigan City Municipal Band concludes each concert with a patriotic audience sing-along. On June 12, the band will close with Warren Barker’s stirring arrangement of America, the Beautiful.
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 of $4 ($8 for buses) 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.