The ninth concert of the Michigan City Municipal Band’s (MCMB) 158th season will be held Thursday, July 30, 7:30p, at the Guy F. Foreman Bicentennial Amphitheater in Washington Park.
The performance will feature music to continue our celebration of USA 250, classic music by Franz von Suppe’, selections that the audience will recognize from Herb Alpert, Coldplay, and the timeless musical West Side Story. Guest conductor Caitlyn Coller will lead the band on a delightful selection by Katheryn Fenske.
Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass earned four Grammy Awards for their 1965 recording of the catchy song A Taste of Honey. The British rock band Coldplay was founded in 1997, and is considered by some to be the most popular band of the 21st century. The group has won seven Grammy Awards, performed in the Superbowl 50 halftime how, and sold over 160 million records. Coldplay on Stage features three of their most popular songs: Clocks, Lost, and Viva la Vida. One of the classic songs from Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim’s 1957 musical West Side Story is the vivacious dance America. The many productions—on stage and in film—of West Side Story have amassed countless honors, including two Tony Awards and ten Grammy Awards.
The MCMB is pleased to showcase the many excellent conductors within the ensemble. This week, Caitlyn Coller will conduct The Whistler’s Grace by Katheryn Fenske. Mrs. Coller teaches band, choir, and general music at Kouts Junior-Senior High School, and plays bass clarinet in the MCMB and Windiana. She is a graduate of Valparaiso University. Composer Katheryn Fenske is an exemplary middle school band teacher in Missouri, with several published compositions. The Whistler’s Grace contains a cheerful whistling tune and combines it with the melody that many know as the Doxology: Praise God from Whom All Blessing Flow. The work was commissioned to honor the late Frederick Nyline, former director of bands at Luther College.
The remainder of the July 30 concert repertoire will be:
The Chimes of Liberty March by Edwin Franko Goldman
Morning, Noon, and Night in Vienna by Franz von Suppe’
Redemption by Rossano Galante
Continuing its tradition of concluding each concert with a patriotic audience sing-along, the MCMB will close with Carmen Dragon’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 Parks sticker; otherwise, audience members will use the new automated parking procedure (which uses a QR code). The parking rate is $2 per hour in the Senior Center parking lot and Fedder’s Alley.
Jeffrey Scott Doebler is the conductor of the MCMB, and Frank Gast is the assistant conductor. In 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. Mr. Gast serves as director of bands at Michigan City High School.
The band’s announcer is Rick Carlson.