The second concert of the 158th season of the Michigan City Municipal Band (MCMB) will be held Thursday, June 11, 7:30p, at the Guy F. Foreman Bicentennial Amphitheater in Washington Park.
The June 11 concert repertoire will be selected from the following:
Railroad Suite by Lyndol Mitchell
Last Ride of the Pony Express by David Shaffer
English Folk Song Suite by Ralph Vaughan Williams
As Time Goes By by Herman Hupfeld
Don’t Stop Believin’ by Jonathan Cain
The Thunderer March by John Philip Sousa
Kye Kye Kule Traditional African, arr. James Benjamin Earp
Sing-along: A Patriotic Festival by Mark Williams
Special guest artist will be soprano soloist Anne Marie Bice. The band will also honor Mary Lee Riley, a recently-retired, long-time member of the band.
Guest soprano soloist Anne Marie Bice will sing As Time Goes By, the classic 1931 Herman Hupfeld song that became famous in the movie Casablanca. The American Film Institute chose As Time Goes By as second, only to Somewhere Over the Rainbow, in its list of the top 100 songs from the cinema. National Public Radio also named As Time Goes By one of its 100 most culturally and historically significant musical works of the twentieth century. The song has been recorded by dozens of artists, from Billie Holliday to Bob Dylan. Ms. Bice will also sing Journey’s 1981 hit song Don’t Stop Believin’. Ms. Bice is a voice professor from Valparaiso University. She has extensive performance experience, sings in a wide variety of styles, and has been soloing with the Michigan City Municipal Band since 2015.
Mary Lee Riley recently retired from the Michigan City Municipal Band after playing clarinet in the ensemble for 63 years. In honor of Mary Lee’s service to music, the Michigan City Municipal Band, and the city of Michigan City, the band will play all or parts of three of Mary Lee’s favorite band compositions:
Railroad Suite by Lyndol Mitchell, featuring several railroad-themed folk songs.
Last Ride of the Pony Express by David Shaffer, depicting the short-lived Pony Express.
English Folk Song Suite by Ralph Vaughan Williams, which presents several well-known melodies.
In 1889, John Philip Sousa was still director of the US Marine Band when he composed The Thunderer for a major event of his Masonic Lodge in Washington, DC. The bugle call in the second section of the march is an excerpt from Mr. Sousa’s 1886 publication The Trumpet and Drum. The Sousa Band performed twice in Michigan City:
Tuesday, October 13, 1914, evening, Orpheum Theater
Monday, November 10, 1924, matinee, Tivoli Theater
The Thunderer was on the program for the Sousa Band tours in 1914 and 1924, so it is likely that it was performed in Michigan City in both of those years.
Kye Kye Kule (pronounced “Chay Chay Koolay”) is a traditional African call & response song, specifically from Ghana in West Africa. It’s often been used with a leader singing the “call”, asking the group to sing the “response” and take part in a physical movement, like hands on shoulders or touch your toes. It’s performed somewhat like the children’s song Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes. Between the melodies, the arrangement by American composer James Benjamin Earp allows members of the percussion section to improvise their own rhythms.
Continuing its tradition of concluding each concert with a patriotic audience sing-along, the Michigan City Municipal Band will close with Mark Williams’ inspiring medley of national songs: A Patriotic Festival.
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 reduced parking fee for the band concert.
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.