The third concert of the 158th season of the Michigan City Municipal Band (MCMB) will be held Thursday, June 18, 7:30p, at the Guy F. Foreman Bicentennial Amphitheater in Washington Park. The concert will celebrate Junteenth.
The June 18 concert repertoire will be selected from the following compositions:
March: The Governor’s Own by Alton Adams
From the Delta by William Grant Still
High Intensity by Chandler Wilson
Portraits in Legacy by Chandler Wilson
Shine on Me by Erin Keeton-Howard
The Blues Brothers Revue arr. Jay Bocook
St. Louis Blues by WC Handy, arr. Luther Henderson, ad. Michael Brown
Alton Adams was a youth band leader in the Virgin Islands who became the first black bandmaster in the US Navy. When the USA entered World War I, he and his band were inducted into the Navy. The Governor’s Own is an exciting march in the style of John Philip Sousa.
William Grant Still studied at Wilberforce University (where he later served as band conductor) and Oberlin Conservatory. Dr. Still wrote over 200 pieces of music in a variety of forms, attempting to develop a symphonic style of African American music. His opera, Troubled Island, was the first opera by an African American to be performed by a major American company. Among Dr. Still’s many awards were honorary doctorates from Harvard University and Oberlin College. He was considered by many to be the “dean” of African American composers.
Chandler Wilson serves as director of bands at Stetson University in Florida, and is a composer and guest conductor in high demand. Portraits in Legacy was composed in honor of Richard Brauer, namesake of the Brauer Museum of Art at Valparaiso University, and one of the most important and influential people in VU’s history.
Continuing its tradition of concluding each concert with a patriotic audience sing-along, the Michigan City Municipal Band will close with Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing by James Weldon Johnson.
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, audience members will use the new automated parking procedure (which uses a QR code).
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.